Customer Reviews

MechWarrior 4: Vengeance

5 star:		(53)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

The short: Great gameplay, great engine, excellent interface, awful story and acting. A fine addition to the Mech series of games. A solid, stable, fun game that doesn't require that you played any of the previous three to have a complete blast with it.

The long: I respectfully disagree with the review that gave this title one star because you can't make any Mech into a supermachine. That is precisely what makes this game better than all the ones that came before it. I have played ALL of the MW games, including the Virtual World cockpit sims, and this is the best yet. The game has been totally changed (and by the FASA guys themselves) from being just a computerized version of the paper game into a solid computer game that more accurately conveys what it should be like to be in one of these machines.

The shortcoming of the previous games was that Mech models didn't matter. You could take any one of them and put in any weapons, any equipment, any armor. You were limited only by total weight, so what was the difference?

Now there IS a difference. The missile racks on a Mech now really do have missiles in them (or nothing), and you can really hit those racks and blow them up. In the prior games you could hit a Mech in the waist and it would count as a "torso side" hit, regardless of what the structure of the machine was supposed to be. Now it plays far more like you'd think the real deal should. Two 75-ton Mechs are now completely different if they're different models, and you can play them with different tactics. You can use your knowledge of their structures to hit them where it hurts. Shouldn't it have been this way all along?

Game balance is totally different: Legs are way tougher to hit and to damage, so you can't cheap out as easily with leg or even head shots. Mechs accelerate, decelerate, and reverse faster, so if you crash into somebody, you don't ballroom dance with them at close range until somebody dies (and the meltdown from a death at close range is now greatly to be avoided--very cool); you can break off easily and continue to run and gun. Every Mech battle is now the extended duel it should be--no easy way out, and no cheap argument-ending superweapons like the Ultra AC/20. Now you've got to actually fight. If you don't like solid tactical fighting, then go play any first-person shooter, ninnies.

Weapon select and grouping is now totally different; the HUD is much simpler and more effective to use, and the Mech lab is equally simplified and effective. Wingman command is perhaps the best such game interface yet invented; very quick and it works.

Missile play also is done right this time; long-range missiles launch in an arc to the target, short-ranges are dumbfire and Streaks always hit without needing a lock. Other toys like AMS and BAP really work now, and have a noticeable effect and advantage during play. The new way that the missiles launch in a ripple-shower (instead of all at once) is more fun. This means that evasive action works. Now rather than either getting hit with the full load or totally missed, you can do things like dodge some and try to let AMS handle some, and everything in between. It also means that you need skill and strategy as a missile marksman, which wasn't really the case before.

The Mechs themselves have never looked better. They're highly detailed, distinctively blacken on damage, limp, stagger, run, walk, recoil, fall, and DIE awesomely. The graphics look great. Weapon effects are intense and the sounds are rich and throaty. You feel like you're dealing out some hurting even if you're only scratching paint when you unleash a machine gun. The AI is no longer dirt-stupid, puts up a great fight and won't sit there while you snipe from long range or pull other tricks that used to work. It's much more equivalent to the great bot AI that you see in first-person shooters like Unreal Tournament or Quake.

The single-player campaign is 25 full missions, far longer in play time than MW3. Unfortunately the story is as awful as most other computer games. Starcraft or Half-Life this is not. I can't remember seeing worse acting since high school, so I can't give this five stars. It's solid in just about every other way, though. I look forward to any expansions that may be on the way.

Mechwarrior 4 is an excellent game. The graphics are crisp and the sound is awesome. The smoke from missiles looks much better than in Mechwarrior 3. I also think the new weapons that are included in the game are great (for example MRM 40 missiles). The mechs even start on fire and get charred from taking hits.The mechlab is confusing at first, but once you get the hang of it it's pretty easy to use. The biggest downside of the game is the large file size (maximum installation is 1045 megs). The instant action is great because you can use it to practice missions. Another big downside is the long video sequences before a lot of the levels that you can't skip. They're cool at first but after like 20 times its annoying. The controls are very similar to Mechwarrior 3 so that cuts down much of the learning time (though i still suggest you do the training mission). Firing different weapon groups is much easier because each group has a designated firing button so there is no toggeling betweeen groups any more. If you plan on buying Mechwarrior 4 I suggest you get a joystick if you don't already have one. So, in the end i think Mechwarrior 4 is a great game and worth the money.

