Death of a Game: Exteel

[@Guarrow]

Wait, you mean there's someone who's acknowledging that Exteel existed ??? I still feels like there was never like it that released, even today. I could retry with the private server and yeah ... it's still quite something

[@Guarrow]

Also you mentioned there's no way to play it, but actually ... There kinda is with project Endless Waltz but there's no one active so you either need to find people on discord or convincing some friends, in which case ... good luck lol Can't wait for the Titanfall video !!

[@The42istheanswer]

I always wanted to play it, but my pc specs was not enough to run it at his time

[@ded2thaworld963]

Never even hears of it lol

[@Overheat909]

Endless Waltz is one probability.. But much of the people there are inactive. The project is still there and likely being worked on in private, but the team hasn't been as active as late and is focused on irl stuff (which they commonly do).

[@shimazutakuma1031]

As a pinkee main when exteel launched.... the memories are fun until it lasted... god i love using savage viper (spear + healgun skill) 😅

[@TwoGems96]

God ExSteel lives rent free in my mind as one of the first online games i ever became obsessed with

[@floofy1]

as a teen i played this so hardcore that i was still playing it all the way until 6am lol

[@imagephobia9815]

⁠@@floofy1me too! I played this like RuneScape until the sun came up and the birds were chirping. I’ll never forget this game!

[@KnexJunkie]

I miss it I miss it my brain torments me stil after years. (Where is Exteel Is there a 2.0? Have a look go look. It's like a sickness that never got cured).

[@imagephobia9815]

@@KnexJunkie I’ve never heard of Exteel 2.0, is it active at all?

[@KnexJunkie]

@@imagephobia9815 there is some fan project tried a while ago SteelX but I don't know progress on it how ever ncsoft kinda killed Exteel. I don't understand investment they made to make al game models the mechs and more they kinds let it go to waste. If a game or a ip doesn't make them enough money it gets killed it's understandable how ever like said in video they kept releasing new content slower towards English version for some odd reason. Even when game got killed the English version was stil lacking the new stuf. It would have been nicer of them to have put the IP for sale or give the data required to rebuild Exteel. Also serten mechs ingame is barely footage of. but yeah lost potential. Exteel could have sticked around in a different form. + A game like that needs to grow and be build towards a end I think they just forced to much to quickly and expanded faster then the popularity it had. Probably also some unnecessary expenses. It was basically always a niche game for a few gamers who loved it.

[@AurasShadow]

Goddamn, this game. Every 5 years or so my brain just reminds me that there was this robot game I used to play, and I have to go back and go through lists of all F2P multiplayer games to remember this name. One thing I vividly remember about it is that you could dual-wield shields, which I'd often do on capture-the-flag maps. Probably wasn't a good strategy, but it made sense to me.

[@GenJuhru]

GᴜɴZ

[@usmansafk]

Haha try every year or so...

[@zakmeninferno]

You must be my soul mate since you describe everything just exactly like I describe it to my friend right now.

[@KnexJunkie]

Yeah it stil bugs me the took it to backdoor and killed Exteel with a pulling the plug and leaving it as a orphan a unwanted IP which didn't get the chance it needed.

[@kyrudo]

As a mecha fan myself, I think the answer as to why these never take off is pretty simple. Any mecha fan worth their salt is all for customization. You want to build your dream mecha, take it out and tear face. The problem is this raises the bar for a lot of FPS fans. Look at how easy it is to get into a lobby of Call of Duty or hell, even Fortnite. Pick your initial load out, and go in. Imagine them facing a large menu of options and being told, make a thing and go. I think the best, closest thing we've sort of gotten is Armored Core 6, bit the PvP scene is tiny and there's no PvE which sucks. But I think thats around the ball park for what it would take.

[@marley7868]

honestly this gives me a dumb idea for a game mode where players can store modded mechs at higher costs and after each match the escalation rises and you have a minute or two to mod your standard mech to your hearts content

[@digivagrant]

Explains why Armored Core 6 is successful

[@maxspecs]

Imagine if AC6 had a 6v6 objective mode?

