MechAssault Announced for DS

Press Release

February 16, 2006, 8:57 am EST
Total comments: 13

Majesco continues to publish handheld versions of Microsoft's most popular franchises.

MAJESCO ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCES "MECHASSAULT: PHANTOM WAR" FOR NINTENDO DS

Acclaimed 'Mech Series Goes Handheld with All-New Touch Screen Features

EDISON, N.J., February 15, 2006 - Majesco Entertainment Company (NASDAQ:

COOL) today announced MechAssault(r): Phantom War for the Nintendo DS

will ship to stores later this year. The first handheld installment of

the critically acclaimed series, MechAssault: Phantom War features

popular franchise elements while utilizing the Nintendo DS touch screen

to deliver a new level of control and maneuverability.

"MechAssault: Phantom War fuses the best game play elements from the

series with new features that take advantage of the unique mechanics of

the Nintendo DS," said Ken Gold, vice president of Marketing for Majesco

Entertainment. "The touch screen lets players intuitively 'touch' the

cockpit controls to hack into giant 'Mechs, eject pilots, switch weapons

and check battle techniques."

Developed by Backbone Entertainment, a division of Foundation 9

Entertainment, MechAssault: Phantom War brings the future of

interstellar combat to today's handheld gamers in a third-person

futuristic shooter. Players assume the role of a MechWarrior, an elite

fighter trained to control the ultimate war machine of the 32nd

century...the BattleMech. Gamers experience fast-action, 3D 'Mech

combat on the top screen, while the lower touch screen positions them

inside the cockpit at the controls.

Exciting MechAssault: Phantom War features include:

* Commandeer over 20 types of vehicles, including 'Mechs, Tanks,

Turret and BattleArmor;

* Wreak havoc on the enemy and environment with an arsenal of

powerful, fully upgradeable weapons;

* Brand new story drawn from the popular BattleTech series which

spawned highly successful games like MechWarrior & MechCommander for the

PC and MechAssault & Crimson Skies for the Xbox(r) video game system.

* Use the touch screen to sneak into enemy territory, hijack enemy

'Mechs and wield the most secret weapon in the Inner Sphere;

* Wireless multiplayer combat for up to four players

simultaneously;

* Master 24 single player campaigns across four planets and three

exciting multiplayer game types;

* Unlockable 'Mechs, maps and cheats enhance gameplay.

Talkback

KDR_11kFebruary 16, 2006

So, um, which year does that play in? 32nd century sounds like the clans are already involved. I wouldn't mind another pre-clan game like MW2 Mercenaries...

And wait. Crimson Skies is BattleTech related? Wasn't that about dogfighting in biplanes between airships or am I confusing that with another Microsoft game?

ATimsonFebruary 16, 2006

Quote
Originally posted by: KDR_11k
So, um, which year does that play in? 32nd century sounds like the clans are already involved. I wouldn't mind another pre-clan game like MW2 Mercenaries...

It's going to be post-Clans; the one screenshot mentions the Lyran Alliance, which didn't break away from the Federated Commonwealth until shortly after Clan Smoke Jaguar was annihilated.

Quote
And wait. Crimson Skies is BattleTech related? Wasn't that about dogfighting in biplanes between airships or am I confusing that with another Microsoft game?

No, it was about biplanes. And they aren't related. My guess is that the confusion stems from both universes originally being creations of the same game company, FASA.

kirby_killer_dededeFebruary 16, 2006

Screens look pretty good...except the bottom screen which is boring beyond all comprehension.

TMWFebruary 16, 2006

Wow...Mechwarrior DS...thats one game I would have never predicted.

Pretty awesome though.

KnoxxvilleFebruary 16, 2006

BLASPHEMY!!

....looks pretty cool tho.

PaLaDiNFebruary 16, 2006

Huh, there's something I didn't expect.

If anything I expected MechCommander.

Sir_StabbalotFebruary 16, 2006

I wonder if the Colosseum and other arenas from MW4: Mercenaries will return with Duncan Fisher...

CalibanFebruary 16, 2006

I think it's a bad choice not having an online multiplayer mode, too bad for them 'cause I would get it just for that feature 'cause that's the only way I could play multiplayer.

KDR_11kFebruary 16, 2006

NOBODY expects MechAssault DS! Our weapon is surprise.

ruby_onixFebruary 16, 2006

Needs more touchscreen Shadowrun.

KDR_11kFebruary 17, 2006

From the gray bars I take it that's photochopped?

ruby_onixFebruary 17, 2006

Yep. I slapped it together as part of "what game do you want on the DS" thread on some forum a while back. The top and bottom of the screens were cropped slightly to fit on the DS (less than most other SNES games would need) and the grey bars are unused screen area. I could've expanded the pic with pieces of two more screenshots, but I didn't feel like it.

I think Shadowrun would really benefit from touchscreen for the weapon-aiming and picking up/examining items, and the top screen being a status menu works because you can see your HP total which is more accurate than your life bar (although the status menu could probably be improved to include things like stats on your fellow runners), and the keyword-based dialog system could even be drastically improved with relatively-simple voice recognition.

IMO, one of the only things better than an enhanced DS port of the SNES Shadowrun would be a DS sequel to the SNES Shadowrun.

I figured this was Never Happening because MS seemed to be rethinking it's Nintendo support with the DS compared to the GBA, and they're making a new Shadowrun FPS for the Xbox360, but this MechAssault announcement makes me hopeful again. Of course, there's still no evidence of this (Shadowrun DS) actually happening.