... I think this game is an excellent, well balanced game! The only real beef I have with it is that it seems too short and I wish you could play the single player missions in Multi-player games. Other than that, the game is excellent! The storyline is good and the actors don't suck. I don't know about you, but I like seeing weapons come out of places they are supposed to come from. It's kind of weird and unrealistic to see a beam weapon, or ballistic weapon coming from a missile rack don't you think? Also, I would imagine it makes Multi player a little more balanced and fun. You have to work for your victory, using combat tactics and strategy! No more Cheapo, no talent mechwarriors stocking up on Ultra AC's and taking everyone out with a couple shots! I say bravo to Microsoft for making the game beautiful, and fun for everyone! I also should note that the animation in the game is wonderful! The Mechs move and take weapon hits as you would expect them to in the real world! Very fluid! Again I say Bravo Microsoft!

If you love the MechWarrior feel of gaming, here you have the ultimate in Meching around. The graphics are great, the gameplay top-notch, and the Mech configurations are far easier to manipulate in this new version. Better character control has made it easier to manuever through campaigns, as well. As an individual who's seen a lot of games, I highly recommend this one.

I have been a long time fan of Mechwarrior and Battletech. While MW3 was leap in graphics, I really looked forward to seeing it improved to the next level, like a sequel should. I was wrong. It bares note that MW4 is not at all a bad game. But it is the latest in a line of top-notch Mech sims, and does not feel like it. On a basic level it delivers, it meets and surpassed the minimum expectations. But as far as pushing ahead what MW3 started, it didn't. Some will argue, and justly, that MW3 had flaws and that MW4 went different directions is a good sign. Simply put, if it an't broke don't fix it. The environment feels less real, the Mechs oversized Tonka toys, the game play balanced the wrong way, and the story so lame I would sooner not be bothered.

First on my list of gripes is the new way to customize Mechs. Before you could stick anything anywhere you wanted weight and space permitting. Now each Mech has fixed hard points ware only certain weapons can go. Each weapon has also been adjusted for balance. That they felt the need to adjust the weapons when you are already limited in what you can carry kind of make me wonder. Were machine guns really that big of a deal? So what if the Shadow Cat can carry a gauss rifle? Not like it has enough armor to be a real threat to something twice it's size. I agree you could make some far out custom Mechs, but that was part of the fun! So what if was not realistic? Look out the window, that is reality! If that is what you want than why play video games?

The Mechs feel less believable. The ambient sounds of the Mech in the background is gone. Sure weapons still have sound and you still hear the foot falls of fifty tons, but it is less imersive than before. The cockpit even looks different, before you were surrounded by glowing lights and panels with worn metal edges. Here the inside is basically medium gray with not details or real texture. A throw back to the first Mechwarrior2. Mechs also move at a quicker pace than before. Even the heavy Mechs seem speedier. Of course, it is 70 tons and the size of a city building so I see how that makes perfect sense. Also when you blow off a limb, gone are the dangling wires. It is just blown clean off. Why not have them? It looked cool and was realistic, that's why they changed the Mech customization after all. The Mechs are there sure, but the sim part got lost.

Another thing. Combat is slower. You can't "leg" a Mech. So you pump enough fire power in to the enemy Mech's knee to rip it off. No matter how many alpha strikes you aim at it, no matter how many missile salvos, nor how much AC ammo you pound it with, that leg is still there defying the laws of basic physics. Also there are different armor types that are more effective versus different weapons. Guess what? That LBX 20 Autocannon you were so happy to salvage and managed to strap to your Mech is worthless on a Mech with anti-ballistic armor. Wonderful. What am I supposed to use? Harsh language?

Salvage is still a joke. It is still scripted. Nuff said.

