RPGWatch Feature - Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus Review

Myrthos

Myrthos

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Forgottenlor checked out Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus, which has some RPG elements, but is probably not considered a real RPG. Still we did feel that there would be sufficient interest for this game, amongst our readers.

There is something that connects Games Workshop computer games and tactics games. There are a lot of them on the market at the moment and most of them are forgettable. Unlike Wizards of the Coast, which hands the D&D licence out rarely, and then mostly for games like MMORPGs or action games that have little to do with their pen and paper games, it seems anyone can apply for the Warhammer licence, and make almost any game they like. Mechanicus isn't a game with a big budget, epic proportions, or revolutionary ideas. But it does make the most of its Warhammer 40k license. For those who like tactics games with some RPG elements and are who willing to play a game without cinematic cut scenes or state of the art animations, Mechanicus has quite a bit to offer.
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More information.
 
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So true any two bit developer can make a Warhammer 40k or Warhammer game, and way to many of them are forgettable. I'm also sorry to say this look like another one. :(

The only good Warhammer games are the following.

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War I & Expansion's
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II & Expansion's
Total War: Warhammer
Total War: Warhammer II

Notice not a single RPG made my list they are forgettable.
 
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Warhammer 40k: Inquisitor is also pretty good, if you ask me. I liked it.

Mechanicus at least gets the mood right. The gameplay is decent, but not diverse enough for my taste.
 
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Cacheperl said:
Warhammer 40k: Inquisitor is also pretty good, if you ask me. I liked it.
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Might be but I never got the past the point of needing to be online just to play SP. Based on all the player reviews/previews that hurt the bottom line. Bugs didn't help either.

Wasn't there an RPG Warhammer MMO that flopped years back also?
 
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Khm...

I do not know if you guys played Waarhammer: DARK OMEN.

But that was the best warhammer game ever produced.
Total war came near, but I never had as much fun in warhammer games like in DARK OMEN.
 
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Also can recommend these games as well.

ARPG - Warhammer: Chaosbane
RTS - Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 1&2
RTT - Warhammer: Mark of Chaos
TB 4X - Warhammer 40000 Gladius Relics of War

There are a few more but modern players wont like them they haven't aged well.
 
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Poor green Mechanicus looked great at first glance, but quickly drowned in bad GUI and Boring Gameplay Hell. LAMELY CONSTRUCTED GAME REFUNDED!!

A V O I D W A R E !!!!
 
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I actually liked the game, but also didn't finish it.

It just doesn't offer enough variety of any kind.
Always the same environment, always the same units, little to no variety in missions, small maps, etc.
Plus, Nekron wih their minimalistic look don't really make stuff very interesting to always look at.

I do hope it sold well enough so they can use it as a basis for a game that is.. well… more.
Because the underlying mechanics are sound.

I'd honestly recommend everyone to give this a try - but nobody will probably feel compelled to actually finish it ;)
 
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Couchpotato said:
Wasn't there an RPG Warhammer MMO that flopped years back also?
Click to expand...

There was, Warhammer: Age of Reckoning. It lost support and halted development as the studio in charge wasn't making enough money to justify paying the exorbitant prize that Games Workshop asked for the IP, but there is still a "pirate" version running with a few thousand active players.

It was a decent WoW clone, but the time for WoW clones is long past, while only WoW remains to clone itself while hoarding the players who are into that kind of thing.

PS: I read somewhere that Warhammer: Total War 3 is coming, and it introduces the different chaos princes amongst other stuff, each with their own unique armies and generals. Quite looking forward to that one, if it's true.
 
Nereida said:
There was, Warhammer: Age of Reckoning. It lost support and halted development as the studio in charge wasn't making enough money to justify paying the exorbitant prize that Games Workshop asked for the IP, but there is still a "pirate" version running with a few thousand active players.

It was a decent WoW clone, but the time for WoW clones is long past, while only WoW remains to clone itself while hoarding the players who are into that kind of thing.
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Yeah that's the MMO I remember. You can still play it on private servers.
Nereida said:
PS: I read somewhere that Warhammer: Total War 3 is coming, and it introduces the different chaos princes amongst other stuff, each with their own unique armies and generals. Quite looking forward to that one, if it's true.
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I'll probably wait to buy Warhammer 3.

As Warhammer 2 is big and kind of bloated.

CA had problems integrating Warhammer 1 and 2 into the Mortal Empires. They only really fixed it last December with the turn timer patch. Game was broken before that.

So less DLC, one main campaign, and please don't release broken patches.:fingerscrossed:
 
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I like Mechanicus. Far more interesting lore and atmosphere than the vast majority of cookie cutter W40K games. I enjoyed the gameplay also. If it was a longer game, I might agree that lack of variety was an issue, but in the context of a ~20 hour game, it was fine IMO.
 
