Doing a bit of necromancy here, but replying to this thread seems saner than trying to start a new one. Just wanted to share impressions after finally finishing the Dragon's Gambit DLC! Started a new career for this, played all the way through to 3039 haha.
1. The intro in career mode is pretty bizarre, as Comstar is mad at you for killing some guy you've never met. They're quite insistent you owe them because of this dead guy. Who you didn't kill. Because it's career mode. Also it feels like the game automatically assumes you need your arm twisting to support the DC. Honey, I'm a +5 Hero in the Combine. My machines all have the Kurita camo scheme in black on scarlet red. No convincing required.
2. The game also works very hard to make sure you only fight against Steiner mercenaries, never house troops and never Davion. Again, feels like there are a bunch of assumptions built into the setup that only hold true for some players.
3. By 3039 I had about 16 assault mechs, fully upgraded, high tier weapons. I never lost a Mech, and only one pilot was ever injured. The pace would be absolutely brutal if you were starting off with the DLC though.
4. The enemy Merc commanders keep shit-talking you as you slice through entire companies of their men without a single loss. Then they say "oh you're in trouble now" and show up with three guys. I would have thought they'd get the picture after the third brutal smackdown.
5. The Otomo color scheme is cool, but only really used the Catapult and BattleMaster. By the time you get the others they're underweight for the missions. Perhaps better timing or lower weight limit missions would let you make greater use of them. They were useful on demolition missions, especially then twin Ac/2s but otherwise just eye candy in the lineup.
6. Looking forward to the Clan update!