A MechWarrior title has never benefited from as much eye candy as the amount present in Vengeance. The mech designs have definitely taken a turn for the better, and the articulation of these mammoth machines is probably the best example of this. Each mech now has realistic walking, running, stumbling, and climbing animations and this has lent a helping hand to what could physically be accomplished with them. Since these kinds of animations can be properly pulled off, mechs can actually stumble down slopes, be bowled over by heavy amounts of fire, and even collide with enemies for damage. When graphics actually play a part in improving the overall experience of a game, it really is a beautiful thing.

The mechs as well as the terrain they stomp upon are highly detailed with sharp and colorful textures. As the machines move towards their destination dust is kicked up and giant footprints are left on the ground. The environmental effects vary from map to map. It rains, it snows, and sometimes there is a dusty haze from sandstorms. During combat the lighting effects take the front seat. Battles that take place during the night are probably the best example of what the game has to offer visually. Every beam of light from a laser blast, or lasting fire from a flamethrower, cast their own unique glow. Each battle is a brilliant series of explosions and laser blasts.

Those of you who remember the previous titles in this series will take notice of the fact that real honest-to-goodness stories were pretty much non-existent. The MechWarrior titles have always had the multiplayer experience to fall back on, leaving the story as nothing more than a series of rigidly scripted missions. In MW4 players are introduced to a story with real people, going through real struggles. They story involves a dead father, a mourning son, and a political struggle that must be addressed with force. Not exactly the most original story but it suits the universe.

I will give points for the fact that this is the first MechWarrior title to have some sort of personal story, but I don’t know if I can excuse its rather poor presentation. The story is laid out using a series of CG scenes mixed with healthy doses of full-motion video. Full motion video has often been the bane of my gaming existence, I mean most of the time it just doesn’t pan out, and sadly this is one of them. The worst performance is given by a Ricky Martin look-alike who appears to try and cry, but just can’t pull it off. His responses always seem very stiff and scripted. The performances by the supporting cast are a bit more mixed, some come off very well while others join the ranks of Mr. Ricky Martin.

The full screen cut-scenes are scattered about the game, but the most prominent video sequences take place between each mission in a tiny little window. I understand it is trying to present the illusion of some sort of vid-link, but the window is so tiny, and the acting isn’t always the best. If a single player game chooses to use a story as its backbone, it is important to treat it as one of the most important parts of the game. Granted, I have harped on this subject for two entire paragraphs, but this was an honest effort to implement a better kind of story structure into a MechWarrior title. I just hope next time it can be pulled off to a greater degree of excellence.

Now put that little lecture to the side for now, because it is time to talk about what has always been the most important of the MechWarrior series, the tactical gameplay. Some argue that MW3 was really nothing more than a member of the action/shooter genres, and this could be believed since its developer gets the credit for this year’s hit action/shooter, Crimson Skies. The BattleTech universe is rich in refined statistics and that is what makes the accurate use of this license the defining quality of this series. FASA has recognized this and the result is a very accurate, unique, and enjoyable experience you can’t find in any other series.

In the single player game the challenges are divided up into missions, and then into objectives. The single player story may lack, but mission structure is something that has been done very well. The scripting found in each mission isn’t really that heavy, and has only really been utilized in response to certain situations, which are brought about by the player’s actions more than anything else. This creates a much more realistic situation and forces the player to do more than charge in with guns blazing. In many missions stealth and surprise must also be used. Being a mechwarrior pilot is about more than just blowing things up.

FASA has also injected some situation specific lancemates, which can introduce some benefits or repercussions when using any one of them in a particular mission. Some are better at stealth than others, and a few are better at plain old brute force. Once you have completed a mission with your lancemates, the resource team (which works on its own) goes through the mission area and collects mechs, mech parts, and various other resources that have been left over from the attack. As the game moves along this is how the player acquires new technology and new mech chassis.

The multiplayer game is still one of my favorite aspects of this series. Not only does the game play fantastic on my 33k connection, but also the new and improved MechLab allows me to tweak my custom mech to my heart’s desire and take it for a spin online. I have had my share of bad mech designs, but this wasn’t the fault of the Mech Lab or the game’s documentation. Both are very easy to study and use. The Mech Lab may not allow the player to design a custom chassis, but it does allow them to re-assign amounts of defensive armor as well as swap weapons around. Some chassis can’t handle the larger weapons, and that is where fantasy just has to meet reality. I myself use a custom Shadow Cat outfitted with an AC10, 2 flamethrowers, and a couple of medium lasers. That might not be the killer combo, but I like to serve more of a supporting roll in a battle. This is exactly why the Mech Lab is so very cool. By allowing such freedom players can fit any kind of role they want to during any game.

Once a mech design is ‘completed’ the player can take their new creation for a spin using the many Instant Action modes which allow them to play previous single player missions, fend off waves of enemies, or take part in some ‘hardcore’ mechwarrior trials.

The multiplayer interfaces for PC games are getting better every year. Like StarCraft, Diablo II, and Red Alert 2, the multiplay game selection and modification is all done in game with an intuitive menu system. It doesn’t require the player to alt-tab to their browser and logon to The Zone, in fact you don’t even need to sign up to play. The only thing sign-up to the Zone is required for is the stat tracking, which may or may not be important to you. King of the Hill, Steal the Beacon, Capture the Flag, Destruction, Team Attrition and Attrition make up the long list of multiplayer modes that all play pretty differently from one another. Currently Team Attrition and Destruction seem to be the most popular, but I am a CTF junkie.

To further fuel this mech madness FASA has added a good amount of new mech chassis along with some new weapons like the infamous Long Tom, which can be deadly if used correctly. All of the new weapons and mechs are accurately detailed in the rather comprehensive manual that is included with the game. Controlling these new devices of destruction is actually a rather simple task, but it requires a joystick. MechWarrior 4 is a simulation. Simulations are properly played with a joystick. Joysticks are not expensive. You can get a really nice one (save any rumble type features) for twenty to thirty dollars. Once you have a decent joystick controlling your mech during combat, at most, requires your joystick, and one or two keystrokes. The control is tight, and it should be since this control scheme has been refined through the entire series.

The most important point I would like to make is that this game feels like MechWarrior 2. I know the series and the technology have progressed quite a bit since the old days, but FASA has managed to recapture the spirit of the very first MW titles and represent the fantastic and rich gaming the BattleTech universe has to offer. I have been playing MechWarrior 4 ever since the beta came out around a month ago, and I still don’t think I will be putting it down for a while. MechWarrior 4: Vengeance has everything that MechWarrior 3 failed to offer, and it is for that reason this one will stay on my hard drive a lot longer.