If there's one thing I love it's giant robots punching each other. So when Override: Mech City Brawl was released in 2018, I was very excited to check it out. It ultimately proved to be a very fun, if a little bare, multiplayer brawler where mechs have fistfights in various stages. Now, developer Modus Studios Brazil has returned with Override 2: Super Mech League. It also manages to be another very enjoyable party fighter that is still ultimately pretty light on content and variety.

There are a handful of game modes that range from 1v1 combat to cooperative wave-based objectives, but they all largely play identically. This will in no way be the next big party game to take the world by storm. However, it is still a decent enough time if all you want is to go a few rounds with friends and pummel each other with big, cool robots.

The setup is extremely simple. After the events of the previous game, the mechs have been repurposed from war machines to essentially giant gladiators that are piloted for massive combat sporting events. There isn't much story here beyond that. It serves as a framing device more than anything else. In short, you won't be playing Override 2 for any of its narrative. And that's not necessarily a knock against it. No one is diving into this Pacific Rim-style wish-fulfillment fantasy to be told a nuanced story. We're here to see very well-designed mechs spectacularly clobber each other.

The combat in Override 2 isn't much different from the previous game and remains fairly standard. Your repertoire of moves includes everything you would expect. You have your punches and your kicks as well as a handful of simple combos. Of course, you also have an ultimate move that builds over the course of a fight that you can let out in a massive blast. Unfortunately, there isn't a whole lot of variety or room for improvisation like you would find in other party fighters. You can actually just mash buttons and then throw in an ultimate move for good measure. Doing so will end with you coming out on top nearly every time. Especially with AI opponents who pose virtually no challenge. But the same strategy mostly applies to online battles. Though, those often prove to be much more chaotic and fun.

[pullquote]"We're here to see very well-designed mechs spectacularly clobber each other."[/pullquote]

Where the game truly shines is in its online play. It leaves a lot to be desired when you're going up against AI, but those issues are nonexistent when you're playing against a living person who plays just as chaotically as you do. At its very best, you'll be in for a no holds barred slugfest where you're knocking through buildings and pummeling your opponents with your massive blows. And that goes for both its competitive modes as well as its cooperative modes.

Whenever I was able to play with another person or a group of people, everything is infinitely more enjoyable. There isn't any real strategy to it or any real nuance, but it's not trying to be the next deep, groundbreaking fighter. It's simple and still fun. In my book, that is totally fine.

A mech fighting game is also nothing without an impressive roster of fighters. Override 2 has 20 playable fighters to unlock (plus a few very cool additions from the Ultraman DLC) all with varied designs and gimmicks. All of them look great and have a lot of personality built into their respective designs. You'll quickly latch onto one that calls out to you just from an aesthetic standpoint. Unfortunately, that's the only difference that they really have. Outside of some very unique and colorful designs, the move set for each mech is largely identical. The animations are really the only difference between them. So, in the end, it all just really boils down to who you think looks the coolest because everyone has the same abilities across the board.

[pullquote]"Especially with AI opponents who pose virtually no challenge. "[/pullquote]

As I previously mentioned, this is definitely a game that lives and dies on being able to play with others. The AI is seriously lacking. I'm not sure if it's an issue with the game's servers or just an early lack of a player base. That said, quite often I would be stuck in matchmaking for nearly five minutes before being set up with any other players. Other times, it wouldn't match me with anyone at all and I'd be thrown into a game with all AI players. It's definitely something to take into account because it may make or break the experience for some players.

Override 2: Super Mech League isn't going to reinvent the wheel in any way. It's a simplistic party game with button-mashing combat and cookie-cutter fighters. But at its best, it is a fun and fast-paced brawler that offers a really enjoyable time with other people. It's not going to take the tournament circuit by storm. It also won't be the next big party game. What it will do is offer mech fans and anyone that has a craving for the closest thing to a competent Pacific Rim game a well-crafted if bare-bones fighter.