Really enjoying the game so far. This review will cover the campaign only as I haven't even touched the Skirmish mode. Half the reason I am writing this review is because I believe the current review score of "mostly positive" is unfair now that the game has some patches with more on the way.

For starters, I waited about a week after release to start really playing. So, many of the early bugs and poor performance I see some people mentioning I never really experienced.

I have been a BattleTech/MechWarrior fan for about 15 years but never played the board game version. Just the books and the MechWarrior games.

Note that some (but not all) of my gripes with the game are features that would come with a full AAA ($60) title, which this game is not. So, it does get a pass on some things

The Good:
• The game is fun. I love mechs; but, if the game wasn't fun I assure you I would not have spent this much time playing it. If you like turn based tactics games, this is a must try.
  
  
• True to the subject matter. All the mechs and weaponry seem to function exactly how I would expect them to, based on my experience playing previous MechWarrior titles. A+ on creating a story that belongs in this universe but not making it too complex for people new to it.
  
  
• Performance on my computer has been pretty good. Pretty constant 70fps on 1440p with an old 3570k and a newer gtx1080.
  
  
• Most of the mission designs I like a lot. After the first big patch the assigned difficulty rating seems to be accurate and some of the mission tips are (especially for story line missions) are super useful. I was still getting new mission types even late into the game. There are still a few of the dreaded escort missions; but, they are relatively few and far between.
  
  
• Difficulty. This has been greatly improved since the game came out. Still not perfect, but acceptable. There is much less "artificial difficulty" (spamming you with huge numbers of opponents or pitting you against opponents with far better gear) then in other games. If the mission seems impossible, I usually just need to adjust tactics, mech loadout, or find a contract with a lower skull rating. I rage quit XCOM (but always came back) so many times because of impossible odds or garbage dice rolls. This game not nearly as much.
  
  
• Company Financial Management. Love this aspect of the game. They don't make it too challenging either but just enough to keep it in mind. It’s a nice break between missions as well.

The Not So Good:
• In-game UI. Many people have mentioned it and they aren't lying. The menus can perform terribly. Some sub tabs are completely in accessible at times forcing you to spend extra time going to the "section" of the ship (base) and then clicking the visual for where you were trying to access from the menus. I have however, had zero issues with the in-combat UI so that is something.
  
  
• Visuals. Don't get me wrong, the game doesn't look terrible. Some of the effects (over heating mechs, explosions, etc.) actually look quite good. But, the map textures look like they are from a mobile game. I'm sure this helps with performance, but I would like to see this improved on in the future. They have day and night cycles, but weather would also be cool. Maybe they have something besides dust storm tiles but If they do I never saw it. In addition, the mech textures and paint patterns could be better. Especially since this game is based on a board game with miniatures, they should really improve your ability to customize the appearance of your mechs.
  
  
• Turn animations. They are improving this, but at least right now, they still take a long time. It very tedious on longer missions or combat phases with a lot of units. One of the only real big bugs I have run into has been mechs getting "stuck" on animations. They just kinda sit there trying to take a step and failing for about ten seconds before they finally managing to complete the animation. This has happened maybe 5 times in my entire playtime; so, not a hugely prevalent issue but still very annoying. Also, I think they could tone down the camera shaking a bit.
  
  
• Cut scenes and dialogue. The cut scene art is good. And I know how they did them is much more affordable than animation. But I feel like it really holds back the story from being more engaging. Secretly, I would like some slightly cheesy live action cut scenes (like old school Command and Conquer) but that is just me. What further hurts the story is where your dialogue options really mean nothing from what I can tell. The response you get will vary somewhat depending on what option you chose but it all feels robotic. Again, I know it's more expensive and harder to write like that (think Mass Effect); however, it really would take the campaign (and the game) to the next level.
  
  
• Base building (ship improvements). Another area of the game that starts to feel shallow as the game goes on is building ship improvements. They are really useful; but, just don't feel as in depth or visually engaging as something like Xcom 2's base building.
  
  
• Defensive options. I would like to see more defensive options. Most of what the game has as far as defense is tile advantages, stances, and evasion pips. Where is ECM, AMS, or maybe some special pilot or mech abilities?

All that being said, I still highly recommend giving this game a try. I hope to see a large expansion or triple A sequel in the future. If there was a full-fledged clans expansions with similar campaign and full roster of clan mechs I would absolutely pay $40 again for that.