[@Microtardz]

I agree that the inability to simply hop in is part of the issue. I can think of other games like Gunz the Duel which had this problem but from a different perspective. In gunz there was such a high skill ceiling that any new player basically has to dump a good 20~30 hours of practice before they can really enjoy the game. Every new player's experience was basically picking SMGs, dodge rolling around, while everyone is chasing them blocking their bullets and dashing around like crazy. Games with large upfront buy ins tend to to struggle attracting new players. DotA2 has had this problem since its inception. The buy in is so large that pretty much the only new players for it are people who became disenchanted with other mobas, and therefore have an advantage in understanding going into dota. The RTS genre as a whole kind of struggles with this.

[@pikkyuukyuun4741]

Mechwarrior Online is literally this lego buidling game of mechs. Literally change anything on the mechs from lasers, ballistics, missiles, every single armour point, and even the engine rating to control how fast it moves. How is this game not mentioned more

[@Joweyification]

I remember being unable to run this game on my dads work computer. Thanks for the nostalgia.

[@UnironicallyUnfunnyAnimeDubs]

I came to comment the same thing, except it was my family computer as a kid. It was one of the first times I realized my computer just wasn't good enough.

[@StormCalamity]

Oh my God, for the past few years this game would come to my mind and I would remember how much fun I would have playing it while blasting anime openings at 2am as a kid. I always noted to myself I should find out what the name of this was for nostalgia, but here you are bringing it and all the memories to me on a silver platter. Thank you

[@Vig0ss]

Next one's gonna be a heart break. RIP Titanfall.

[@Calvin_Coolage]

Dude that video is going to hurt me so bad

[@BastyTHz]

ghost in the shell pls. that one killed by region lock

[@dukemagus]

You know who to blame.

[@Joutube_is_trash]

Bud's just gonna blame the same thing everyone always does. The release window wouldn't have been an issue if the game retained it's identity from the first title, or did some marketing.

[@makielcepeda9003]

I still play titantfall 2 now I never have an issue finding a match

[@cyber_person]

I still have an Exteel hacker video on my channel from 2010. Love this game. Damn you, NCSOFT. Edit: also NCSOFT was extremely incompetent in delivering updates to the NA servers to the point where “where’s the consumables?” became an in-game/forum meme. Edit2: I also wrote the team death match guide on the forums, this game was by no means slow paced and higher level gameplay involved and demanded CSGO-pro level coordination on then-popular Ventrillo.

[@TylerDuncalf]

This was the shit back in the day. Mecha Break and Steel Hunters, two upcoming robot arena shooters in the spirit of ExSteel are hitting live in the near future for anyone interested in or missing ExSteel. Theres also Gundam Battle Operation but Bandai has dropped the ball with that. EDIT: Came back to add after watching, there actually was a lot of depth to the combat, especially in the melee patterns/weapons and parts builds (think souls like, very committed animations to every swing and jab with hard punishes for being bad or failing) as well as some rock paper scissors in parts and weapons being hard counters or hard shut downs to each other. I miss it a lot honestly.

[@axlejones6281]

minor correction, its Gundam Battle Operations 2 and if anyone is interested in it they should avoid the PC version at all cost that thing is scuffed as hell, the PS version isnt perfect but it is miles better and still fun to play. there's a reason its survived since 2018 with weekly updates while Evolution got scrapped after a year

[@Mrsneezy111]

I checked out Mecha Break and Steel Hunters. Neither really seem to scratch the itch. I'm interested in trying the beta for Mecha Break but the lack of custom mechs just kills it for me. The gameplay may be fun, but with just selecting pre made mechs/pilots is just Overwatch with a mecha skin over it to me.

[@Mexican_Sunbro]

I remember playing this when I was in high school on my family's computer. It didn't have a gpu, so it ran at like 10-20 fps, but I still had fun.

[@YukitoOnline]

Exteel reached here in the Philippines. It's going to replace GunZ and Rakion given how good it is. Me and my buddies in the local netcafe were sad when it got shutdown all of a sudden. Fav weapon loadout is the Spear and Shotgun. (Stunlocking anyone who wanna 1v1 me) Backup weapon was the Lock-on Missile Launcher for long range engagements.

