Mechwarrior 4: Mercenaries Review (PC)

Originally written: 04/02/2006
Mechwarrior 4 Mercenaries is one of two sequels to Mechwarrior 3, which is one of 8 games based on a cartoon show from the 90’s called Battletech. You may think that because this game is it's 5th installment, that it would be different than the previous 4 games, but for the most part, exactly the same as Mechwarrior 3.

Story:

• In MW4, you are a free agent. You get paid to the highest bidder to defend or attack small arms military installations by either the local military or royal families. You play a mercenary with his own team, who are pretty much guns for hire through the galaxy. You have the ability to choose to favor either of two warring factions. (I forgot their names. I think one is lead by somebody named “Nandi Stiener”.Don't know. ) Anyway, This is a huge improvement from MechWarrior 3, with its lack of a boring storyline and uninspired dialogue. The story mode is a vast improvement from Mechwarrior 3. That game was like watching 24 straight hours of the Charley Rose show, while waiting in line at a DMV. Here, you actually feel like you are a part of the events taking place, keeping the player interested in the gameplay, along with the plot taking place.

Gameplay:

• Gameplay is almost exactly the same as mechwarrior 3, and by that I mean a Mech battle can still take up to 10 minutes of shooting and waiting for your Mech to cool down and reloading your god damn weapon. one of the defining features of the battletech MechWarrior games is that the mechs themselves blow like the wind in a hurricane. The only useful weapons in the campaign are the long-range, slow-as-shit wepons that take a millennia and a half to reload. If you want to have a decent level of armor in a mission, you are going to need a heavy or assault mech, which are slower and less reliable than all the others. Unfortunately, adding more of what you need on your mech will only make you slower than any of the other mechs shooting at you because of the added weight, making you a 200 ton piece of TARGET PRACTICE for every mech with a missile launcher in the entire game. The amount of tonnage capacity on each mech is so unbelievably limited in comparison to the size and weight of the mechs themselves, that they mine as well not have carry space at all.

• Plus the available space has to be divided among the engine, the shields, the weapons and the HEATSINKS, which in my opinion are practically useless most of the time. Even though the mechs in this game are about as useful and as reliable as an American car built in the 1970's, the game play itself is actually lots of fun. In fact, it just might be one of the most fun games I’ve played on the PC. It’s important to keep in mind that this game is a SIMULATOR, not an arcade shooter It’s one of those games that require actual skills to play, as apposed to most games nowadays which just hold your hand through the entirety of the campaign.

• One thing that makes this game stand out above the rest is SOLARIS. It's basically a planet full of tournaments that you can compete in for money. It‘s fun and it works. The further you get in the game, the more tournament classes become available. The problem is, once you complete the missions on all the other planets, THAT'S IT. No more SOLARIS. The only thing that could have made this game interesting AFTER the campaign was over was taken out as soon as the game was over. Give me a break.

Controls:

• The controls are like trying to beat a giant tarantula at a game of twister. Unless you have a game pad with at least 2 analog sticks, you are pretty much screwed, because the controls for the keyboard are possibly the worst in gaming history, and that is no exaggeration. If you are going to play this game at all, get this first:

Verdict:

• This game is better than all the other Mechwarrior games combined. Graphics may be old as MW3, The Mechs themselves may be about as reliable as a receding hairline, but the game is good, and is one of my all-time favorites.

The Good:

Still fun, better story,

The Bad:

The buddy AI is STILL stupid, Controls are STILL awkward, and Solaris only lasts as long as you don't complete the game

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