EDIT: Oops this is something completely different from what I just saw... that was also a free to play mechwarrior online type game.  Weird.  Ah Mechwarrior tactics, just saw a thread about it in the PC forum a bit below.

It looks like a lot of fun.

I played a computer game version of the mech warrior tabletop game once.

It was complicated as hell, and felt like it took 100 dice rolls to do anything.

Seemed like you'd fire 6 missles to see if they'd hit, then roll each missle to see where it'd hit then dice rolls for effects....

was fun though with all that automated. So i'm highly considering playing this when I have the time.

What are your views on this and Hawken? From what I've seen, Hawken looks miles ahead in terms of the feel of the mech, the immersion.

I remember this game, but I sucked at it

For the feel of the mechs and immersion I would say Mechwarrior Online all the way. It is more of an actual mech sim than Hawken, with heat management etc.

Hawken looks more like a multiplayer FPS with mechs TBH, which looks fun as hell. I will probably play both myself and then probably pich the one I have the most fun with, as I don't really have the time for two mech games lol. I mean they are both free to play so yea you can just try them both and find which style you like best.

Ah ok, guess I got the wrong end of the stick. I've gotta say though, the sound design and feel of those Hawken videos alone gives me a hard on, it just looks like it 'feels' like you're in those mechs. 

This game looks like it could be fun but F2P always makes me weary.

It's a matter of oppinion, if you want to feel like you are piloting a 100m+ tall walking tank then MWO looks perfect. If you want the feeling of piloting lightning fast war machine ripping it up Hawken is your game. 

They both look great IMO 

Oh and as for Mechwarrior.

I'll give it a shot, it's probably about time I do.

I have negative impressions from the horrible SNES ports though... Could never get the freaking turning down right without plodding forward with my body turned to a random direction.

and then mechwarrior game I bought when I was younger... what with that game having more controls then I think a real life working mech would have.

No doubt! I'll try both. 

GDC: Reviving MechWarrior with the CryEngine 3

I was a pretty big fan of MechWarrior back in the day. I kind of have a thing for mechs, and I thought it was really awesome. What little kid wouldn't want to blow up giant robots with lasers and missiles fired from other giant robots? Still, it's been a long time since we've had a proper MechWarrior game.

At GDC, I sat down with Piranha games -- current holders of the MechWarrior license -- to check out their new Free-to-play title, MechWarrior Online.

MechWarrior Online (PC)
Developer: Piranha Games
Publisher: Infinite Game Publishing
Release: Super 2012

MechWarrior Online takes place about two decades after the original title. All of the factions and all of the planets that have been established over the 27 year franchise will be present in some capacity, and planets will shift alliances based on in-game events. 

The use of CryEngine 3 gives some pretty substantive graphical improvements, with the level of detail looking amazing -- it definitely adds a lot to the package. If you fire a laser at another mech, for example, the metal will slowly melt and pour off. Some of the ground and tree textures aren't quite up to the models of the mechs and some of the other environments, but it is still a marked improvement over anything else in the rest of the franchise.

There's been a lot of emphasis placed on total immersion; making the player feel like an actual pilot instead of just the mech itself. If you move the camera far enough, you can see each of your arms, legs, and all of the panels and internals of the machine. Everything is rendered and all of the information is updated as your unit takes damage, builds up heat, etc. 

Piranha has been focused on trying to replicate the feel of many of the older games in the series while expanding combat and role-based combat. Players will be organized into lances which have four players each, and multiplayer allows up to three lances per side (grand total of 24 giant death machines on the field). 

The team also demoed some battles between several different classes running from the small and light, all the way up to the biggest frame in the game. They've been working on the viability of all classes, such that tiny 25 ton dudes will be competitive and useful in play against much larger pieces if played effectively.

Unfortunately, while I watched the game played for some time, I never got my nerdy little hands on it. Itlooks good, and I have some genuine interest in seeing how this will turn out, especially given that this is yet another hardcore "freemium" title. Look for the full release sometime this Summer.

http://www.destructoid.com/gdc-reviving-mechwarrior-with-the-cryengine-3-223576.phtml