[@Jhunta]

FINALLY!!! ive been begging you to cover this one for years!!!! you finally did it!!!!! i am so excited, i dont know how i missed this!!! thank you, @nerdSlayerstudios

[@Dragon3057]

OMG!!! an EXTEEL video!!! i feel seen LOL. My whole channel is like my own Exteel time capsule from back then. My brain even somehow remembers the player names i would see online all the time. Miss this game, Hopefully i see you guys on Mecha Break.

[@nineonine9082]

Nice, I'm gonna have to check out your stuff. I was so young when I played Exteel, so I barely remember anything, just remember good times and making some dumb mechs.

[@usmansafk]

The one and only Spartan Leader. Hope you are keeping well in life, Lion ^^

[@Dragon3057]

@@usmansafk OMG someone knows the lore!!!! Wassup bro and thank you im doing good. Hope life is treating you well also.

[@purika8324]

I played Exteel in 2008 for less than 10 days. As a fan of Armored Core, I was blown away by it and I even questioned my existence for a moment for not trying the game earlier. But to be fair, it wasn't that popular so I never paid much attention to it, not to mention I had already had my hands full with Gunz: The Duel, Warrock, Rakion and Dota. Needless to say, in those 10 days, I quickly realized why Exteel wasn't popular. You see, in the noob or rookie zone (I think it was between Level 1-16 or was it 1-19?), the gameplay was still very balanced -- guns, cannons and melee were balanced. In my case, I would mostly use guns and was always among the Top 3. As a matter of fact, I got so bored of winning all the time that I decided to be a medic and join team battles. And on those team battles, I would just heal my teammates. It's only when I'm the only one on my team left standing that I would switch to gun mode and of course, still win the game (I even received private messages from players asking why I'm using healing guns or people just inviting me in team battles). However, once you pass the noob or rookie zone, that's when guns and cannons become pointless, especially cannons. The only way you could win is by melee gameplay. Now, you must be thinking: "But don't you play Gunz: The Duel? So that shouldn't be a problem for you." Yes, you have a point. However, between Gunz and Exteel, the former had a cooler or had more variety in melee fights while the latter was simply a jump+dive attack with a split second delay. Moreover, if you want to survive that long because you will be swarmed by everyone who are also doing the jump+dive attack method, you need to have high HP. And the only way to have high HP or just higher stats in general, as far as I can remember, you need to level up in order to wear better equipment. Now, you must be thinking: "Okay, so just go level up, noob." Well, here's the thing, the EXP you can gather is based upon the number of kills and wins you have per match. So if you want to level up past the noob/rookie zone, you have no choice but to join in the jump+dive attack method because guns have become useless in that zone. And good luck if you can kill, let alone win, using a cannon. So because of that, once players level up beyond the noob/rookie zone, some would create a new account, others would simply quit and never look back because guns and cannons have literally become pointless on the higher levels, and only a handful would actually continue the game. ---- P.S. I'm so sorry for the very long comment. As a fan of Armored Core, I really liked Exteel and wanted it to be popular. But unfortunately, the balancing beyond the noob/rookie zone was just so bad that the only way to win was to beef up your mech with so much HP up and do the jump+dive attack method.

[@ulsterjhosymargraulamadrid8692]

Yo lo jugué por casi 3 años , demasiado bueno para su tiempo desearía volver a jugar a nivel global ... Esas batallas entre coroneles y comandantes , mayores hacia adelante eran simplemente épocas.... Demasiado acción ... Captura de banderas y dominio eran las más bélicas.... Me desarrolle bien en ese juego y a la par conocí gente de todo el continente , lamente mucho la caída de ese juego , lo jugué hasta el última día de sus servidores estaban prendidos :( :(

[@ghastlyghosties]

I still miss this game to this day....RIP Exteel

[@matthewbraden2848]

I've been waiting for this for so long. I was such a hardcore EXTEEL player back in the day.

[@bladewolf3451]

I remember playing Exteel when I was a kid, I still miss it to this day.

