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I can't think of any game I've followed more closely through more version than
MechWarrior. Wing Commander comes close, but as that series seems as dead as
Chris Roberts, MechWarrior's the longest running game I've played. As a series,
it goes back about 13 years from this, the latest version to the original which
came out while I was still running a 286. (You know, the ones with the TURBO
button.) Microsoft's trying to get some mileage out of the MechWarrior 4 engine,
which is fine...it means the games can come out quicker, and the Mech 4 engine
is really nice, however, you shouldn't be charging a full $50 for a game using
the same engine. That's just not right.
History of MechWarrior
This is
important because the plots sort of actually intermingle, so here's a brief
rundown to refresh your memory: MechWarrior, released in 1989 had you play the
role of a pilot turned mercenary who was trying to avenge the death of his
parents. You were a member of one of the noble houses (I believe you chose which
one.) and you were trying to get your planet back.
I most remember this game
because you actually had to negotiate your pay rates and salvage percentages. It
was pretty cool all in all, and I was hooked. It took us another 6 years to get MechWarrior 2, which hit just as I arrived at college. MechWarrior 2 made the
line, "Alpha Assault, this is HQ." famous. You played as a member of Clan Jade
Falcon or Wolf Clan, and were trying to get back to your homeworld. The Clans,
if you follow the plot (Read the books! They enhance the game SO much more.)
were initially led by Col. Kerensky, captured the Inner Sphere, and then left,
disgusted with the rest of the universe. Now you've returned, and you want your
homeland back.
This is all around the year 3050. MechWarrior 2: Ghost Bear's
Legacy had you rising up as members of a long forgotten Clan to regain a
position at the forefront of the Clan standing. MechWarrior 2: Mercenaries put
you in the familiar role of a Merc, and you basically make your way through the
game until the end when you get hired to take on the Clans, eventually leading
to a huge pain in the butt battle on a desert planet trying to protect a water
depot. After you successfully defend, the Clans fight a planetary battle and
thanks to a cache of old Battlemasters and the like, are able to turn back the
Clans.
MechWarrior 3 never happened. It's the Rocky V of the series. It was
Microsoft's first shot at publishing the thing, and although it was better than
any other mech game out at the time. It was riddled with bugs. It was also the
most accurate to the board game rules, and as a result, you could really cheese
the hell out of anything that moved. It was a return to the "blow of one leg,
mech falls over" days.
The plot here involved you striking against Smoke Jaguar
and other clans, as members of the Eridani Light Horse unit. MechWarrior 4:
Vengeance came out about 2 years ago. You play the role of Ian Dresari, and your
homeworld's been plundered by House Steiner (The Fist House.) you don't
appreciate that. You don't want to rule, you just want your stuff back, and the
treasonous members of your family to be eliminated. MechWarrior 4: Black Knight
has you rising up against your character from MechWarrior 4, because he's turned
into a real jerk. After imprisoning one of the heroes from Mech 4, you've had
just about enough of him, and you destroy the Dresari Palace to bring the
family's cursed line to an end. You were sort of a mercenary lance, but it's not
really the same as as this game.
Not included in this list is Multiplayer Battletech: 3025. That one actually never happened. It was in beta, which I and
3 friends were fortunate to be a part of. The game was excellent. A massively
multiplayer online experience that actually required you to have piloting
skills, and not just a high level to get somewhere. I could take out anyone in a
Commando-4A no matter what level they were. It was incredible. You joined a
house, and went about taking planetary systems and defending your capital, all
that good stuff. I don't know why it never went to market, just that it ceased
operation around Christmas of last year.
This brings us to MechWarrior 4:
Mercenaries. The year is now 3063, and you're a hot pilot who was involved in
the FedCom Civil War. You're ready to be recognized by the MRBC and you and your
lance can choose one of 4 mercenary groups to join up with: The Kell Hounds,
Wolf's Dragoons, The Northwind Highlanders, or the Grey Death Legion. You'll
eventually end up taking up sides with either House Davion or House Steiner.
Current Game
I chose to play as The Northwind Highlanders, because my friend
had started play as the Grey Death Legion, and I wanted to have a different
gameplay experience. Unfortunately, I didn't. I found myself going through many
of the same missions as he did. But, that's not that big of a deal...not until
we get to the "Value" subheading of this review. You can choose to stick with
the 3 pilots you have, or swap out people to get a different blend of skills.
Each pilot has 4 stats: Gunnery, Piloting, Sensors, and Blind Fighting. I chose
to go with a lance of Scooter, Shredder, and Hannibal. Every pilot has their own
voice acting, but they've got like 4 lines each, which is kind of lame. In any
case, they'll all develop as time goes on, but their pay rate doesn't increase
any, which I find kind of odd. By the time you finish the game, if you don't
lose any pilots, your green rookies will have 90-100s in every stat except Blind
Fighting.
