Exteel is an online multiplayer shooter where you get to test your skills individually or in team-based modes. However, the player won’t do much running around, since he’s in control of a powerful customized mech known as mechanaught. This is a production of Korean studio NCsoft and although free-to-play it uses a micropayment option for purchase of exclusive weapons, skills and mech parts.

There is a story behind all the shooting but it’s just a mere excuse for placing these robots on futuristic arenas, so we won’t bother with it. As soon as the player creates a free acount and enters the game, a tutorial teaches us the basics as well as some more advance moves. We can complete it, earning credits and unlocking weapons, or come back later to the point we left. Exteel is easy to play and in a matter of minutes anyone will be able to join any battle, in any of the usual game modes: Death Match, Team Death Match, Capture the Flag, Last Stand (the only one that pits players against computer controlled drones) and Territory Control. Nothing particularly new or exciting, but it works nicely. Most matches are limited to eight simultaneous players, but some of them allow for sixteen. We’ve seen better here, and the arenas are mostly unimaginative and could use a lot more environmental hazards and other ingenious stuff to spice up the games.

Our mechanaught has some nuances that should be noticed. For one, his weapons tend to overheat, indicated by bars on his left and right side (representing each weapon). When this happens the shooting stops and we need to wait for them to cool down, or switch to our secondary weapons. The different arsenal goes from short to long range firearms or cannons, as well as swords for those close-combat kills. The better the player performs the more credits he earns, perfect for a little shopping. Energy is also important, since it allows the mech to fly or double jump, making him a moving target and more difficult to hit.

We can buy different parts like helmets, weapons and other things that improve the player’s statistics, turning our huge pile of scrap metal into a real war machine. However, most of the upgrades and skills are temporary and some of them require the micropayment option, so there’s an unfair advantage for players who can spend some real money on NCcoins (the game’s currency).

Some lag tends to make the experience problematic, mostly visible in the weapon shooting, with the bursts still coming out a second after the player has released the fire button. This makes overheating a bigger problem, demanding some advance thinking so that the weapons don’t become unusable during precious time.

Graphics are clean and Exteel runs nicely on older machines. Arenas aren’t particularly inventive, graphically and gameplay speaking but they serve their purpose, making for some engaging combat.

Exteel has some undeniable appeal, especially for those who love massive hulking metal monsters. But there’s also no denying that it could use a lot more imagination. It lacks the style and substance of something like S4 League, just to name one.

The Good: Mechanaughts are nicely drawn – Low hardware requirements

The Bad: Some noticeable lag – Arenas are mostly dull – Few game modes and maps


Review by Alexkayl, Freemmogamer.com - Posted Mar 17, 2009