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Judgement
First of all, I will just come out and say it. MechWarrior4 is not the best MechWarrior game. That title does, and will likely always belong to MechWarrior2. I still can't place exactly why, but Mech2 is still, no matter how poor the graphics, one of the best games ever invented for the PC. It is irreplaceable, and unique. So where does that leave Mech4? There's no doubt about it that it's a good game. It's solid, stable, beautiful, and tactical. It has all the makings of a great sim, and it follows through. It's difficult to say too much more about it, as it's not all that different from it's ancestors. It is simply an improvement upon them in terms of visual and audio quality, though Mech3 and Mech4 are both really entirely different animals from Mech2.
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| Graphics
- Sound - Gameplay - Depth
- Multiplayer | Reviewed
by John Del Percio |
GRAPHICS
95 % |
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Definitely a step in the right direction, and the pinnacle of the 'Mech series, the graphics are simply gorgeous. Vast landscapes, incredible weapons fire and 'Mech explosion effects (the PPC's radiate on the target for awhile.) Truly the best ground combat sim engine developed yet, and the texturing and modeling is first rate. My only complaint here is that you don't see enough of the landscapes, and the light should have had coronas.
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SOUND
95 % |
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Again, the 3D sound is superb, as well as the overall sound effects in the game-a big difference from the "plink" sounds from days of old. My big pet peeve with the sound, though, is the music. I can't really say the music is bad, but it's not inspiring, either. The Mech2 music made you feel you were a part of whatever was going on. I still listen to that soundtrack from time to time. It was one of the greatest game soundtracks ever made. The Mech4 music doesn't really do much for me.
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GAMEPLAY
90 % |
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The gameplay is good, and very Mech-like. I just have one big problem. It feels "wrong". I'm not sure how, but although the combat takes just as long and is just as deadly as it always was, it still seems more like the combat from the 'Sieges. Not as though I don't like the 'Sieges, but Mech was always my favorite. Somehow it just seems to be missing some of the tactics of combat or something. The long range battles just aren't there as they were in Mech2. Especially in the lower levels of the game, the AI has a lot of smaller, lighter chassis that move far to quickly for you to really stand back and fire. Not only that, but the AI seems to really enjoy closing in for attack no matter what you do. Back in Mech2 I used to have long battles with myself and an opponent trading shots from across a cliff. I couldn't even see my enemy. The AI and myself would remain at a distance, moving slowly to prevent heat buildup, firing away. In Mech4 it seems the enemy makes it a point to be four feet away from me at all times.
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DEPTH
85 % |
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The Battletech Universe is rich with story and plot. Unfortunately, MechWarrior4 barely tapped any of it, just focusing around it's own part of the story. It really is a shame to see so much background go to waste.
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MULTIPLAYER
90 % |
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The multiplayer aspect is good, and this is one case that can't be compared to Mech2, as Mech2 had no Internet multiplayer. The pure "deathmatch" type game is some good old-fashioned Mech combat. The team games are a bit more inspired, and present a lot more in the way of options, strategy, and use of your 'Mech.
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I like the game in general, and it's nice to see the MechWarrior titles living on, stright through MechCommander 2 (the RTS based on the Battletech Universe.) I just wish I could place what exactly is wrong with the gameplay in Mech4. It would be nice if it were fixed by MechWarrior 5. On a brighter note for the game, due to its solid performance (as well as the lack of sims that came out this past year), MechWarrior 4 did make it in time, despite earlier fears, to be nominated for the 2000 Top Pupil Awards for the category of Best Sim.
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