MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries (2018)

[LoweGear]

MechWarrior Revealed

[Tormenk]

Link gives a 500 error.

I have to go back and check but 3015 is definitely before the clan invasion which means no nasty clan tech for this one. Might make for a nice introspective into the Successor Wars history though.

Wasn't expecting any new MW games after MW4 but it's still nice to have something new.

edit: Ack. 3015 has nothing interesting on the battletech timeline but it is the period where notable names like Hanse Davion and Katrina Steiner are around.

[Keroko]

Oooh, yes. I never quite managed to get started with the Mechwarrior franchise, and this reboot looks like it will be the perfect place to start.

[Ichihara Asako]

Best news in the past decade of PC gaming. MS killed the franchise with IV, then shelved it for years -- great to see it back in the hands of an original creator, and seemingly (judging by the interview) in the care of a studio that seems to care about the material they're working with. MW II is still one of my most favourite games of all time, and I've been wanting to see new mech games, but there just haven't been any since MS failed with IV.

So yeah, I verily look forward to seeing how this develops. Being cross-platform is a worry; I hope they don't make the controls too crappy due to needing to work on the 360. FFXI failed terribly due to the console friendly interface.

[Keroko]

I wonder if they're going to revive that gargantuan controller for that mecha title which name escapes me...

[Ichihara Asako]

Originally Posted by Keroko

I wonder if they're going to revive that gargantuan controller for that mecha title which name escapes me...

Read the interview, they said no; they tried that and won't do it again. ^^; Just as long as the PC control doesn't suffer due to catering to console gamers, I'll be happy.

[LoweGear]

Originally Posted by Tormenk

Link gives a 500 error.

Link works for me, but since I don't know what your problem is, I'll just CP the entire article text here:

Originally Posted by PC IGN

MechWarrior Revealed
Smith and Tinker and Piranha Games are working on a full reboot of the acclaimed franchise.
by IGN PC Team

July 8, 2009 - MechWarrior fans have been hoping, praying and anticipating a new game in the famed franchise ever since the last expansion pack for MechWarrior 4 was released in 2002. Now, seven years later, their prayers have been answered. IGN has the very first details about MechWarrior reboot that is currently in production at Smith and Tinker and Piranha games. Yes, that's right, reboot. Instead of this game becoming MechWarrior 5, the developers have decided to completely re-launch the entire franchise, calling this new title MechWarrior.

We spoke to the two main players involved with MechWarrior. First there's Jordan Weisman, co-founder of Smith and Tinker and co-founder of FASA, the company that created the BattleTech universe that MechWarrior is based upon. Second is Russ Bullock, president of Piranha Games.

You may remember the MechWarrior games published by Activision, MicroProse, and Microsoft. The latter actually acquired FASA Interactive in the 1990s only to shutter the studio in 2007. However, the software giant retained the rights to the MechWarrior franchise. After leaving Microsoft, Weisman engaged in various pursuits before founding Smith and Tinker in 2007. That same year, Smith and Tinker acquired the rights to many FASA properties from Microsoft, including MechWarrior.

This new MechWarrior is set on the planet Deshler in the year 3015, and places players in the role of Adrian Khol, a wayward nobleman who prefers partying and shirking responsibility over his training and studies. However, when House Kurita launches a massive invasion to conquer Deshler, resulting in the death of his entire family, Khol discovers a purpose to fight for.

There are ambitious plans for this new MechWarrior. The original MechWarrior games were limited by technology; now with modern computing power, the developers are hoping to really capture the sense that you're piloting a giant, walking war machine in the middle of an incredibly dynamic battlefield. While the two companies are still talking to potential publishers that could determine the final production budget, Weisman and Bullock explained that they plan to have a full single-player campaign, as well as support for a four-player co-op campaign, and a full multiplayer suite.

One of the key features is a sense of information warfare, using everything from unmanned drones surveying the battlefield from above to light scout mechs relaying information to teammates. Weisman and Bullock both explained how they want every class of mech to really matter in this game; it's not just a race to the heaviest, most powerful mechs. The designers want to reward you for picking a mech and sticking with it -- you will gain experience and become better at piloting your chosen mech, and that will translate into better accuracy and damage with weapon systems. This way, a player could specialize in a light mech throughout the entire game if they choose. It also means there are multiple playthroughs with different mechs. The developers also said the game will change based on your chosen mech class.

While the developers didn't go into how many mechs will make the game, based on the video trailer and the discussions, we know of at least four. There's the Jenner (light class), both the Warhammer and the Rifleman(heavy class), and an Atlas Prime, a feared assault-class mech.

The game is being developed for the PC and the Xbox 360, though there isn't any idea of a release date yet, since the game is still in the middle of development and the companies are still talking to publishers. For more information, read the interview with Weisman and Bullock. We also dissect the trailer in a Rewind Theater. Check out the gallery for the very first screens of the game anywhere. Finally, keep checking back with us as we keep a very close eye on this exciting new project.

