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MechWarrior 4: Vengeance

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"MW4" redirects here. For the 2007 Call of Duty game, see Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. For the 2019 reboot, see Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019 video game).
For the second, standalone expansion pack of MechWarrior 4, see MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries.
MechWarrior 4: Vengeance
Developer(s)FASA Interactive
Tsunami Visual Technologies (arcade)
Publisher(s)Microsoft
Producer(s)T. J. Wagner
Composer(s)Duane Decker
SeriesMechWarrior
Platform(s)Windows, Arcade[2]
Release
  • NA: November 22, 2000[1]
  • EU: February 2, 2001
Black Knight
  • NA: October 31, 2001
  • EU: November 23, 2001
Genre(s)Vehicle simulation
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

MechWarrior 4: Vengeance is a vehicle simulation game, developed by FASA Interactive and published by Microsoft. It was released on November 22, 2000. It is the fourth game in MechWarrior series. It takes place in BattleTech universe where the pinnacle of all war machines are huge, heavily armed robots called BattleMechs. The player pilots one of these "'Mechs" and uses variety of available weapons (autocannons, lasers, missiles, and more) to battle enemy 'Mechs, tanks and other vehicles. An expansion pack, MechWarrior 4: Black Knight, was released in 2001, and a subsequent stand-alone expansion, MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries, was released on November 7, 2002.

Plot

The game takes place on the Inner Sphere planet Kentares IV and its moon. Players take control of Ian Dresari, son of famed Clan War hero Duke Eric Dresari and heir to the throne of Kentares IV.

A civil war erupts on Kentares IV after William Dresari, Ian's cousin, betrays the family and seizes the throne under the banner of Katherine "Katrina" Steiner. Steiner is the ruler of the Lyran Alliance and responsible for the annihilation of loyalists to Victor Steiner-Davion, Katrina's brother. After a surprise attack by Steiner forces on the Dresari royal palace, leaving Eric Dresari and the majority of the royal family dead, Ian meets up with his uncle, Sir Peter Dresari, on the moon orbiting Kentares IV to launch a guerrilla campaign against Steiner. Ian fights alongside fellow Resistance MechWarriors, Casey Nolan, Jen McQuarrie, Jules Gonzales, and their commander Elise Rathburn, in various missions. The Resistance eventually leaves the moon and sets up camp on Kentares IV's arctic regions. At one point during the campaign, Ian's uncle Peter is murdered by Duncan Burke, a high-ranking officer in Katrina's forces. Ian and the Resistance are devastated by the loss and debate over whether or not to continue the fight for Kentares' freedom. They decide to push forward, capturing a satellite network from Steiner. The rebel group moves into the mountains.

After destroying a disabled but heavily guarded Steiner dropship, Ian and the Resistance move to the Hadra Peninsula, a remote desert region. Rumors of an abandoned prison camp reach the Resistance and efforts are made to locate and liberate it in order to enlist more personnel for the Resistance. Ian is shocked to find that one member of his family survived Steiner's siege of the Dresari palace: his sister Joanna. After a short reunion, Ian and Joanna are separated again as the Resistance mobilizes to assault Steiner's stronghold. They make a brief detour to save the coastal town of Vale after Steiner threatens to bomb the town due to allegations of links to the Resistance. Not only does the Resistance save the population, but Ian defeats his uncle's murderer, Duncan Burke, in a heated duel.

Pushing into the cities, the fighting heats up and Resistance casualties mount. Joanna informs Ian of an old armory cache hidden somewhere in the city, invaluable for assaulting the Dresari palace, now the headquarters for the Steiner occupation. Right before the Resistance prepares to locate the armory, Joanna and her Lance are ambushed by Steiner forces, leaving her wounded and in mortal danger. Ian makes a choice, between rescuing his sister from certain death or securing the weapons cache. Whatever the player chooses, Ian and the Resistance fight one last battle against House Steiner at the palace, putting an end to the war. However, the fight is not yet over for Ian, as William shows up in a modified Daishi, challenging Ian to a duel. Ian defeats William and finally frees the planet from Steiner's grasp.

