| With the release of the first of the two
"Paks" for MechWarrior 4 being just a few weeks away, we thought it
appropriate to take a look at just what we can expect from these addons. Just in case
you're out of the loop, we'll take a look back at the beginning. The MechWarrior
4 development team has been busy developing two "'Mech Paks" for the game. Think
of these as small-scale expansion packs. They don't add any new single player missions or
multiplayer game types. What they do bring are new maps, new equipment, and, most
importantly, new 'mechs.
One Pak will be released for the Inner Sphere, and one for the Clans. The Inner Sphere
Pak comes first with a target release date of June 14 as of this writing. It was supposed
to be out around May 23rd, so that's a bit of a disappointment. Look for the Clan
pack to follow it out the gate around the end of July.
Each Pak parallels the other in content; they both promise one new map, one new weapon,
one new component, and four new 'mechs. Following are the descriptions of the goodies,
taken from Microsoft's press release, along with concept art released by the development
team. A smattering of good, old-fashioned HG commentary follows.
| Inner Sphere 'Mech Pak |
 |
Coliseum Multiplayer Map - 'Mechs duke it out in a gigantic arena, entertaining
millions
Heavy Gauss Rifle - The HGR hits harder than the standard Gauss Rifle, at the expense
of tonnage and range
IFF Jammer - This cutting-edge tech lets the new Inner Sphere 'Mechs spread confusion
in the enemy's ranks
| Zeus – A classic Inner Sphere design, the Zeus is an extremely reliable
long-range Assault 'Mech (80 tons) |
|
| Highlander - A massive jump-capable Assault 'Mech and signature 'Mech of the
Northwind Highlanders mercenary unit (90 tons) |
|
| Hunchback - Easily identified by its oversized shoulder-mount auto-cannon, the
Hunchback is a tough brawler armed for short-range combat (50 tons) |
|
| Dragon - A speedy all-around frontline striker and a favored 'Mech of House
Kurita commanders (60 tons) |
|
| Clan 'Mech Pak |
|
Factory Multiplayer Map
- Combatants fight for position amid the ruins of a huge factory on Solaris
Streak MRM - A new,
homing version of the Medium Range Missile, made possible by Clan technology
Enhanced Optics -
This component of the new Clan 'Mechs gives the MechWarrior a larger field of view when
zooming in on distant targets
| Masakari - Easily identified by its squat torso, jutting head, and broad chest,
this 'Mech has become notorious for its deadly accuracy (85 tons) |
|
| Kodiak - A large, fast-moving Assault 'Mech that carries impressive
medium-range firepower (100 tons) |
|
| Arctic Wolf - Loaded with SRMs, this BattleMech can rapidly close with an enemy
and shower it with more than 40 missiles (40 tons) |
|
| Cauldron-Born - Named for the unstoppable zombies of Irish myth, this 'Mech can
take immense damage and remain operational (65 tons) |
|
Resume HG commentary:
Probably any die-hard fan of the game is going to want these babies
(consider yourself die-hard if you've read this far). Black Knight was slightly
overpriced, but the Siege Assault and Stronghold options were too good to pass up. The
combined price here will probably end up being around $25. For that, you get more 'mechs
than BK brought, possibly a comparable amount of new equipment (depending on usefulness),
and two maps that should be pretty good (they've probably gotten a lot of attention in
development, and their arena nature gives me hope). The only thing missing is a new
multiplayer mode.
|
