I know you are enamered with Battletech, but you really should give Heavy Gear a shot. The designs are, IMHO, much more realistic, and the weapons are fitting for the combat role they are given. The gears are not hand-of-God powerful, but if used right, they can mean the difference between winning and losing, much like modern armor.
BT mechs are just to blocky, stiff, and just too unweildly to be of any real use in the battlefield. One tank shell to a leg and its outta commission.
One the other hand, Heavy Gears are small enough to actually use terrain for cover, they can move just as a soldier can move, walking, crawling, etc.
Also, the Secondary Movement System on the gears is awesome
BTW, Bloodcat, look around for Heavy Gear II on PC, it is a great game, even if you are not a HG fan