Mechwarrior 5: Clans First Impressions

I couldn't put it off any longer.

I'll admit, I was worried; was this going to fall flat and make me love the Mechwarrior series a little less? Was my nostalgia for the old days going to overshadow the new and shiny?

Will my back ever stop hurting?

Ok, that last one is a little unrelated, although with the level of immersion I felt playing Mechwarrior 5: Clans, I'd imagine my back would be pretty sore as I stomped around in a giant 40-ton mech on the battlefield.

In case that last joke didn't clue you in: I like it.

I've got a few missions under my belt, and can safely say that Mechwarrior 5: Clans is a love letter to folks like me who grew up in the Mechwarrior and Battletech universe. It's got the lore, it's got the story, it's got the mechs, and it's got the complex mechanics and tactics that are what make a Mechwarrior game what it is.

Is it perfect? No, but we're talking about a niche title here. Mechwarrior fans are a dying breed: Those of us who remember what it was like to hop into the classic Timber Wolf and launch a volley of LRMs at an Atlas, hoping and praying that you get lucky and score a cockpit shot so you don't end up barely stomping away with a missing arm and bingo ammo have a lot of tolerance for what we'd consider minor pain points.

The first of which is the performance.

The first time I got in close enough range to a Firestarter for it to unleash it's flamers on me is when I realized.. Wow, my 3070-loaded laptop might not be top-tog anymore. My FPS tanked, stuttering and sputtering like.. Well, like my old computer did when I played Mechwarrior 2 for the first time.

Ok, so a little extra nostalgia that I didn't really ask for, but it's fine.

That's actually one reason why I waited to play it beyond the introduction: I had hoped that a couple patches would've solved the performance issues, but apparently there are still a few that exist.

The next criticism is actually something I consider a positive.

A lot of folks have been complaining that the mechs are too.. Fast. Maneuverable. Twitchy.

I disagree.. Especially if you're coming from MW5: Mercs.

You see, clan mechs are the cream of the crop. They are well-engineered beasts designed to outperform those freeborn welps and their pansy-ass Inner Sphere trash.

I'm OK with them having a little oomph in torso. It's not enough to make it not feel like you're piloting a heavy-tonnage war machine.

Beyond that, I am just completely immersed. The mech lab can be a little confusing at first, but I got it figured out in short order.

Ordering my star around felt like it'd be a nuisance, but enough methods for giving orders are provided that I feel comfortable issuing quick commands to the mechs under me.

Overall, I'm having fun, and am sure I'll have plenty to say about the game in a future review or guide.