[jonli]

Originally Posted by Ichihara Asako

Read the interview, they said no; they tried that and won't do it again. ^^; Just as long as the PC control doesn't suffer due to catering to console gamers, I'll be happy.

Aw, I never played Mechwarrior because all i had were Playstations. But I was really interested in using those sticks.

For those who have tried, how are they? Do they enhance the feeling of piloting a mech? I read online that it is extremely complicated and all the buttons on the pad are actually required to pilot the mech, which I personally don't think is a problem at all because it's all for realism.

The video doesn't really impress me so far, it seems like mech vs mech battle would be really slow and all about who fires first.

[LoweGear]

Originally Posted by Keroko

I wonder if they're going to revive that gargantuan controller for that mecha title which name escapes me...

You mean Steel Batallion? That was a novelty that only came with that one game, and anyways proved far too expensive for anything else asides from a strange gaming oddity

[Neat Hedgehog]

Yeah, this is seriously awesome news for me. I used to play MW4 constantly to the point where I could take on and defeat two or three people all in similarly sized / equipped mechs without even trying. Been a few years since I played though, so I'd probably suck at it now. The me from back then would mop the floor with me from today, that's for sure.

Aside from the reboot of the MW franchise, http://www.mektek.net/ is also being authorized to distribute MW4 with all the expansion packs for free. The multiplayer community has continued for the last 9 years, although there aren't too many servers running anymore. Mektek has a list of the ones that you can connect to, though. If you like the looks of the new one, you might want to download MW4 (once it's available) just to get an idea of what it might be like / get a feel for it, etc.

[Kyral]

That's some awesome news!

I played near every battletech game for pc that was released.
I will keep my eyes on this on! :3

[Firefly00]

I remember having lots of fun with the Mechwarrior 2 games back in the day; it's pleasing to see that the franchise is not only not dead, but in the hands of folks who actually care about doing it right (unlike the latest Shadowrun incarnation). From this Q&A article, one learns that the developers will try their best to ensure that the lighter mechs don't become irrelevant as the game progresses, something which ties into another development goal: encouraging teamwork. After all, any proper lance will want some scout units among their number...

Originally Posted by Tormenk

I have to go back and check but 3015 is definitely before the clan invasion which means no nasty clan tech for this one. Might make for a nice introspective into the Successor Wars history though.

I'm not sure what is 'nasty' about Clan tech; I remember having lots of fun with it back in the MW2 days. Case in point: the Hellmoth (a stripped-down, overengined Firemoth - especially with MASC, it was so fast that it needed jump jets to aid manuverability (it couldn't actually 'jump') at full speed. But yes, from what I recall (and read in abovementioned articles) the Succession Wars should have enough interesting plot points to play with.

Originally Posted by jonli

The video doesn't really impress me so far, it seems like mech vs mech battle would be really slow and all about who fires first.

Yep; from what I recall, Battletech went for the 'slow and ponderous' school of mech handling; quite the contrast from, say Macross or Gundam, let alone Virtua On. Still, what you saw in most of the trailer was a medium and (super?)heavy mech going at it - using one of the lighter mechs would make for a different experience.

[mg1942]

Originally Posted by LoweGear

MechWarrior Revealed

OMG!!!

That reminds me of the FASA days...

[Keroko]

Originally Posted by jonli

The video doesn't really impress me so far, it seems like mech vs mech battle would be really slow and all about who fires first.

I actually prefer these kinds of mech games. They make me feel like I'm actually fighting with a gargantuan war machine. Most high-speed mech games feel like.. like some guy in a high-tech suit. It just doesn't feel like a mech to me.

And judging by the trailer, anticipation and use of cover seem to be key tactics as well, which will help eliminate the 'who shoots first' element.

[Bonta Kun]

well this is pleasant surprise big fan of Battletech series but I'll be honest my fav of the series is Mechcommander, if we get a new Mechcommander I would be very interested.

[Zu Ra]

Remember playing this series back in the day can wait for the latest installment . The trailer looks awesome truly gives a mech experience . And as an added bonus it works on PC I dont game much these days but this will be the 3rd game I am looking forward to after Diablo and StarCraft .

[mg1942]

Originally Posted by LoweGear

Link works for me, but since I don't know what your problem is, I'll just CP the entire article text here:

So Mechwarrior 5 predates the inner sphere campaigns of MW2 mercenaries?

[Mr Hat and Clogs]

Best news in the past decade of PC gaming.

That about sums it up.

I've been waiting for this day, that video was awesome.

Was kinda hoping for an MMO MW, but i'm certainly not going to complain.

[Magicberyl]

This is awesome news, finally the Occident are getting serious investments at Mecha games.

[Kyral]

I showed this my dad! xD
Was actually nice seeing him going into Battletech-fanboy mode. xD

He rambled about how shitty Atlas are (for being always destroyed by a single head shot from a PPC, always happend to him xD ) and then he went on and praised his long time love the Thunderbolt.