EDIT: Review assessment changed to 9/10, simply because of the amount of content and reworks coming our way in the near future; looks like PGI is listening to the fans after all.
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About time I wrote a review for my most-played game as of late.

I've been a fan of BattleTech for a little over a decade now, since I was 4 or 5 years old, and I have failed to find another franchise which comes close to the feel of it. I'm gonna have a major rant on the background of these games, so if you wanna avoid all that scroll way down until you see a nice big train of tildes. 0_0

This series follows a unique dystopian science-fiction setting (which is actually very plausible) where man has overcome the limitations of Earth and settled across the stars. Yet our sinful nature has not been left behind, and a multitude of factions exist after the collapse of the Star League in the 28th century. Four succession wars have been fought since, and the persistence of the human traits of greed, betrayal, and need for war have perhaps never been more evident.

These wars are fought on a number of fronts: among the stars through jumpships and warships, in the skies through aerotech, and on the ground through infantry and the tanks which have now been in use for over a millenia. However, a breakthrough happened which would permanently change the face of war.

In 2439, the Terran Hegenomy developed the MSK-5S prototype, commonly known as the Mackie; this was the first true BattleMech. While primitive by 31st century BattleMech standards, the prototype was a complete success, practically obliterating its test targets consisting of four Merkava heavy tanks. This ushered in a near arms-race age while the Star League still reigned supreme, in which perhaps hundreds of BattleMech models were released by the different Great Houses and other factions united under the League, with the technology available for these walking tanks constantly improving along the way.

Tensions rose, however, and with the Great Houses eventually waging war on each other in the First Succession war, the defeated Star League Defence Force retreated to beyond the Periphery and Inner Sphere space currently known to man, taking their knowledge of BattleMech technology with them. These forces, over the course of a few centuries, developed their own societies and militaries, and would return to the Sphere under the name of the Clans.

Meanwhile, relentless, unfading war between the Great Houses caused the rate of technological progress to come to a halt, and with the loss of the most advanced BattleMechs in these wars, the Inner Sphere eventually degraded to a point of lesser technology by the 31st century, so much so that the BattleMechs that were in such number during the Star League age were now a rare commodity, only piloted by the nobility, the highest-ranking officers in each House, and the richest mercenaries.

Then came the Clans to give the Inner Sphere a little bit of a wake-up call. Converging from the Periphery, the Clans initially steamrolled all resistance until the influential Battle of Tukayyid in 3052. The Great Houses, still hostile towards one another, realized that they would have to put aside their differences until this new threat was sent back to where it came from.

And we've only scratched the surface of the lore this series has to offer.
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That's where MechWarrior Online comes in: the conflict between the Inner Sphere and Clan is at its peak, and individual factions within both sides aren't exactly the most friendly with one another. To top it off, mercenaries are profiting off of this turmoil all the while. The Faction Play aspect of this game captures this side of MechWarrior almost perfectly: you can choose to be a loyalist, mercenary, or even a freelancer, all with their own benefits.

Of course if that's not your cup of tea, the rest of the game has plenty to offer. The MechWarrior series has always had plenty of customization potential, and never before has the series had THIS much customization potential. The plethora of 'Mech chassis and variants, weapons, equipment, upgrades, and modules provide for an impossibly high number of build options. If customization is your thing (and I know it's mine), I can confidently say you will be WOWED by this game.

The gameplay itself is very tactical: IGN put it pretty much perfectly by calling it a "thinking person's shooter". But don't worry, there are guides on Steam that will give you a run-down on all the tips and tricks of this game. Joining a casual or competitive unit will further your game experience by providing you with a well-coordinated team, as opposed to dropping in with random people.

Balance is not an issue for the mass majority of the time you'll be playing, so not really anything to point out there.

The game also updates every month, though these patches usually consist of new mechs held through a paywall for a few months and minor gameplay changes. There are also events held semi-regularly which provide in-game currency (standard and premium) as well as both cosmetic and useful items.

If you are a previous BattleTech fan, this is a must-have. It doesn't have the campaign, Solaris arena, or instant-action modes that the MechWarrior series is so well known for (bummer :/), but it excels in pretty much every other way.

If you're new to the series, all the stuff this game has to offer can be a little hard to get used to, but it's pretty intuitive and there's a simple tutorial. Additionally, you can find a series veteran like myself; we'd be glad to help you learn the ropes.

Overall I'm gonna put aside my BattleTech bias and give this game a 8.5/10, there's stuff to do for sure, just not as much as there coud be.

