MechWarrior 5: Clans review: Thrilling mech game delivers 31st-century storytelling

MechWarrior 5 : Clans delivers one of the most intense action campaigns of the year , and tells a personal, character-driven war story with a giant-robot backdrop.

Early on, your Star (aka squad) is almost exclusively in lighter mechs. That means that tanks and VTOLS can do real damage, and a fight with other mechs is often better done via ambushes and careful positioning.

You can play through the full campaign in up to five -player co-op, which is a lot of fun.

Each additional player takes on the role of one of your existing Starmates .

The story smartly focuses on the titular MechWarriors themselves, spanning multiple years .

The characters generally look excellent, but occasionally unnatural mouth movements break up the immersion.

MechWarrior 5: Clans is a towering behemoth of action and storytelling worthy of its massive BattleMechs .

Omnipods are alternate configurations for each mech, and they can completely change how you approach fights.

Anytime a mech is used it gains XP , which can be used on upgrades.