[@Overheat909]

As someone who played this a lot, my takes on this are probably gonna be out there and quite big. I loved this game. Combat was never smooth for any game that came after it in this genre. It was one of the only games where 'netcode' wasn't the issue in hitting your shots and slashes, making combat ultra smooth unless the servers had hiccups or your own connection did. Hit detection was also very solid for this game, something I can't say about many games going forward with this.. The mechanaught designs were clearly inspired by Gundam, and that made them quite good. No game does this as closely as Exteel did though going forward, even CyberStep took a bit of distance in doing this but eventually did it through their AXIS Series robots in their games. Unfortunately, NCSoft would have flown too closely towards the sun with these designs as BN thought these were blatant rip offs of Gundam and filed a suit against them, which, BN would win (and it would explain some of Gundam's ongoing creations today). Ultimately, it came out much too early, it's decisions made were perilous right outta the gate, and because of the early release, it led to catastrophe after catastrophe. It makes me stress why success like XDefiant's is very important to remember. You don't need to launch a game early to have it dominate. And you certainly need it to be completed at the core, which that game was. Exteel wasn't, and because it didn't try to go broad with it's audiences and only went for the big boys, that's where it failed in getting the numbers. In addition, the game clearly had lore, but.. It simply didn't think that was important. Huge mistake. Gundam and many other worlds at least tried. I have to mention CyberStep here too as they actually tried in both their mecha/humanoid shooters. Exteel simply did not and that left out massive potential for a company all about their MMOs... I remembered one more core thing that also defeated it: Durability. I'm sorry, but this was also a CrossFire problem... Thankfully, CF today doesn't have this, but nothing should be durability focused. It leads to in-game currency being practically low everytime you needed to repair. I remember wanting the best gear in Exteel but had to basically buy it because the prices were too steep and Durability being repaired cost too much points for the higher tier gear you would have wanted.

[@WyrmLimion]

Thanks for finally making this. I loved Exteel, had amazing times playing it!

[@jackawaka]

there is a fan game in production called Steelx which has some decent mech models in it, but i've been in the discord for years and nothing has come from it sadly

[@imagephobia9815]

Found this video during my monthly Exteel google.. I still miss this game. It almost doesn’t even feel like that long ago.. I remember trying so many games when I was younger but this was one of the only games I kept going back to. You could just open it up, have fun in PvP right away, get up to shenanigans in CTF etc. I remember being shocked when the game was shut down because I felt like it deserved more attention. It was so fun when everyone would be fighting and you’d 1v1 someone amongst all the chaos and kill them with a signature finishing move. God I wish I had recorded gameplay of it just for the nostalgia..

[@lexievv]

This is the game that sometimes pops up in my head and makes me actively look it up because I always forget what it was called lol

[@Silverman160Zero]

YO! I was just looking at this game again last week! I still miss this a lot since then.

[@moviemaster13]

I dont even remember how i found it. Just that at the time i was desperate for games that didnt require money to get. Lucky enough that it could run on the family computer. Many fond memories and havent played anything like it sense. Like many games on this channel i wish i played them more, never knowing they had such a limited run.

[@conflicthorizon]

I played the hell out of this and was hoping we would see a private server. I know there was one that was in the works a few years ago. I played all the way up to the server closure. The game was amazing. Nothing has ever been like it.

[@Jhunta]

this was, and still is, one of my all time favorite games. aside from the awesome customizable mech designs, the movement and boosting system was unlike anything else at the time. the melee system, gun classes, and finishers were perfect for this game, and the gamemodes of capture the flag and territory control just worked so well for the game loop. i was obsessed and very competitive, putting in well over 300hrs into eXteel. thank you for shining a light on this short-lived star. ever since i discovered your channel and series w DoaG: SWG, i have been asking you to cover, what is now an obscure title, and i greatly appreciate you making the time to do so. cheers, friend.

