MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat
Screenshots
Summary
You are the genetically enhanced Clan Mechwarrior. The Clans are on the move, sweeping into the Inner Sphere. Choose your allegiance—either the Wolf Clan or the Jade Falcon Clan—as they each wage their own war against the Inner Sphere and rival Clans. Command your cutting-edge Omnimechs into battle against all opposition. Earn top warrior rankings by completing missions with fewer or smaller mechs than required, fulfilling secondary objectives, and more. High scores unlock promotion trials, where you'll face tougher odds in an arena. Victory means a rank promotion. Excel enough, and you could rise all the way to Khan, the supreme leader of your Clan! Mechwarrior II was developed internally by Activision as the follow-up to their original Mechwarrior title. This time around, there are no dynamic campaigns or mercenary missions, but the Clan culture is deeply embedded in the two available campaigns. Each Clan features unique mechs, distinct rules, and even different weaponry. You can tweak your mechs to use less than the standard force, helping you secure better rankings. The 3D environment wasn't as polished as later titles—this was before 3D accelerators became common—but it still outshined everything that came before. The addition of NetMech brought online multiplayer to the experience. When 3D graphics cards arrived, special versions were released to take full advantage of 3D texturing. While not quite as replayable as the original Mechwarrior, it remains a beloved classic. If you're ready to experience it now, grab the Titanium Edition, which supports 3D acceleration.
Storyline
MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat takes place in 3057, just after the pivotal Battle of Tukayyid between the Inner Sphere and the invading Clan armies. The story centers on a deep ideological rift within the Clans themselves. The game highlights two major Clans—Jade Falcon and Wolf—representing the Crusader and Warden philosophies, respectively. The Clans trace their origins to the remnants of the Star League Defense Force, much of which was led by their commander Aleksandr Kerensky into the uncharted reaches of space to escape the destructive wars of the Inner Sphere. Over time, these forces fractured into 20 distinct Clans, each building a society centered on military discipline and the training of elite warriors to pilot their advanced BattleMechs. During their long period of isolation, the Clans split into two opposing schools of thought: the Crusaders, who sought to return to the Inner Sphere as conquerors to force unity and restore the Star League, and the Wardens, who believed the Clans should act as guardians, intervening only in the face of a major threat. The Crusader ideology ultimately prevailed, and the Clans launched an invasion of the Inner Sphere with a coalition that included the Jade Falcons, Clan Wolf, Smoke Jaguars, and Ghost Bears. This invasion force was a mix of both Crusader and Warden Clans, with Clan Wolf being the most prominent. The Wardens joined the effort in an attempt to limit the damage caused by the Crusaders. The invasion continued until the Clans were confronted by the ComStar organization on the planet Tukayyid. A decisive battle was arranged: if the Clans won, they would gain control of Terra, which was under ComStar's rule; if they lost, the invasion would be suspended for 15 years under a truce. The Clans suffered a defeat, and their invasion was halted for that duration. In the aftermath, Ulric Kerensky, the leader of the invasion and warlord of Clan Wolf—a Clan with strong Warden leanings—was accused of treason by the Crusader factions within his own Clan. They claimed he intentionally lost the battle to sabotage the invasion and was also charged with genocide. Clan law, based on the principle that "might makes right," allowed disputes to be settled through combat. Ulric issued a challenge to defend his position on the Clan Council and uphold the Truce of Tukayyid. The Jade Falcon Clan, the most powerful of the Crusader Clans and longtime rivals of Clan Wolf, accepted the challenge. The resulting conflict, known as the Refusal War, saw the Jade Falcons fighting to enforce the Council's ruling of Ulric's guilt, which would allow the invasion to resume immediately against the weakened Inner Sphere. Ulric and Clan Wolf, however, were determined to wage a war of annihilation against the Falcons, seeking to cripple them and prevent them from posing a future threat to the Inner Sphere.
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Alternative titles
- MechWarrior 2 - Kampfspiel des 31. Jahrhunderts— German title