 Also, you'll have a larger number of Mechs at your beck and call than
ever before in a MechWarrior game. (I believe you could have 8 in MechCommander
2, as well.) With 2 lances under your command, expect to have some much larger
scale battles later on in the game. Keep in mind you're paying upkeep cost per
cycle for each pilot and mech in your care and keeping...if you're running low
on cash offload some of those extra chassis you're keeping around. The engine
hasn't undergone any major changes. There are more Mechs for you to mess around
with 10 new ones, total. You'll get to face adversaries piloting Victors,
Hauptmanns, Fafnirs, Templars, Masakaris, Gladiators, Fleas, Wolfhounds, and the
most annoying of them all...the Longbow. Ugh, I sense great cheese coming in the
online battles.
There's also a new electronics package added for more sensors,
and new weapons like the Arrow IV Cluster missile, and the Rotary AC2 and AC5.
The Rotary ACs work like machine guns, where you can just hold down the
trigger...pace yourself, though, they're VERY prone to jamming. Now you'll
choose where you want to head for missions. Take your dropship and head to
different world and take whatever missions present themselves at whatever
location you're at. When you're done, fire up your Kearny-Fuchida drives, and
jump to the next system offering lucrative employment. Repairing 'Mechs isn't
done instantaneously anymore. If you wait around for your 'Mechs to get fully
repaired, you may miss out on a contract. So, try and keep a couple spare for a
rainy day.
Speaking of missions, you'll have employers. Tick off one side too
much, and they'll pay you less, or not hire you at all. You'll also gain points
in Infamy as you do raids and such, and points in the "Nobility" category as you
do good things, like protect convoys. On your stats screen you'll see your
Personal Mech Kills and the kills for your squad, as well as your rank at
Solaris. At the end of the game I had racked up 300 kills myself, and my squad
accounted for another 100.
New Features
Well, the Free Market isn't
totally new, as it existed in the Black Knight expansion pack. However, it
sucked there, and it still sucks here. If you purchase all of one weapon type,
odds are you'll NEVER see it again in the entirety of the game. I wanted some
Clan LBX AC 10s to build my Assault 'Mech of choice, but I could never get more
than 2...for the entire game. So I switched over to the Clan Ultra AC 10s. I got
8 of those...for the entire game. I had 3 left by game's end. I never found a
Clan Light Gauss Rifle for the length of the game, and I had 5 Medium X-Pulse
Lasers over the course of the entire game, too. I don't understand this. This is
the total amount of weapons I got from both salvage and inside the stores. At
the end of the game I had over 180 million C-Bills, and I couldn't buy anything
I wanted with it.
If these weapons are supposedly out of supply because they're
popular, why am I not pulling any off the the 'Mechs I destroy? I know they're
using them. I even make a point to shoot these 'Mechs in the legs so I don't
destroy any of the components I want. But, no, I don't get anything. The most
weapons I've ever salvaged in a mission is 5, and all of those were useless to
me. This seriously bothered me. What's the point of being a Mercenary if I'm
going to have access to LESS stuff?
 Another new feature is the Game World,
Solaris. Solaris VII is where all the the holovids of the great arena battles
happen. You'll be able to compete in the Light Division almost right off. Take in
a Wolfhound with 2 Medium X-Pulse lasers, and you should be able to dominate.
After that it should unlock Medium. A Ryoken with two Ultra AC 10s and plenty of
ammo should set you up pretty well in this class. Fight long enough in Solaris
and don't get your 'Mech blown up, and you'll build up some SERIOUS cash. You
can also fight your way through the entire thing, and earn the rank of Grand
Champion. This adds another 2 hours onto the game, but I find it to be fun, and
well worth it. The announcer actually works pretty well, although, he'll
abruptly cut himself off if he's in the middle of commenting and someone scores
a kill...even if he doesn't say anything. That's kinda lame. I wish they would
have made that bit a little more dynamic, the announcer's got generic comments
in battle if your score 3 or 4 kills. They spent most of the time fleshing out
his post-match comments.
Graphics and Gameplay
There really isn't too
much improved from the first MechWarrior 4. The models look a little nicer, and
the Gauss Rifle and PPC effects are a little different, but aside from that, not
terribly much has changed in the way of mech models. I'm kind of disappointed in
the new Mechs that they added, as none of them really look all that cool. The
Masakari is probably the stupidest looking mech of the bunch, followed closely
by the Fafnir. The Longbow is kinda nifty looking, and the Gladiator looks like
a cheaply designed toy.
They also need to go back to the MechWarrior 2 interface
where they have the computer announce the name of the Mech you're looking at in
the Mechlab. Gameplay is better, if only because your lancemates aren't
blithering idiots. None of them lost to a Myrmydion or Demolisher 2 tank unlike
in Black Knight, and none of them pushed me from behind so I'd fall into missile
range of the enemy. I only had one case of my teammate jumping into my line of
fire in the entire game, and I am terribly pleased by this fact. Your teammates
can actually sort of hold their own, and that's refreshing. However, I wish the
*1* person who kills my target would call out, and not all 7 of my lancemates.