One of the features that was such a selling point was the story. Okay, does anyone really play Mech sims for their gripping dramatic plot? The story might be entertaining in paragraph form. I thought that it would told with big full screen movies, the live actors would have real characters with involving and witty dialog and a detailed plot. Ah yes, silly me. The story is told to you, there is not real involvement other than hearing your own voice. Nor are the movies big, they are tiny up in the corner. The characters have little or no real depth. They come on screen and say things. Nothing could make me care if they lived or died. Other than I would have lost a good Mech. The plot is predictable to the extreme. The villains are fresh from saturday morning cartoons. They even ware dark cloths! A villain in black, who would have known? Add to that they speak in angry tones most of the time. The single one of them that tries to be threatening by speaking in a cool voice comes off as creepy and weird. In the end they are all evil and thus must be destroyed in the name of avenging someone's father. Who we never met (five seconds does not count) and was never told why is important so add to the list of characters that don't matter. "Sir we must continue on, it is what your uncle wanted! Everything depends on it!" Whatever. Let's skip to the part ware I blow things up.

As a Mech game is stands, as a Mech simulation it falls. Take your pick.

I get on kicks every now and again. Early last year it was D&D games, before that it was first person sneakers (Deus Ex, Thief, No One Lives Forever, etc.). Right now it's Giant Death Robots.

MechWarrior 4 fits firmly into the tradition established by its predecessors: you're given a mission and a selection of 'Mechs (40-foot-tall, vaguely anthropomorphic walking tanks) and lancemates to execute it with. Completing missions successfully and nailing the secondary and tertiary objectives nets you more weapons, equipment, and 'Mechs to employ in future missions. Gameplay feels like a slowed-down, cerebral first-person shooter - it's not so simulation-like that it takes half an hour to learn to walk your 'Mech out of the hangar, but even the nimblest, most trigger-happy player will be quickly stymied unless he learns how to think tactically.

Also, as is to be expected, the game inherits many of its various quirks from its granddaddy, the dice-and-miniatures BATTLETECH game. There's the overriding concern with managing your robot's heat disposal - do you spend those extra five tons on more lasers and missiles, or do you add more heat sinks to keep the machine running longer without stalling out? There's the endless indecipherable acronyms for everything - a term like "Clan Ultra LBX AC 20" may accurately represent the real-life military's preoccupation with senseless acronyms, but the term does little to inform players that it refers to what amounts to a really big gun. And then there's the dauntingly large and impossibly convoluted BATTLETECH backstory, which while entertaining to those with the will to suss it all out, leaves everyone else benumbed and without a frame of reference to appreciate most of the goings-on (aside from Stuff Blows Up Real Good, anyway).

So yeah, MW4 carries a lot of baggage. But that's okay, because, all other considerations aside, it's a great big hoot of a game. Graphics this time out are lovely, even given that the game was released in late 2000. Weapon effects are tops - lasers generate groovy light-sourcing, impacting missiles leave obscuring gouts of thick smoke around their targets (which can be useful to effect a quick getaway), and PPC blasts cause your opponent to spark and trail electric arcs. There's a big selection of gorgeously-rendered environments to stomp around in, from lunar wasteland to snowy peaks to swamps to coastal harbor towns. (A welcome addition: the coastal levels let you wade your 'Mech a couple miles out into the water to do battle with enormous oceangoing battleships and cruisers.) Particularly well-done this time are the urban levels, which are finally done correctly to scale and give a nice tingly feeling of paranoia and claustrophobia (you never know when a 100-ton Atlas might come stomping out from behind a building).

Enemy AI this time is generally very good, with enemies using the right weapons at the right ranges, taking cover behind buildings and hills, grabbing the high ground to pound you with long-range missiles and Gauss rounds, etc. Your lancemates are actually people of value this time around, and they really do behave according to their skill profile (the guy who's a crack shot actually opts to snipe, and the girl with a huge score in piloting actually runs rings around her targets, etc.)

What came as a surprise to me was the quality of MW4's story. Previous MechWarrior games too often felt like abstract military exercises, with mission briefings coming to you in blocks of jargon-filled text that too often failed not only to convey a story, but even to be understandable to people not steeped in BATTLETECH lore. While it's true that MW4 employs dodgy full-motion video backed by even dodgier 'actors', the narrative is clean, focused, and perfectly sensible - your lancemates become actual characters rather than collections of statistics, and your enemies are hissable villains rather than abstract bullseyes under your target reticle. It's admirably supported by a lovely musical score that veers between violent, pounding guitar riffs (like most of the music in MW2 and Mercenaries) and swelling orchestral themes.

