|
gamer's
corner
|
|
Mechwarriors
4 provides great gameplay with an easier interface
By
JAMES OVERLY
Cyber Works
Welcome
to January, the month that is spent playing with all those
wonderful new toys that were under the Christmas tree. We
hope everyone received what was on their list. For those of
you still looking for more or wondering just how good the
toys are that you did not get, we have the software for you.
Mechwarrior 4 - now here is a game that is approaching Hollywood
status as far as sequels go. With this being the fourth in
the series, just how good can it be? Read on and experience
the raw power of commanding 85 tons of metal, missiles and
machine guns.
The premise of Mechwarrior 4 is rooted deep in the Battletech
universe. There have been a multitude of books and games about
every aspect of this world and the giant machines know as
Mechs. Although there is a wonderfully rich world woven around
these machines, none of this knowledge is needed to play the
game. For those of you who are intrigued by the story line
it is but one of many and fits into the ever-growing Battletech
universe.
Mechs resemble giant walking robots with enough firepower
to blow apart anything that stands in their way. These robots
are used to fight the wars and are much more powerful than
the more conventional military units like tanks and jets.
(although, in the game, there are some conventional units
that are used to annoy your Mech and are a blast to destroy).
The Battletech universe is based on several factions or families
that fight for the usual reasons, territory, power, and just
plain revenge. Our chapter of the saga is based on a planet
that your family controls until its members are brutally killed.
Now you, one of the last living rightful heirs to the throne,
are called upon to bring justice to those who destroyed your
home. To all the loyal fans of Battletech please do not flame
me for this oversimplification of this story, or let it deter
anyone new to the Battletech universe from exploring more
of it.
The story line is engaging and the cut scenes, although small,
were well acted, except for the main character, who was much
too bland. I enjoyed following the entire story and it made
each mission more worthwhile. The story is linear but satisfying
to complete, with a tough opponent at the end.
After the game's intro, very well done if not quite as gripping
as those before it, one can immediately launch into the action.
However, for those needing some idea how to play the game
and control the Mech, there is a thorough tutorial that takes
one through all the elements of controlling a Mech. Here is
one of the game's strengths and drawbacks, the amazing amount
of control one has in setting up the Mech and controlling
it. However, this makes for a steep learning curve. I came
onboard with these games with the second sequel and always
found learning all the details of each Mech daunting at best.
After learning these details, this game becomes wonderfully
addicting and incredibly satisfying to play. Stay with it;
the reward for successfully learning how to control a Mech
is the ability to destroy every opposing Mech who has the
unfortunate luck of crossing your path.
Each Mech is controlled by a single human pilot. The game
simulates what this pilot would see and do in the cockpit
of the Mech. From inside this cockpit, the pilot controls
the movement, speed and weapons of a variety of Mechs. There
are 21 basic designs, but each of these can be modified in
a number of ways. There are literally thousands of different
Mech variants that can be created. This modification can be
a lot of fun. The weapons, ammunition, armor, speed upgrades,
can all be tweaked in extremely useful ways; need more armor,
drop a weapon or two, want all the fire power possible, lower
your speed upgrades. With laser weapons heat becomes an issue
- too much and the Mech shuts down - but no problem, just
add heat sinks.
The basic design of a Mech is two legs, two arms, torso and
a head.
Each part of a Mech's chassis can hold different types and
amounts of weapons. There are also different sized Mechs.
A smaller Mech weighs in at 30 tons to a large Mech of say
75 to 85 with the largest being 100 tons. The bigger the Mech
the more weapons and armor but much less speed and maneuverability.
A good Mech is a balance of weapons, armor, and speed. The
type of mission also playas a part; with some weapons needing
ammunition, a long fight is out of the question. Weapons also
have ranges, both long and short; this too plays a factor
in how to equip your Mech.
Once again this may sound overwhelming, however the user interface
is quite simple and modifying each Mech has never been simpler.
One of the improvements has been the interface. Out of all
the games this one has been the easiest of all for me to play.
Now one could say that is because I have played two before
this one. I do not usually play simulators and it has been
more than 2 years, so playing one is like relearning it each
time.
Perhaps most intriguing were the graphics; for the first time
the Mechs were greatly detailed and did not pixelate when
approaching. I enjoyed all the graphics throughout the game.
Also unique were the Mechs in the cut scenes. Each Mech was
represented with the exact weapons and other modifications
that were made to it during the setup before the mission.
Each mission starts with a briefing and during this briefing
one could usually see the Mech and any lance mates (teammates)
that were in the mission. Just a small detail but one that
helped to better immerse into the game.
The game play is fun, with every kill satisfying. There are
no easy battles if the difficulty level is set to the hardest.
The enemy AI is quite challenging and offers an excellent
range of abilities making it fun for every level of player.
This also adds to the replay ability of the game as the Mechs
act and respond differently as the difficulty level is changed.
There are a number of single player challenges besides the
campaign to keep one busy long into the night.
This game may be the fourth in a series, but it seems to have
captured all the elements of a great game and then some. For
anyone who likes to command missiles, lasers, cannons and
machine guns, all the while destroying the bad guys in rich
big explosions, this is the game.
Gaming Goodness: Thumbs up.
|
|
Business
directory
Advertising
Apartments
Auto
dealers
Automotive
parts
Automotive
search
Business
opportunity
Chiropractor
& relaxation
Computers
& repair
Computer
training
Education
Employment
Event
tickets and tours
Gardening
centers
Grocers
Homebuilders
Hospitals
Hotels
Legal
services
Mortgage
banker
Natural
health
Photography
Packer
merchandise
Performances
Realtors
Restaurants
Shopping
Slides
Technology
solutions
Tires
Upcoming
event
|