[@ClassicBeatBox]

Man I miss this game so much. Played it a lot when it was alive

[@Rune_slayer]

I miss this game so much, played it a ton the last 2 years before it shut down. To this day, I havent found anything that resembles it in terms or gameplay. I remember being so sad as a kid when the servers closed, that I even joined a fan forums after the shutdown where one of the admins there (I think his name was Darxio or something) promised they were working on a private server, but sadly nothing ever came out of it. Thanks for the video, I thought everyone completely forgot about the game. At least my exteel searches on youtube every couple of months finally paid off

[@goldman77700]

Man I never thought you were gonna cover this game. Put a ton of hours into this game since it was the closest thing we got to an Armored Core mmo in aesthetics and gameplay. Disappointingly that's still true to current day.

[@kainhighwind2]

I remember the ads that came with Guild Wars for this, Tabula Rasa, their racing combat MMO, and City of Heroes

[@Mrsneezy111]

Seeing this and hearing that main screen music again nearly brought me to tears. I miss this game so much. It was really the sole game I played aside from WoW in high school. Friends still reminisce about this game to this day. I still have screen shots of my mech on my PC. The Sidewinder and Spazmok suits will always be top tier mecha design in my eyes. Really loved AC6 as it brought back memories of Exteel with how it plays, but there's no online death match or modes like that in AC6. Thank you for bringing back very fond memories.

[@Riri_734]

Man, this brings back memories. I used to play the heck out of this game for a couple of months after i finished school and was waiting for my enlistment date for mandatory military service. Got a lot of flak from my parents for not getting a job but my enlistment was only 5 months away from my graduation. Let me enjoy all the gaming i want before getting shipped off.

[@natevogel]

haven’t even started the video but thank you for covering this game. I loved it so dearly and I don’t know a single person who has played this game I dropped so many hours into. ❤

[@kyotheman69]

guess i was living under a rock, i never heard of this

[@mireaaragon9440]

Mmm, this does bring back memories. Quite a nostalgia trip you've taken us on. Thank you. The US release wasn't actually region locked TOO restrictively, so my partner and I still managed to get in on the action on the US servers despite being in the Philippines~. I remember we were residents of "Bend, Oregon," at least on the signup sheet. The latency WAS problematic for us, but also for our opponents. Our reticles would have a noticeable delay displaying that we had a lock, so early on we felt like we were being outranged somehow, taking an extra shot from an enemy with identical rifles. On the other hand, locking onto US was a little problematic for NA players, and the occasional "lagshield/lagswitch" accusations would get tossed out. Of note, there was an even shorter-lived release in some parts the SEA region around 2009... Just before the global closure. We basically smurfed so hard during what little time we had~. It was an odd release in that it didn't include all the mecha parts, weapons and variants that the US release had, but had MORE of the PVE co-op modes from the KR release. iAM Interactive, the publishers, actually had a pretty cool marketing push during the launch week here in the PH. In some cities, they'd have company reps go around the internet cafes with a ton of Exteel merch; Posters, CD installers, etc. They'd challenge patrons or staff to a 4v4 (at least it was a 4v4 in my town), and if the reps lost, the winners get to bring home some merch! (Our Rushnik and Zeeker posters remain proudly displayed in our living room.) Our NA experience was a mixed bag, but generally a good one. The community was small, but quite dedicated, and as you went up the rank you'd get familiar with the rather few names you'd always see in your matches past the "Chief Master Sergeant" rank (It's basically your level, not a real "rank" would be like being bronze/silver etc in League or something similar). "Kick that CMS" was a bit of a meme on the forums, since this was the rank where most people would get stuck on, or just flat out filtered. It took a LOT of matches to get to the next one, but you've essentially entered the unlimited rank bracket as far as matchmaking was concerned. CMS's were considered "unproven" so you would often get kicked to make room for a more established player. Kind of a catch 32 if you wanted to progress, (or hell, even just play) and we certainly could have done without that BS. Once we got past CMS though, we were kicked a lot less, and all the matches we've had to go through alongside vets had at least established us as actual assets to have in a team. Remembering all those times we'd crash those Territory Control EXP farm rooms still makes us laugh~.

[@insanelol]

Ah damn this is straight to the heart right here. I remember playing this so much back then...

[@actuallyarby]

not ready for the next one maaan

[@johnbobtailsquib3290]

I remember during 360 era I 2008 we would have had a battlefield like gundam game that obviously takes place in the 1 year war. Where you can use tanks, mobile suits, and even just be a regular soldier, shame they pulled that game out for the US.

