Game Review: Monday Night Combat
Platform: Xbox360 (Downloadable)
Released: August 10th
Hours Played before Review: 15 - 20 hours
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| Meet the team. |
When I first heard the name Monday Night Combat I was like "wha?" It sounded gimmicky to me. I must also admit that I thought maybe it was some cheesy Xbox avatar game with jousting sticks or something. After putting in around 17 hours of time into this downloadable (784MB) $15 Xbox Live title, I have come away smiling and I can't wait to get back in the arena.
Presentation
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| Ammo Mule Arena for Crossfire matches |
Monday Night Combat (abbreviated as MNC) has a simple menu with a colorful background and the typical MNC pre-game music that in my opinion sets the tone for a "Let's get ready to rumble" attitude. The subsequent game mode menus are clean, simple, and keep the eyes focused on the countdown timer and player lists. What is nice is that the developers included a How to Play section in each game mode menu and lobby menu that gives players a handy quick reference on the different classes of characters and what their strengths, weapons, and basic strategies are. I like it. Newbies should use it regularly especially when you plan to switch to another class between matches. Once in game, the presentation of the approaching match gives players a sweeping view of the arena, a very handy Pit Girl, and the announcer uses his best boxing ring voice to introduce the game. During re-spawns the game gives you the option to change class, view the scoreboard, or change between arena cams to view the action from high above or anywhere in between. I think the presentation was well done, and it never takes itself too seriously. Which is a good thing because the focus here is on the combat, the players, and the stats. The after match review is something most CoD MW2 players will appreciate. A summary of your kills, assists, deaths, and what pro-tags you earned during the match is all incentive for players to come back. The game has a good sense of humor too. With a ridiculous amount of sarcasm, references to bacon, funny in-game sponsors, and an attractive Pit Girl who builds turrets, you can smile at just about any point during a match. Overall, the presentation is exactly what it needs to be which is simple, funny, and informative.
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| Bullseye is marked with an air-strike AND is being shot by two others. No wonder he hands out money. |
Gameplay
MNC lets you pick a character and tasks you with defending your team's money ball against bots or other player using your skills and building turrets. Bots are used in each mode of play. You can either play Blitz mode (local w/splitscreen or online with 3 friends) which throws waves of varying bots at you. Or you can play Crossfire, the most popular mode, and enjoy 6 on 6 team combat where players lead their team of bots to destroy the opposing team's money ball.
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The Gunner's deploy ability makes him more accurate, but vulnerable to Assassins.
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There are 6 classes to choose from in MNC. Each class has a main weapon, a secondary weapon, a grapple/melee and 4 skills to improve upon. Before the match starts your choices are: Assault - An all-around class with decent speed and attributes. This is a good one to start out with since he doesn't specialize in any one area of play. Support - This character has a heal/hurt gun as his main weapon and can really work behind the scenes. He can deploy a firebase (mini-turret) anywhere on the battlefield. Tank - Is a defensive player with a jet engine as his main weapon that seems to burn anything it touches. He is a bit slow, but is extremely effective at close range. Gunner - A slow moving brute equipped with a mini-gun as his main weapon. The Gunner is all about offense and can make life miserable for players and bots with his upgraded version. Assassin - This class should speak for itself. Stealthy and fast she can sneak up on Gunners and others with her dagger and deal an instant death blow. Sniper - This is the range fighter class with a powerful sniper rifle that pops heads, and the ability to plant traps around the map. In addition to the 6 default classes you can purchase custom class slots and choose 3 sponsors/perks (accuracy, armor, etc.) to apply. It doesn't create a vastly different character than the default ones, but you can mix and match the perks to see what you like.
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| Standing by a fully upgraded Support firebase will heal you. |
I used the default control scheme and picked up the interface very quickly. I found no issues trying to memorize the button layout which is consistent between all classes. The weapons are nicely balanced and each class can upgrade their main weapon and various skills beyond the initial offering. The upgrades are per-match however and require money. The main thing players should worry about in MNC is money. When you aren't earning any you aren't winning. Shooting bots and other players nets you money as does shooting Bullseye, the game mascot, who drops a ton of it every match. Use this money to upgrade your skills up to level 3 and unlock some perks that can make the difference towards the end of a match. You can also use it to activate special traps around the arena that can destroy bots or force players off the map. Money is also used to build turrets. Around your team's base are several stations where turrets can be built, of which there are 4 types, and they can help defend your money ball from bots and players.
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| Look closely to see the Assassin's cloak ability. |
Each class has its strengths and complement the team well. A Support player can walk behind a wall of Gunners or Tanks and keep their health up while assaulting a base. Assassins can sneak up behind a pesky Sniper and take him out so the rest of the team can advance. And while this is a team based game, a player who knows how to effectively use a class, can create real problems for opposing players. For instance, the Support class can cause major issues for moneyball attackers with hacked turrets, a strategically placed firebase, and well timed airstrikes. Snipers can be a headache, literally, and Assassins...the bastards....well lets just say it is rather satisfying when you finally put the smack down on one. I have seen games where a Sniper leads the way for their team, or where two Gunners wreck shop and decimate enemy defenses. I have had multiple games as the Support class (my favorite) where I had well over 20 kills 15 assists and led my team to victory without even getting near the enemy base. To top it all off, when you build up your juice meter and activate it you will glow for a short period of time and all of your skills will be temporarily upgraded. If you really want to bring home the bacon for your team then keep an eye out for Bullseye and give him what for because sometimes he drops bacon and that gives all of your skills a boost, including making you move faster, for as long as you stay alive. Believe me, having a juiced Gunner walk into your base is just bad news. I find this kind of balance between team and one-man wrecking crew refreshing, and it changes every time I play a match. It's all a very addicting and satisfying experience.
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| A juiced Gunner will make short work of bots...and you. |
Replay Value and Bang for the Buck
MNC is most certainly replayable. The Crossfire mode is the highlight and with built in co-op/splitscreen support in local play or online you have even more reasons to keep loading MNC up. For $15 you get a lot of great gaming and with Uber Entertainment already stating they are planning for updates I have high hopes for continued improvements and features down the road. When you get tired of playing serious war FPS games you can lighten up and have a blast playing MNC with friends and so far there is no shortage of players online to do battle with in MNC.
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| The Tank works best at short ranges. |
Overall - 8.5 (Game Zombie Favorite)
Now I have read a few reviews of MNC online since its release last week and its getting great scores, but I gotta say that the comparisons to Valve's Team Fortress 2 (TF2) is getting old. There are a lot of class-based shooters out there like Battlefield 2, Modern Warfare 1 and 2, Borderlands, Tribes, etc. and TF2 of course is one of the best that have come out. Seriously though, MNC stands on its own. I understand why people draw the comparison cuz of the cartoon style and simliar color scheme, but the game is markedly different once you jump in and sink your teeth into it. Plus it has bacon. Which is in a class of its own.
I found nothing wrong with this formula. Their are some minor gripes like not enough map variety, not enough customization, or the recent leaderboard hacks. One could even wish for more gameplay modes, but to me $15 for what you get is a bargain. I am having a great time with this game and I think Uber Entertainment did a great job. It fills a void for casual and hardcore gamers alike and creates a cult classic instantly. I just hope that we get more content for it this year! See you online!
