Mechwarrior 4

Hail, Mechwarrior

Over the last several years, the Mechwarrior license has been passed around faster and more often than a whiskey bottle at a frat party. Five years ago, Mechwarrior 2 and all its expansion packs were published by Activision. Last year's Mechwarrior 3 was originally meant for FASA Interactive before being published finally by Microprose (who were gobbled up by Hasbro Interactive). Now that Microsoft holds the powerful license, maybe we can look forward to a little more stability and continuity. We've seen the future of the series, and one thing's for sure - Mechwarrior 4 will not disappoint.

Nice paint job

Jump Jets!

Jordan Weissman and Dave McCoy, creators of the Battletech series, were on hand to describe their vision of Mechwarrior 4. More so than the previous titles, Mechwarrior 4 will attempt to bring a Battletech novel to life, placing the player as the central character in an epic story. You'll care more about the story and more about your lancemates as you play the game. In order to facilitate that attitude, the wingmen you take into battle with you will evolve depending on how you use them. If you keep outfitting one with long range sensors and use him for recon, it's likely he'll develop into a sensors specialists. Others that you bring into closer combat with you will probably get better gunnery skills.

Swamp Terrain

Search lights

It's pretty!

Although it's still very early in the development stages, the graphics in Mechwarrior 4 were noticeably improved. The game exhibited better detail, with more polygons and better texturing on the mechs, and especially on the peripheral buildings and vehicles in the game. You'll appreciate the dynamic lighting from missile trails when you play night missions. Laser effects were also improved from the earlier games in the series, along with the sound effects. The improvements extend all the way over to the animations on the mechs. Mechs that are hit in the leg limp more emphatically, and you'll also notice better "ramping up" of animation as mechs speed up from walking to running speed.

Light them up!

Mess with a MadCat?

New Features

There are a lot of new features to look forward to in Mechwarrior 4. Over 20 different mechs will be featured in the game, including 7 never before seen in the Battletech universe! Fifteen different environments means you'll never have to look at the same drab moonscapes over and over again. You'll be fighting in cities, arctic worlds, swamps, and forests (yes there are trees in the game!) with real weather effects like fog, rain, and snow. There's a lot to like with Mechwarrior 4, so we'll be keeping a close eye on this one.

Expected release - late 2000