The mech combat genre has been mostly forgotten if you exclude the arcade-style and completely not-the-same-niche Mechassault or Gundam titles. While the occasional title does exist, the itch has not been scratched for fans of Mechwarrior. You could check out Mechwarrior: Living Legends because the PC platform is awesome — but there is also a commercial war a brewing out of the blue between Hawken and Mechwarrior Online.

Hawken is an Unreal Engine 3-powered Free-to-Play mech combat title. From its promotional material it appears to be paced slightly quicker than a Mechwarrior game. The universe is not based on a preexisting franchise. Closed beta signups are occurring now and the full game should be released on December 12th.

Mechwarrior Online is another Free-to-Play mech combat title based on CryEngine 3. When the game is launched sometime this year, the universe will launch as that date in 3049. The game calendar will then be synchronized to our calendar for its lifespan. Speculation claims that the voice-over artist for the mech startup sequence is Carole Ruggier known for voice of Athena in the God of War franchise — oh and she played the voice of the mech startup sequence in Mechwarrior 2 back in 1995. I have not been able to confirm these rumors but if they are true: they certainly nod to the fans.

Which are you most excited for? Hawken? Mechwarrior Online? Or are you going to stick with the perpetually free Mechwarrior Living Legends? Discuss away.