Depending on the player's choice before the penultimate mission, either Joanna or Ian will ascend the throne as Duchess/Duke.

Black Knight

Mechwarrior's expansion, Black Knight, takes place several years after Vengeance, and gets its name from the organization of mercenaries the plot revolves around. The Black Knight Legion fall under the employ of the Lyran Alliance, who wish to reclaim Kentares IV from Ian Dresari. Ian chose to find the weapons cache, leading to his sister's death, resulting in many of his allies abandoning him. House Steiner, unwilling to pay the Legion mercenaries for their fulfilled contracts, decides it would be much cheaper to betray the Legion, and nearly wipes it out in a surprise attack. Legion remnants seek justice against Maj. Clarissa Dupree, mastermind of the Lyran attack against the legion, while also continuing with their mission to overthrow Dresari. They eventually find and kill Ian on Kentares, then travel to Voltrat III to find Steiner liaison Clarissa Dupree. Eric McClair, CO of the Legion, defeats Maj. Dupree in single combat, destroying her Mad Cat MkII, then proceeds to shooting her ejection pod, killing her instantly. The final cutscene is a commercial advertising the Black Knight Legion, citing their success against both Steiner and Dresari.

Gameplay

Mechwarrior 4 is a first-person mecha simulation game, with the player piloting a Mech in each mission. Mechs are armored and fitted with various projectile and energy weapons, and engage in combat with other Mechs as well as traditional military vehicles such as tanks and helicopters, and occasional weapon emplacements. During combat, a Mech's weapons and critical components can be damaged, and it is even possible for entire limbs to be blown off a Mech.

Mech customization is a major aspect of gameplay. The player has significant control over the configuration of each of his or her Mechs, from the type and amount of armor used and some internal components to all of the Mech's weaponry and ammunition. In the campaign, additional Battlemechs and weapons are acquired through the missions from battlefield/looting salvage and as rewards for success. The Mech configuration system has been simplified from that seen in MechWarrior 2 and MechWarrior 3.

In the campaign, the player controls up to three squadmates, with the ability to issue basic orders such as attack and move.

Campaign

The 26 campaign missions are made up of seven "ops", each with different environments, and each 'op' containing about 3-6 missions. In the first few missions, only a few smaller mechs are available. As the game progresses, more mechs and weapons are at the player's disposal. These come in the form of salvage from previous missions. Between missions, the player can outfit mechs with different weapons and also assign mechs to one of their three Lancemate slots.

Instant Action

This mode lets players play with all mechs in the game. Players can pick a campaign mission or a wave-mission in which they can select up to four other mechs and fight them deathmatch-style. The map is randomly selected and the player is faced with three enemy mechs to fight. The player has to successively destroy all three enemies in a one-on-one fight.

Multiplayer

The game features several multiplayer modes: Deathmatch with several twists such as points awarded for damage dealt; Capture the flag and King of the Hill with two modes, Deathmatch and team-based; escort mode that pits two teams against each other, each with the goal of destroying the other's VIP; and Steal the Beacon, in which players fight for possession of a beacon, that, when carried, will award the carrier points.

Reception

Vengeance

MechWarrior 4: Vengeance received "generally favorable reviews" according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[3] Chris Kramer of NextGen said of the game, "Knockout graphics and the new gameplay direction aside, this MechWarrior isn't as genre-defining as previous incarnations. A solid game, but not as mind-blowing as MechWarrior 2."[14]

Sales

Vengeance sold 320,000 units in the U.S. and earned $11.5 million by August 2006, after its release in November 2000. It was the country's 55th best-selling computer game between January 2000 and August 2006. Combined sales of all MechWarrior computer games released between January 2000 and August 2006 had reached 900,000 units in the United States by the latter date.[17]

