If you’re like me then you watched Power Rangers, any big Mech Anime or Pacific Rim and thought ‘that would be cool’. Well today’s my lucky day because I can suit up and punch out other mecha giants in The Balance Inc’s Override: Mech City Brawl.
This is an unashamed tongue-in-cheek brawler with giant robots and that’s pretty much the bottom like with Override. You get a series of increasingly silly mechs to choose from including a few that look a little familiar and a set of nicely designed levels, including built up areas you can stomp all over in your bid to be the last Mech standing.
The game focuses its best efforts on multiplayer, either locally or online, though it does have a single player Arcade Mode which is fun for a short while but does get a bit samey.  The Arcade Mode even has a story and features the various Mech pilots but is told mostly through static text and it’s a shame there wasn’t the budget for some animated or stop motion interludes as this game is crying out for something like that. There are missions and objectives to help keep it feeling fresh but most of them come down to battling other Mechs eventually.
This is really designed to be played with friends, though.  The one mode really worth shouting about is where you can have up to 4 of you control the same Mech. yep, just like Power Rangers, you all come together to work as a team (often with disastrous results), I loved this mode and it really does offer up something new for the genre.
As you’d expect, you get a series of basic moves and specials to help in your fight but on top of that there are weapon drops to help you out along the same lines as Smash Bros games. These can turn the tide of battle but often are balanced well enough to not be too over-the-top in terms of power.
I liked Override, it has humour and plenty of action and is great fun when you get a group of friends around the TV, but it’s not something that will hold your interest for too long. That said, I can see myself coming back to this when they add new Mechs and content.
Override: Mech City Brawl
Pros
- A great fun brawler
- Good attention to detail in the town maps
- Some interesting characters and powers
Cons
- It's a little too basic for its own good
- Humour may not be to everyone's taste