[@hehuho890]

reminds me of those days when i was forced to topped-up so i can get those cool parts for my mechanaughts (mechs in this game) but yeah... seems every mecha online game is doomed to be downed (RF online doesn't count as it has space elves and dwaves)

[@avalerionxiv5623]

I used to play this religiously when I was a kid, glad to see it being acknowledged lol wish it would come back tbh

[@SomaBT]

Great video! I missed this game, I was a dedicated N.A. player who modeled my mech after The Freedom Gundam. Dual beam saber and dual beam rifle. RIP Exteel.

[@Darklor_WCF]

I remember on the night of my junior prom in high school. A group of my friends and I hung out in a buddy's basement doing exteel clan tryouts and then playing all night.

[@PlasmaGigas]

Fond memories of this game. Scoring flags in Capture the Flag as a "fast" heavy mech was the best feeling.

[@Eorthstapa]

Exteel was quite the fun game, and the community was generally helpful from what I recall. Some days I do think about it, and never found anything to really replace it, granted it was not necessarily the best game without the community. Glad to see you cover this one, even if it is a painful reminder.

[@nerdSlayerstudioss]

Thanks for sharing!

[@TheDarkly81]

The one shocking bit to me was the statement that this game was out for three years, I only remember a closed beta, an open beta, 3 months then it disappeared. I miss this game...

[@plot6520]

Still wish this woulda come back.

[@shinker3]

Even after more than a decade, I still believe that EXTEEL is the best mech game, without a doubt.

[@plot6520]

@@shinker3 given how relatively few there are? Definitely.

[@channelnimi-anatjokan]

Im waiting for the comeback, and would be playing this game in my deathbed

[@Maartwo]

I loved Exteel when I was a young teen. I'd dabble on and off since the monetization and my ping were so fucked so I mostly played the PVE missions. I was sad when it got shut down, the designs were really cool and the gameplay was fun.

[@Techn0Fox]

Total nostalgia trip. Forgot how much I used to play this game during middle school with friends.

[@hobbes4011]

I used to love this game back in the days. One of my favorite pass times was switching to the default starter parts and hunting down shit talkers. Was never able to find another game that had the same feel afterwards. shame too, it was a fun time.

[@korimiller379]

I remember looking at this when the announcements were coming out, with how much of my life City of Heroes claimed, I was always willing to give NCSoft games a look. However, being a shooter only, let alone a pre-MOBA, killed anything beyond liking the basic art design.

[@LotarWc2]

Exteel had a PVE survival mission, but it was based on one map that already was used for CTP, DM, TDM. Maybe there were more maps, but whenever PVE started I was always connected to the same map.

[@R3iGN.]

My Friends and I used to play this. I'd even bought in-game credits for upgrading my mecha. and I also joined a Clan named Team Sidmax. Back then there was Unsung, JOAT (JackOfAllTrades), INveria clan to name a few.. I can't remember the other clans but we used to go for Exibition matches just to test our abilities. My main Mechanaught's Equipment was Shotgun+Sword (Primary) And Cannon (Secondary)

[@emzzz8180]

gawd I miss this game... I remember creating my mech based on Duel Gundam from Gundam Seed and practicing cancel animations of melee and ranged weapons.. .the theme song still slaps to this day

[@TheMrFishnDucks]

Had no idea this game even existed. Nice video. Keep up the good work.

[@N0LYF3]

Don't worry, "Mecha Break" is in beta and will fill this gap. Check it out I'd you haven't. Lots of similarities.

[@current9300]

Nice, time to get invested to story of a game I've never heard of!

[@EsperHubb]

I played this game when I was young, it was the only mecha game my PC was able to handle and I loved it a lot. I even went out of my way to pay for premium items for it. It was funny getting called a "NCoiner" in chat but I don't think the players at that time understood why I loved playing it so much that it was worth putting money in. Both Exteel and City of Heroes were my go to games so you could understand how devastated I was when they went offline at that time, nothing was going to fill that hole for me until I was able to get a 360 for Armored Core 4 (and much later, Virtual-On OT).