EDIT: Review assessment changed to 9/10, simply because of the amount of content and reworks coming our way in the near future; looks like PGI is listening to the fans after all. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ About time I wrote a review for my most-played game as of late. I've been a fan of BattleTech for a little over a decade now, since I was 4 or 5 years old, and I have failed to find another franchise which comes close to the feel of it. I'm gonna have a major rant on the background of these games, so if you wanna avoid all that scroll way down until you see a nice big train of tildes. 0_0 This series follows a unique dystopian science-fiction setting (which is actually very plausible) where man has overcome the limitations of Earth and settled across the stars. Yet our sinful nature has not been left behind, and a multitude of factions exist after the collapse of the Star League in the 28th century. Four succession wars have been fought since, and the persistence of the human traits of greed, betrayal, and need for war have perhaps never been more evident. These wars are fought on a number of fronts: among the stars through jumpships and warships, in the skies through aerotech, and on the ground through infantry and the tanks which have now been in use for over a millenia. However, a breakthrough happened which would permanently change the face of war. In 2439, the Terran Hegenomy developed the MSK-5S prototype, commonly known as the Mackie; this was the first true BattleMech. While primitive by 31st century BattleMech standards, the prototype was a complete success, practically obliterating its test targets consisting of four Merkava heavy tanks. This ushered in a near arms-race age while the Star League still reigned supreme, in which perhaps hundreds of BattleMech models were released by the different Great Houses and other factions united under the League, with the technology available for these walking tanks constantly improving along the way. Tensions rose, however, and with the Great Houses eventually waging war on each other in the First Succession war, the defeated Star League Defence Force retreated to beyond the Periphery and Inner Sphere space currently known to man, taking their knowledge of BattleMech technology with them. These forces, over the course of a few centuries, developed their own societies and militaries, and would return to the Sphere under the name of the Clans. Meanwhile, relentless, unfading war between the Great Houses caused the rate of technological progress to come to a halt, and with the loss of the most advanced BattleMechs in these wars, the Inner Sphere eventually degraded to a point of lesser technology by the 31st century, so much so that the BattleMechs that were in such number during the Star League age were now a rare commodity, only piloted by the nobility, the highest-ranking officers in each House, and the richest mercenaries. Then came the Clans to give the Inner Sphere a little bit of a wake-up call. Converging from the Periphery, the Clans initially steamrolled all resistance until the influential Battle of Tukayyid in 3052. The Great Houses, still hostile towards one another, realized that they would have to put aside their differences until this new threat was sent back to where it came from. And we've only scratched the surface of the lore this series has to offer. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ That's where MechWarrior Online comes in: the conflict between the Inner Sphere and Clan is at its peak, and individual factions within both sides aren't exactly the most friendly with one another. To top it off, mercenaries are profiting off of this turmoil all the while. The Faction Play aspect of this game captures this side of MechWarrior almost perfectly: you can choose to be a loyalist, mercenary, or even a freelancer, all with their own benefits. Of course if that's not your cup of tea, the rest of the game has plenty to offer. The MechWarrior series has always had plenty of customization potential, and never before has the series had THIS much customization potential. The plethora of 'Mech chassis and variants, weapons, equipment, upgrades, and modules provide for an impossibly high number of build options. If customization is your thing (and I know it's mine), I can confidently say you will be WOWED by this game. The gameplay itself is very tactical: IGN put it pretty much perfectly by calling it a "thinking person's shooter". But don't worry, there are guides on Steam that will give you a run-down on all the tips and tricks of this game. Joining a casual or competitive unit will further your game experience by providing you with a well-coordinated team, as opposed to dropping in with random people. Balance is not an issue for the mass majority of the time you'll be playing, so not really anything to point out there. The game also updates every month, though these patches usually consist of new mechs held through a paywall for a few months and minor gameplay changes. There are also events held semi-regularly which provide in-game currency (standard and premium) as well as both cosmetic and useful items. If you are a previous BattleTech fan, this is a must-have. It doesn't have the campaign, Solaris arena, or instant-action modes that the MechWarrior series is so well known for (bummer :/), but it excels in pretty much every other way. If you're new to the series, all the stuff this game has to offer can be a little hard to get used to, but it's pretty intuitive and there's a simple tutorial. Additionally, you can find a series veteran like myself; we'd be glad to help you learn the ropes. Overall I'm gonna put aside my BattleTech bias and give this game a 8.5/10, there's stuff to do for sure, just not as much as there coud be.