PLATFORM: PC, PS4, PS5, XBOX ONE, XBOX SERIES X | RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
Giant mechs collide once again in the sequel 2018’s disappointing fighting game, Override: Mech City Brawl. Can Super Mech League right the wrongs of the past? In short, no, it can’t…
The mechs themselves look great, like Gundam toys come to life. Clearly a lot of effort has gone into their design and, with 20 to choose from, there are some excellent designs that make you want to try them all. Sadly, that same effort didn’t seem to leak out to the rest of the game.
A good fighting game needs to get the combat down first. Whether it’s frantic and fast or slow and methodical, getting the mechanics down is a true art form, and one that completely fails here. The combat doesn’t flow in the slightest, combos are pretty much non-existent, and it’s all just so slow. Fighting games don’t all have to be about pace, but landing your attack should feel like it means something and there’s just nothing satisfying about landing any of the four basic attacks. Some of the specials are quite cool but it doesn’t make up for the clunky movement.
Fighting in a city sounds cool, but the cities don’t look great. It feels like normal-sized robots fighting in a miniature model village, but far less convincing. There’s no life to the environment and, more often than not, the scenery just gets in the way and further slows down the combat.
The inclusion of 2 vs 2 mode, the spawning of weapons and the full 3D map are reminiscent of the Dreamcast classic Powerstone, and the camera brings back memories of Virtual On or Arms, but that’s unfortunately where comparisons to these excellent forefathers end. Having multiple robots in one fight should be more fun, but it just makes the fight more irritating and this mode seems an afterthought.
Override 2 is a good looking game made more attractive by its excellent character design. However, its clunky gameplay brings it down and makes it a virtual turn-off.
