More tactical than the first
MechCommander the first tethered on a decision that it hadn't quite made, or rather, it's developers weren't sure how to approach it: either as a heavy yet still arcade mech shooter, or a faux simulator of mech combat. If that was always a problem or point of contention for fans of the first one, this second title is much more tilted towards faux simulator ideas and a more tactical approached game. At any rate, while the control scheme of your mech might still look a bit like that of an arcade game, the actual fighting and the forces at play, also the way they need to cover the ground, take decisive action but also try to play tactically is much more present. However, the difficulty of the game has increased, but not the difficulty of the controls, or of understanding what you have to do, tactically, controls wise or in playing the levels. Because at heart this is still a level to level advancing game, as you play a mech for hire operator. Also, to add to the tactical additions, you can now pause the game, take a 360 look around and even a bird's eye view of the game, which always adds to the atmosphere and to the added extra of thinking like a commander and not as a short breathed action hero in an action game. So yes, it's still action, but it's not as vanilla as in the first iteration. Though still, it can be enjoyed by players that wouldn't call themselves hardcore.
