Article Type: Review
Article Date: November 29, 2001
The world of Mech devotees is divided over the best computer Mech game. Some like older MechWarrior titles, and some prefer MechWarrior IV. MechWarrior IV: Black Knight is not likely to change your mind about MechWarrior IV. If you liked the original, you’ll like the add-on, and if you did not, then you’ll be unhappy with the expansion.
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You face waves of aircraft before you take down the local airbase  |
Personally, I’m a fan of MechWarrior IV. As Bob Marks noted in his review, it may not have the complexities of the earlier games, but it does a wonderful job of making mech combat accessible, and drew me in as previous Mech titles had failed to do. In a further parallel to Bob’s experience, my wife, too, was quite taken by the game, commenting that “it makes it clear why big stompy robots are cool.” MechWarrior IV may not be deep, but it’s fun. The missions are varied and action-packed. The graphics are gorgeous and the sound effects fit perfectly. And, to keep you eager for the next mission, the game gives you new mechs and new weapons to play with at regular intervals.
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| Presenting the Black Knight |
The plot in MechWarrior IV was nothing special, though it did the job of providing a reason to string a bunch of missions together. The plot in Black Knight serves as a kind of a continuation of the previous plot. The Black Knight Legion is hired by Steiner to go back to Kentares to oppose Ian Dressari (who was the player’s character in MechWarrior IV), and much mayhem ensues. What’s odd about the plot is the reversed portrayal of Ian Dressari. He’s a hero cut from a standard mold in the main game, and he’s turned into a villain cut from an equally standard mold in the expansion. While this keeps people from the difficulty of playing as the “bad guys”, Black Knight’s advertising tended to point up the fact that you would be playing for the bad guys. Perhaps worries about the aftermath of September 11th caused a last-minute change in the plot?
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| Attacking a base on the crystal-mining moon |
What do you get in the expansion? The new campaign boasts twenty-two missions. These are broken up into operations, and many of the operations are somewhat non-linear, in that you can choose the order in which you do most of the missions. The order is not critical, but does make some difference. For example, if you choose to take out an enemy airbase, you’ll face far less interference from aircraft. If, instead, you choose to ambush enemy mech forces first, you’ll face lighter mech resistance in subsequent missions in the operation, but heavier air resistance until you take down the airbase. The campaign also includes two new terrains: a moon with crystal outcroppings, and lava fields. Step in the lava, and your mech will begin to undergo a regrettable transformation into a puddle of goo.
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| How to Cook a Mech in 1 Easy Step |
In addition, you get five new mechs, notably the Black Knight and the Sunder. The Black Knight is a great 75-ton mech that can carry a solid assortment of beam weapons, and the Sunder is a 90-ton mech that packs the kind of wallop you’d expect. There are also new enemies, with the Nightwind helicopter and the Stiletto bomber giving you skeet-shooting practice while the Demolisher II, the Quad Panzer, and the Myrmidon giving you gopher-hunting practice. The Myrmidon’s PPC and the Demolisher’s autocannons will make you sit up and take notice, but for the most part these new targets aren’t a big deal because you won’t take the time to figure out what they are before you shoot them.
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| Approaching a MODL |
Those of you without the requisite boardgaming background may not find this so cool, but the niftiest new enemy unit is the MODL (Mobile Orbital Defence Laser). Ever played Steve Jackson’s OGRE or G.E.V? Well…the MODL looks kind of like an Ogre. And if you shoot its treads modules dead it stops, just like an Ogre. And it has got a hefty battery of defensive weapons (twelve medium pulse lasers), like an Ogre. However, that giant cannon on the top won’t turn you into a Cinnamon-Crispy Apple Mech™, which is not at all like an Ogre. The similarities are probably accidental, but they make kill-the-MODL missions great fun for Ogre fans.
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| The MODL cuts loose with its defenses |
You also get some new toys, ah, that is, weapons in Black Knight. New in the ballistics department are some very useful heavier autocannons (the AC/20 and Ultra AC/20 in both Inner Sphere and Clan variations) and a cluster bomb launcher. In the beam weapons department are X-Pulse Lasers, which do phenomenal amounts of damage over a given amount of time, for an equally phenomenal amount of waste heat. If you can find a way to stay cool—standing in a lake, perhaps?—then the X-Pulse Lasers will give the enemy a bad day.
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| The terrain is as pretty as ever |
Haven’t captured a piece of kit? Most of the time, you can head into the Black Market and barter your weapons and mechs for somebody else’s weapons and mechs. The Black Market doesn’t always have what you want, but it can reduce your reliance on capture for the stuff you want most, and your biggest gripe about it is likely to be its occasional absence, or the pain of deciding what to ditch for some new mech. Sadly but predictably, heavy mechs do seem to carry a heavy price.
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| Heavy mechs can kill smaller mechs in two well-placed shots |
Multiplayer fans will be happy to find several new game types, including Mech Strongholds, Siege Assault, and Goliaths. Mech Strongholds gives both teams a base, and the mission of destroying the enemy base. Siege Assault dispenses with one of those bases. Goliaths pits a small group of heavy mechs against a mob of smaller mechs. Meanwhile, Absolute Attrition is a deathmatch variant, and Clan versus Inner Sphere varies Absolute Attrition by requiring that each team only use kit from the aforementioned sources. Unfortunately, you still can’t set things up to play the more strategic team-based games against bots, so human vs AI cooperative games are a bit limited.
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| The zoom view is still useful for sniping off parts |
Is Black Knight worth the cash? That depends on your opinion of MechWarrior IV. You’ll love or hate Black Knight to the same degree, and for the same reasons, as the main game. There's nothing that makes Black Knight a must-have, unless you have enough friends who want to play the new multiplayer game types. However, if you loved MechWarrior IV and want more, More, MORE…then Black Knight is exactly what you’ve been waiting for. If you aren't a fanatic, you're probably best off waiting until the price drops a bit before you buy it.
