Heavy Gear - 1997 - with the popularity of the Mechwarrior franchise gamers were more than eager for another giant robot type game. this one promised even faster action with smaller mechs that were more like oversized power armour suits. mobility like a space marine with the weapons of a mech... how could it go wrong?
... by having the most heavy handed, cliché, and just plain bad story you could wrap a video game around. the entire campaign ALL OF IT revolves around retreating from a disputed border area. the whole scope of playing this new series is to withdraw to the north... awesome. what an amazing sense of accomplishment! we retreated back to the safety of our side of the border.... fantastic.
i realize the story in video games is usually just a backdrop for the action but in this case the main characters you interact with (though cut scenes) are so narrow minded and one dimensional it really makes you wonder how any of them were able to achieve any sort of position of power.
**spoiler alert - though no one should care**
worse offender. the Admiral on your ship. in your first mission you get busted doing recon with his son by the bad guys. while imprisoned your character somehow manages to break free from his restraints - then you turn and unlock the Admiral's son. who then refuses to leave the POW camp because there are rules and laws governing conflict and being that they were caught fair and square, they would be released the same way once conflict resolution negotiations happened. yeah - he gets shot in the face and you get personally blamed for the rest of the campaign.
until... the discovery of a traitor in your midst. gee, a botched scout mission with the Admiral's son, there couldn't possibly be a traitor. turns out it was the 2nd in command. even with video evidence of her putting the gun to the son's head the Admiral still blames you for failure. then challenges you to a duel. yep everything being about policy and protocol flies right out of the window.
by the end of the game pretty much every main character the player is introduced to tries to kill him. all so that you can retreat. awesome. i kept playing hoping that there would be some point where you had the option of switching sides or negotiation some sort of peace treaty, or somehow taking over the continent. nope, once you protect your main ship's slow ass retreat back across the border it's done.