Accolades

The staff of Computer Gaming World named it the best "sci-fi sim" of 2000. They wrote, "Although it changed the way things work in BattleTech, it accomplished what Crimson Skies set out to do: Open up the sci-fi genre to non-BattleTech-heads."[18] The staff of Computer Games Magazine nominated it for their 2000 "Sci-Fi Simulation of the Year" award, whose winner remains unknown.[19] The game won the award for Action Game of the Year at the CNET Gamecenter Computer Game Awards for 2000,[20] and was nominated for the Overall Game of the Year award, which went to The Sims.[21] It was also a runner-up for "Simulation of 2000" in both Editors' Choice and Readers' Choice at IGN's Best of 2000 Awards.[22] The game won the "PC Simulation of the Year" and "Outstanding Online Gameplay" awards at the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences' Fourth Interactive Achievement Awards,[23][24] and was a finalist for the "PC Game of the Year" award, which went to Diablo II.[25] The game won the award for "Sci-fi Simulation of the Year" at GameSpot's Best and Worst of 2000 Awards,[26] and was nominated for the "Best Graphics, Technical" and "Best Multiplayer Game" awards, which went to Giants: Citizen Kabuto and Half-Life: Counterstrike.[27][28] The game also won the award for "Sci-fi Simulation of the Year" at GameSpot's Readers' Choice Awards.[29] GameSpy named it their "2000 Simulation Game of the Year".[30]

Awards

  • E3 2000 Game Critics Awards: Best Simulation Game
  • MechWarrior 4: Black Knight Expansion - Sci-Fi Simulation Game of the Year, GameSpot's 2001 readers' choice awards.[31]

Black Knight

The Black Knight expansion pack received "generally favorable reviews", although moderately less than the original MechWarrior 4, according to Metacritic.[32]

It was a runner-up for the "Outstanding Online Gameplay" award at the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences' Fifth Interactive Achievement Awards, which went to Return to Castle Wolfenstein.[41]