[@Burningwithecstasy]

Really fun game for mecha fans. I remember the official forums were really friendly and welcoming. Found a lot of mecha anime that I still enjoy from those forums. Thanks for being an awesome giant robot game, Exteel! Shame it didn't last longer.

[@OxiconGaming]

I played this game back in 2008 for a month or two because i just built a gaming PC with two Geforce8800 in SLi at the time(in other words, i high-end gaming PC). Exteel looked and played well, and yes the hit detection was off at times, but it felt pay-to-win. It felt pay-to-win because if you just started playing first time and bought a new mech better than the default, with cash outright, you would have the 1up over another player. Grinding out for another mech to a point later in the game as you verse higher leveled players, you'd feel tempted to dish out the cash to buy another more expensive mech to stay competitive. I remember trying to grind up for a new mech, then later they released a new mech with higher stats for higher price. I realise the calculations to buy that new mech with higher stat's would take me 1 or two years to buy without buying it outright with real cash, but by then there would probably be 4 or more stronger stat mech put out by then. It was ridiculous. From then onwards, I new it was pay-to-win and it put me off being competitive at a game that is only PvP. You can say it was just another "mobile game" before smart phones existed.

[@DeanManstorm]

Something I didn't see mentioned in this video is just how unbelievably slow currency gain was. If you were a poor free-to-player, like myself. You were pretty much stuck with your original mech and weapon, possibly one or two other weapons you saved up for. No second mech, no customizing.

[@joshuaandrewson3091]

When I first saw the notification for the vid, I am honestly shocked to learn that there are people out there who also remembered that Exteel existed lmao.

[@admiralkaede]

wait this game actually looks amazing has cute 2d anime waitus and everything too bad I was too young in 2008 to really play games like this

[@TearThatRedFlagDown]

I immediately recognised it from the thumb nail, I played this game a lot as a kid. I'm still hoping that someone will make a private server for this.

[@rafindeed]

dude, i never heard of this game and i feel i lost the opportunity to have played a game that i would adore.

[@Gizmoe-j8o]

I miss Exsteel the custom setup did it for me. I could spend hours min maxing builds and weapon setups. Happy I still have Gundam Battle Operation 2 for my multiplayer mecha fix. Game has been running for 5+ years. Had a bad launch on steam but is still getting updates weekly.

[@jackmana3289]

Ah yes. Titanfall 1. the always multiplayer online live service headshot kill from afar.

[@lihanou]

this was one of my fav games in 2000s. Games were innovative back then, now all the same.

[@glens2019]

This one hits close to home. This was the only proper mech game I could play at the time on PC. Even had the install disc.

[@dankuya]

I used to love this game and played it with my dad all the time I miss those memories

[@zszyTW]

I miss playing CTF while duel wielding shields. Not many games let you dual wield shields.

[@Zhaleon0818]

For me Exteel was very memorable, I always looked forward playing the game everyday. I believe there are alot of players here in SEA. Even if it does not have a story mode, I am satisfied with the game modes provided by the game, for us SEA players. it was the same as FPS game like Crossfire and SF that is exhilarating to play and is entertaining enough to tinker and customize the mech much like Armored Core. Me and my friends were saddened when we got wind of the game closing down. We played it down to its server's last minutes. It such a shame that it had to shot down.

[@efirir]

So hyped for the Titanfall video. We all need to speak more about this series, it truly deserves this

[@UKfromadrone]

my experience with exteel as an european player: >do tutorial >load in to a multiplayer arena >see ping >go back to s4league instead

[@CPU_Fronz]

Another geezer here who remembers FilePlanet. While not a game, I think it also deserves a DoaG (or rather DoaS), as it was THE place for downloading demos and anything game related in the early 2000s.

[@skylordianandy2644]

Drill lance and smg. Those were my go-to weapons... because I was free to play and couldn't buy anything.

[@GenJuhru]

I played the CBT(only) and was able try all combination, even a dual shield(& 2smg) ofc for CTF. 😅

[@Khichira2012]

This is a great throwback thank you

[@DeadStringAudio]

Me and my childhood best friend put in countless hours on this game and this was a blast from the past

[@XanKreigor]

"Steel Hunters" is having alpha testing currently, it's a third person PvPvE mecha/hero shooter where some of the mecha you can play got an animal body.