You didn't all kill it, in fact, sometimes, none of them kill it...I did. They
shouldn't feel the need to report that the target's been destroyed when I know I
blew it up.
Speaking on the subject of AI, I've run into some strange problems witht he mission scripts. In the mission where you have to defend the oil rigs,
and the send the 2 squads of choppers at you, my lance decimated the ECM squad
the ran up. The company of mechs that was supposed to come charging in never
bothered to move...I could stand there and shoot them at range. In fact, I was
sitting around for 3 minutes waiting for the assault, and it never came until I
moved past a certain point. Also, on my final mission, Peter Steiner-Davion
couldn't figure how to pilot his mech, and he couldn't get up the hill for the
final confrontation. I waited for 10 minutes, and he was just sitting there
doing the Mech version of the funky chicken. I started firing warning shots near
him trying to get him to move, but he wouldn't. I kept telling everyone to form
up on me, but that didn't help. So I parked my lance in front of the Palace, and
walked out to Nav Gamma (1.5 km away.) and once I got halfway there, he figured
out how to get himself up the hill, and the final event triggered. I was so
close to just shooting him and starting over...that mission is a pain to
complete, and I didn't want to do it again.
As far as other bugs go...the Clan
Ultra AC 20s are listed as Clan Ultra AC 10s once you get into battle. I don't
know if the names are just switched or the properties are switched...but it
didn't seem like I was doing as much damage as I should. 3 Clan Ultra AC 10s
would turn someone's torso orange. I shot the same Mech with the 2 AC
20's...just yellow. Overall, I'm happy with the game, but I was happy with the
last two games using the engine, so there shouldn't really be any shock in that.
There's nothing like circling another Mech in battle, and quickly figuring out
that he's placed all of his weaponry on one arm, and quickly neutering the
opponent. Controls are pretty much the same as they've ever been...you set up
your controls, and weapon groupings to your personal liking. Probably the most
intense setup you're ever going to have for a computer game, hence I can never
play this game on a console.
Sound
Sound's about the same. You have much
less actual voice in the game. Your teammates don't call out every time they
score a kill (or maybe they're just not killing enough.) unless it was a
designated target, and then they ALL yell. Certain events will make them talk,
i.e. Choppers showing up, mentioning the Clans, etc. The only place I can really
commend any of the vocal work is inside Solaris. Weapon sounds are great, but
unchanged. Turning up a nice set of speakers and hearing the bassy sound of 3
Ultra AC 10s roar is a great feeling.
Value
This game falls well short in
the "Value" department. At a whopping 50 bucks, you'd expect a complete overhaul
of the game. Microsoft may quickly point to the fact that you basically get a
Clan Mech Pack thrown in for free, which they sold at $19.99, which brings up
the question, "Why the hell did you sell a pack of Mechs for $19.99?!" This game
shouldn't be $50. I'd recommend buying it for $30, but at $50, there really
isn't enough gameplay present to make that happen. I finished the game in just
over 12 hours, and a good 2 to 3 of those were spent becoming the undisputed
champion at Solaris.
Apparently, there are 3 different endings (Help House
Steiner, Help House Davion, and something to do with the Clans is what I'm going
to guess...I've only gotten the House Davion ending so far.) but I don't think
that's going to add any more than another 5-10 hours max to the game. There's
also online play, but they had that working in the first version of MechWarrior
4, too. The fact that my friend and I are playing 2 different Legions, and still
getting a big percentage of mission crossover (he hasn't played a single one
that I haven't yet.) I'm not anticipating many different outcomes to how this
all plays out. You are supposed to get different tech based on which Legion
you're in, but that just meant I got different Mechs, no guns or anything, which
was very disappointing. While this was a very fun 12 hours, with the only thing
different being the plot and levels pretty much, I don't think this game should
be priced at $50. Wait for the price to come down, then buy it.
Overall
With the hit this game takes in the value department, I have to drop this game a
few points in the Overall department. It's really, really fun. If you're a
MechWarrior fan like me, you'll shell out the cash, and take the hit, but that
doesn't make it right, or mean that I shouldn't be griping about it. If you're
not so into the scene, wait for a couple months, and they're bound to create
some uber compilation of this, Mech 4, and Mech 4: Black Knight. This doesn't
feel so much like a new game as it does an expansion. For clarification, allow
me to restate this. I LOVE the fact that the engine works this good, and I would
be perfectly fine with it being used for the next 3 or 4 games....but they
shouldn't be charging $50 for a game that takes a lot less development...they've
released 3 in the past 2 years...it doesn't cost as much to make, and it sure as
hell shouldn't cost as much to buy. If it were $35, I'd tell everyone to go out
and buy a copy right now. I'd buy some for my friends...but I'm not going to do
it for $50. It's just not right.
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