References

  1. ^ IGN staff (November 21, 2000). "News Briefs". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on April 17, 2001. Retrieved December 2, 2021. Mechwarrior 4 In Stores? [sic]: Not today [(November 21)] unfortunately but we got the inside word that everyone's favorite giant battling robot game will be appearing in stores as early as Wednesday[, November 22].
  2. ^ "MechWarrior 4: Vengeance". Tsunami Visual Technologies. Archived from the original on May 25, 2006.
  3. ^ a b "MechWarrior 4: Vengeance for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
  4. ^ Ocampo, Jason (November 22, 2000). "MechWarrior 4: Vengeance". Gamecenter. CNET. Archived from the original on January 24, 2001. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  5. ^ Mayer, Robert (December 6, 2000). "MechWarrior 4: Vengeance". Computer Games Strategy Plus. Strategy Plus, Inc. Archived from the original on April 18, 2003. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  6. ^ Nguyen, Thierry (March 2001). "Mech Mine Marvel! (MechWarrior 4: Vengeance Review)" (PDF). Computer Gaming World. No. 200. Ziff Davis. pp. 96–98. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
  7. ^ Edge staff (February 2001). "Mech Warrior 4 [sic]: Venegance" (PDF). Edge. No. 94. Future Publishing. p. 102. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  8. ^ Carter, Ben (February 6, 2001). "Mechwarrior 4 : Vengeance". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on February 10, 2001. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
  9. ^ Reppen, Erik (January 2001). "MechWarrior 4: Vengeance". Game Informer. No. 93. FuncoLand. pp. 126–27. Archived from the original on February 25, 2005. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
  10. ^ Human Tornado (December 11, 2000). "Mechwarrior 4: Vengeance Review for PC on GamePro.com". GamePro. IDG Entertainment. Archived from the original on February 7, 2005. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
  11. ^ Geryk, Bruce (November 30, 2000). "MechWarrior 4: Vengeance Review". GameSpot. Red Ventures. Archived from the original on January 24, 2001. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  12. ^ Haumersen, Lee (December 3, 2000). "MechWarrior 4: Vengeance". GameSpy. IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on February 16, 2005. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
  13. ^ Butts, Steve (November 29, 2000). "MechWarrior 4: Vengeance". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
  14. ^ a b Kramer, Chris (February 2001). "MechWarrior 4: Vengeance". NextGen. No. 74. Imagine Media. p. 86. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  15. ^ Klett, Steve (February 2001). "MechWarrior 4: Vengeance". PC Gamer. Vol. 8, no. 2. Imagine Media. p. 52. Archived from the original on March 15, 2006. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
  16. ^ Lee, Ed (February 9, 2001). "'MechWarrior 4: Vengeance' Review". X-Play. TechTV. Archived from the original on April 17, 2001. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
  17. ^ Edge staff (August 25, 2006). "The Top 100 PC Games of the 21st Century (Page 5)". Edge. Future plc. Archived from the original on October 17, 2012.
  18. ^ CGW staff (April 2001). "The 2001 Premier Awards: Games of the Year" (PDF). Computer Gaming World. No. 201. p. 76. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
  19. ^ CGM staff (February 8, 2001). "Computer Games Magazine announces nominees for annual best in computer gaming awards". Computer Games Strategy Plus. Strategy Plus, Inc. Archived from the original on February 9, 2005.
  20. ^ Gamecenter staff (January 25, 2001). "The Gamecenter Computer Game Awards for 2000! (Action Game of the Year Winner)". Gamecenter. CNET. Archived from the original on February 4, 2001. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  21. ^ Gamecenter staff (January 25, 2001). "The Gamecenter Computer Game Awards for 2000! (Overall Game of the Year Nominees)". Gamecenter. CNET. Archived from the original on February 3, 2001. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  22. ^ IGN staff (January 26, 2001). "Best of 2000 Awards (PC: Simulation of 2000)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on June 6, 2001. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  23. ^ "Fourth Interactive Achievement Awards: PC Simulation". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on January 8, 2002. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  24. ^ "Fourth Interactive Achievement Awards: Online Gameplay". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on April 19, 2001. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  25. ^ "Fourth Interactive Achievement Awards: PC Game of the Year". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on February 10, 2002. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  26. ^ GameSpot staff (2001). "Best and Worst of 2000 (Sci-fi Simulation of the Year)". GameSpot. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on February 4, 2001. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  27. ^ GameSpot staff (2001). "Best and Worst of 2000 (Best Graphics, Technical, Nominees)". GameSpot. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on April 5, 2001. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  28. ^ GameSpot staff (2001). "Best and Worst of 2000 (Best Multiplayer Game, Nominees)". GameSpot. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on April 5, 2001. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  29. ^ "GameSpot's 2000 Readers' Choice Awards (Sci-fi Simulation of the Year)". GameSpot. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on April 29, 2001. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  30. ^ GameSpy staff (December 2000). "2000 Simulation Game of the Year". GameSpy. GameSpy Industries. Archived from the original on March 31, 2001. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  31. ^ "Best of 2001: Sci-Fi Simulation Game of the Year". GameSpot. Archived from the original on December 26, 2010.
  32. ^ a b "MechWarrior 4: Black Knight Expansion for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
  33. ^ Mayer, Robert (January 31, 2002). "MechWarrior 4: Black Knight". Computer Games Magazine. theGlobe.com. Archived from the original on February 1, 2002. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  34. ^ Nguyen, Thierry (March 2002). "MechWarrior 4: Black Knight" (PDF). Computer Gaming World. No. 212. Ziff Davis. p. 89. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
  35. ^ Kasavin, Greg (November 6, 2001). "MechWarrior 4: Black Knight Review". GameSpot. Red Ventures. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
  36. ^ Bub, Andrew S. (November 24, 2001). "MechWarrior 4: Black Knight". GameSpy. IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on February 16, 2005. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
  37. ^ Giacobbi, Kevin "BIFF" (November 9, 2001). "MechWarrior 4: Black Knight Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on February 10, 2008. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
  38. ^ Sulic, Ivan (November 1, 2001). "MechWarrior 4: Black Knight". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
  39. ^ "MechWarrior 4: Black Knight". PC Gamer UK. Future Publishing. February 2002.
  40. ^ Klett, Steve (January 2002). "MechWarrior 4: Black Knight". PC Gamer. Vol. 9, no. 1. Imagine Media. p. 73. Archived from the original on March 15, 2006. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
  41. ^ "5th Interactive Achievement Awards: Winners". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on June 3, 2004. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
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