[@JunnyJai]

I was not able to play this during those days as the ping was too high for me and I probably didn't have a system that was able to run it. But I do remember playing RF Online which scratched that mecha itch during the early 2000s.

[@xBDE]

If you remember the Fileplant Free lists, you might considering going back and doing deaths of the Mgame releases like Hero Online, Legend Of Areas and Yulgang (Meant to be a spiritual successor to FLYFF) All these games were actually quite popular in the Western Market and had a strong playerbase, I'm sure they would be popular videos.

[@GiggaGMikeE]

One of my earliest memories is my dad helping me construct a Gundam model despite the fact that he never watched anime(Nigerian Immigrant born in the 50s, the closest thing he had ever seen to anime was Scooby Doo), and I was 3. Ever since then though, I have been obsessed with mecha. I remember trying Exteel when it came to NA and immediately disliked it. It was like the seltzer of mecha games when you are expecting a sugary soda. It looked like mecha, but there was no customization, and the non-hitscan, non-projectile nature of the combat was a huge turn off, especially since I was, at that time, really into PC shooters(specifically Soldier of Fortune 2 if my memory is correct)

[@ClumsyCryptid]

I still have the Exteel disc that I got from the NCSoft Booth from PAX '08.

[@goldman77700]

That's incredible.

[@ArmourBlanche]

Fond memories of this. Though it was a bit janky, as a kid it was still cooling playing an online mech game and making your first kill.

[@Graahk-r8u]

One of my favorite games of all time, and nobody Ive met had ever played it 😂😂

[@asiandeyu5737]

I remember this game when I was young, mainly because I got the game winning kill at 1 second left on the timer.

[@aoihitori]

Ayo, I remember playing this game during my student days. It's the first Online Mecha combat I played and it is fun as Gunz.

[@gameguy301]

My biggest gripes with the game was the pay to win going on with cash shop exclusive items, and the frankly gameplay destroying aspect of skills turning you (and potentially your opponent) invulnerable during their animation.

[@bookimatt]

This one hurts my heart. We need more mecha titles!

[@themainc]

I really want a chrome hounds MMO. Make them grounded, make them heavy, make their weapons hit like a semi crashing through your living room wall. I don't want my three hundred tonne walking weapons platforms to be doing backflips...

[@doremiancleff1508]

There are few things i regret in life and i still vividly remember regreting not playing Exteel enough, before NA version got shut down.

[@Starry_Knightwing]

I definitely would have played this. Didn’t know it existed.

[@edwn00005]

i played this game and back when i was a college kid with limited funds i whaled for this game. so sad it had to close so soon.

[@bknysz45]

Et eel gosh ! That game was everything during my high school years

[@Desimor]

It was also competing with GunZ and S4 League's popularity considering the similarities. Even though GunZ was dying at that point (if I remember correctly), it still had a cult following. S4 League was entering, what I consider, it's golden years even in the western market. Exteel was brilliant, but it didn't stand a chance.

[@DocDelray]

In all honesty, Gundam could print insane money if they turned the concept of Build Fighters into an MMO. Think about it, building your very own custom mobile suit from the ground up, going on missions to fight NPC MS for parts, making squads to tackle iconic super bosses like Psycho Gundam. You could even top it all off with a pvp arena with either team fights, battle royal or one vs one fighting. They'd print money with something like that! But no, closest we get is a gotcha game with super crummy pvp mode.

[@rustinashackleford1367]

I miss Exteel so much. Got into it because of Lineage and Guild Wars

[@Creed4222]

Omg! I loved this game growing up! I still think about it to this game.. all the different combinations of robots you could make was awesome!

[@sergersgerhersh6594]

Oooohhh, so this wasn't a fever dream of my childhood....

[@GachaMofo]

Man I loved this game. I didin't know what I was doing, but I loved the mech play.

[@DM_Rage]

This was a fun game. however it was mostly a holder game for me and my friends while we waited for the next fun game. You hit the nail on the head