It's a great game and I give it an unqualified recommendation to anyone with a muscular enough PC.

I finally got to sit down and install then play Mechwarrior 4:Vengeance.

I liked playing the last two incarnations of this game, Mechwarriors 2 and 3, and this game is a lot of fun too. The game play is pretty much the same: You pilot a 40 ft. tall walking tank, called a "Battlemech", where you stomp through different environments, blowing away anything that gets in your way in order to complete different missions. This whole concept started off as a board game, believe it or not, by a company called FASA (now out of business - boo-hoo) a long time ago.

Now you get the full sensory effect. Published by Microsoft, this version of Mechwarrior is more plot driven than the others. You play the nephew of a powerful duke, who returns to his home world from the Clan Wars to find it occupied by a rival noble family. Your hop back into your BattleMech and fight to free your home world. The graphics are great and the game is loaded with decent cut-scenes that help move the plot along. Your mech no longer lumbers along but really boogies down the road at a good clip. This makes piloting the mech a daunting task at times but it is a little easier thanks to the re-worked user interface. Also, you can interact with your environment in different ways: stomping people, tanks and small buildings instead of shooting them up all the time. I am able to play the game enjoyably using a joystick-keyboard combination but you can also use a mouse if desired. I found it to be a pretty good BattleMech simulation experience; playing this game does require a good amount of concentration.

However, it is a Microsoft game so it took a long time to install, and you need a decent machine to play Mechwarrior 4. It hasn't crashed on me but it does lag in spots.

To me it seems more time was spent on the storyline/video recording than game development. The actors didn't say anything I really wanted to hear and it just wasn't as satisfying blowing things up as it was in MW3. Even with a good PC (Pent 4 1.4G w/all the trimmings) it gets choppy in battle. I recommend if want to pretend you are a blond hair blue eyed kid and you want to see video's of people "talking", but if you wanna rip a mechs leg off with an Auto Cannon, stick to MW3.

The Mechwarrior series has been one of my all-time favourites, having said that, Mechwarrior 4 and MW4 Mercenaries has been a bit of a disappointment for me, the physics and graphics seemed quite unrealistic, very arcade-ish when compared to that of Mechwarrior 3, but thats just my opinion. Now don't get me wrong, this is truely a great game and theres lots to love about it, my favourite being the components slots in mechlab, the fact that you can only put certain weapons on certain hard-points of a mech adds so much realisim to the game. This is how it is in the Battletech world and this is the way it should be in the Mechwarrior world! Hats off to Microsoft for adding this feature. In terms of game play, Mechwarrior 4 shines brightest when you take it online... you will be hooked! Join a house, merc unit, clan or go solo and battle it out against others on the world wide web. Whats better then putting a couple rounds of AC20s through that sucker that just happen to end up between your crosshairs! It gets even better when you discover theres so much more you can do - examples: team battles and co-op battles... the list is large and there is just so much support for this game, its unbelievable. If it weren't for the physics and graphics, I would have given it a 5, none the less Mechwarrior4 is a great game and it holds it own with a very definite 4.

This game is great! It was released a few years ago but they have never written another game for this IP. I can't understand why. Microsoft got the Battletech (or Mechwarrior) license whey the aquired Wizards of the Coast. It has a loyal fanbase and lots of people still play the game even though it is a few years old and the graphics are a bit dated. Don't get me wrong, the graphics were stellar for their time and they are still pretty good, but compared to the newest games on the market today you can definately tell it is an older game.

However, this shouldn't stop you from getting a copy as this is a unique and enjoyable first or third person view shooter style game. The large number of 'Mechs available keeps the game from getting stale and the almost endless combination of weapons loadouts ensure that no two 'Mechs on the battlefield are exactly alike. If you buy this game you should also buy the 'Mech packs and the expansion packs. Definately worth it.