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Nereida said:
PS: I read somewhere that Warhammer: Total War 3 is coming, and it introduces the different chaos princes amongst other stuff, each with their own unique armies and generals. Quite looking forward to that one, if it's true.
Click to expand...

Total War: Warhammer 3 is indeed coming, and it does involve Chaos in a major way, but the stuff about each Chaos prince being individually selectable with their own armies and generals is pure speculation at this point. Logical speculation, mind you, but CA has not said how they will approach it.

I'm hoping this is the case because it's a colorful crew and takes me back to my days of poring over the Realm of Chaos books, with its giant tables of Nurgle mutations and such. The main issue I see is that CA likes to maintain somewhat of a balance of good/evil factions, and if you put four distinct Chaos factions in there, plus Chaos Dwarves and Ogre Kingdoms, you've got nothing but evil factions.
 
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mercy said:
Poor green Mechanicus looked great at first glance, but quickly drowned in bad GUI and Boring Gameplay Hell. LAMELY CONSTRUCTED GAME REFUNDED!!

A V O I D W A R E !!!!
Click to expand...

Over the years, I've become astounded at how different our tastes are. How someone can consider Dead Age a good game, and consider Mechanicus to be avoidware is to me completely baffling.
 
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Couchpotato said:
So true any two bit developer can make a Warhammer 40k or Warhammer game, and way to many of them are forgettable. I'm also sorry to say this look like another one. :(

The only good Warhammer games are the following.

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War I & Expansion's
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II & Expansion's
Total War: Warhammer
Total War: Warhammer II

Notice not a single RPG made my list they are forgettable.
Click to expand...

I also consider both Dawn of War games very good. I am not a fan of the core gameplay of the Total War series, but I know others like them, so I am sure those are good games too.
I do notice though, that you aren't a turn-based tactics player in general, so I'd think that Mechanicus wouldn't be your type of game, independent of whether its a good game or not.
As far as Games Workshop CRPGs go, there are hardly any. I think this is because the overwhelming number of Games Workshop's customers play their tabletop strategy games.
They do have a pen and paper RPG, and about 25 years ago, I actually ran a campaign with my friends. Its got great atmosphere, but somewhat wierd mechanics, and never had a huge following like Dungeons and Dragons, Shadowrun or Vampire: The Masquerade did.
 
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Mood and atmosphere is great in this game, but the puzzle combat and respawns killed it for me pretty quickly.
I also hate the doomsday clock while exploring.

Good game, just not for me.
 
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forgottenlor said:
I also consider both Dawn of War games very good. I am not a fan of the core gameplay of the Total War series, but I know others like them, so I am sure those are good games too.
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It' a shame the third game ruined the franchise for Relic. Though I'm not surprised as they cut out certain features in each game, or basically they simplified them.
I do notice though, that you aren't a turn-based tactics player in general, so I'd think that Mechanicus wouldn't be your type of game, independent of whether its a good game or not.
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Correct not a huge fan of any turn-based games. Wont lie though I will sometimes play them. Examples being 4X space games, or games like the civilization series.
As far as Games Workshop CRPGs go, there are hardly any. I think this is because the overwhelming number of Games Workshop's customers play their tabletop strategy games.
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Tis a shame as there is so much potential for an open world space opera. Think of something like Fallout 4/Andromeda, but in a much larger scale. Guess it's to risky.

Warhammer: Chaosbane is probably the only RPG that I can remember on the PC.
 
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forgottenlor said:
Over the years, I've become astounded at how different our tastes are. How someone can consider Dead Age a good game, and consider Mechanicus to be avoidware is to me completely baffling.
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lol… mercy said that Pathfinder Kingmaker was an avoidware as well because the UI size is too small. And I am laughing hard here because I totally relate to what you are saying, and it is just funny how mercy labels games as "AVOIDWARE!!!" :lol:

Since we have such distinct tastes, now I know that buying this game in the summer sale was a good deal :p
 
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Yeah, as I get older, reading smaller fonts becomes more of a challenge for me, so I do sympathise with him to some extent. But taking this frustration out on a game and saying its terrible, because he has trouble playing the game (if that is indeed the case) does the developers a disservice. Its like saying a game is terrible because there is no widescreen resolution, or because the framerate is locked at 60, for example, which has nothing to do in my opinion with the quality of the gameplay.
 
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I consider even SpaceLand with its beautifully designed UI and so-so gameplay more attractive and actually a heck of a lot more playable than this 40,000: Mechanicus trainwreck.
 
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mercy said:
Poor green Mechanicus looked great at first glance, but quickly drowned in bad GUI and Boring Gameplay Hell. LAMELY CONSTRUCTED GAME REFUNDED!!

A V O I D W A R E !!!!
Click to expand...

I find your posts on other games usually pretty harsh, correct me if I am wrong but you are releasing something soon. Will you accept similar critiques?
 
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