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New, Free Maps
Troubled Waters & Mountain High
MechAssault® 2: Lone
Wolf is blowing gamers away on Xbox Live™. So
far, online gamers have enjoyed new multiplayer modes and maps,
brand new vehicles like the VTOL and BattleArmor, and the
innovative new Conquest meta-game. With the release of the first
maps pack, players have two more arenas for testing their 'Mech
piloting abilities and team strategy.
See the city by the sea ... and knock it down.
Troubled Waters
This is a tight, close-quarters map that features
several city blocks' worth of buildings and some canals, all
bordered by water and connected by a series of bridges. The map
supports the Grinder and Destruction game types, and the action
tends to be concentrated in a small area (and therefore extremely
intense). Savvy players can take sniper positions atop any of the
tall buildings or on the outskirts of the arena, but don't get too
comfortable: If another 'Mech levels the building you're on, you're
going up in a bright flash of light and smoke. Some of the most
powerful assault 'Mechs are available, such as the Ragnorak and the
Blood Asp, but lighter and faster 'Mechs have the advantage among
the buildings … at least until later in the match, when most of the
structures will have been levelled. The map's layout limits the use
of secondary vehicles (tanks, VTOLs, BattleArmor), but you won't
have time to miss them because in these tight spaces the enemy is
always close enough to strike. This is a great map for deathmatch
purists who just want to climb into a 'Mech and go head-to-head
with another pilot. For those of you who prefer team games should
consider the other new map…
It may be picturesque, but don’t hang around too long.
Mountain High
The Mountain High map is much larger than Troubled Waters, so it
supports all team game types (including Not It!, Capture the Flag,
Check It!, Base War, and Snatch It) as well as Grinder. The ground
area is under knee-deep water (knee-deep on a giant Thor 'Mech, at
least) and there's a wide cul-de-sac at each end of the map that
leads to the circular waterfall area in the centre; rocky ridges
border all three of these areas, providing flat, dry areas for
objectives and high ground for scouts and snipers. At the start of
the match you find a wide assortment of light, medium, and heavy
'Mechs, including the Nova Cat, Summoner, and Catapult, as well as
BattleArmor and VTOL jets. The map layout is flexible enough to
present a serious challenge no matter what game type you play or
what game mode—the team with the best strategy is likely to win no
matter which engines of destruction they take into battle. If you
rely on sheer speed to reach match objectives in a hurry, you're
going to have to figure out how to deal with all those heavy 'Mechs
once they catch up. Crafty players will figure out a way to use the
spray from the falls as cover, occupying the high ground so they
can strike from above without fear of retaliation.
In all, the two maps featured in New Maps 01 cover almost the
entire spectrum of MechAssault arenas: You've got everything from
claustrophobic close combat to long-range sniping, one map each for
single-player matches and team games and a ton of gorgeous,
completely destructible environmental features.
What are you waiting for? Get downloading…
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