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Mechanized combat mixed with the excellent open-ended gameplay of the likes of Wing Commander: Privateer.

I must begin this beta preview by admitting one thing: I’m not a terribly huge fan of “mech”-type games, and haven’t really been much of a fan of the Mechwarrior series in particular. So when I received a beta copy of Microsoft’s upcoming Mechwarrior 4: Mercenaries title, I’d be lying if I said I was overly excited. As I matter of fact, I was sort of dreading working on the preview.

However, after spending several hours with Mechwarrior 4: Mercenaries, I realized my lack of experience with the previous games oddly enough makes me a perfect choice to write this preview. You see, it looks like the latest in the series is not only going to make Mech fans happy, but I’d be willing to bet that Mechwarrior 4: Mercenaries will convert some folks who didn’t think they would enjoy this type of game. This is not your uncle’s Mechwarrior.

As a matter of fact, this game has much more in common with Origin’s classic gun-for-hire game, Wing Commander: Privateer. Its central campaign pits you as a Han Solo-esque mercenary who hires himself (and his team members) out to the highest bidder in a dynamic universe that contains 10 star systems and 40 possible missions. Much like the old Origin title, it’s up to the player to determine what course they will take through Mechwarrior 4: Mercenaries.

Success within these missions will not only result in filling your coffers with C-Bills, but will also give you the opportunity to upgrade your mech with parts you salvage. Or, if you’re so inclined, you can sell the parts on the black market in order to get money to hire more professional wing-mates. Again, it’s your call how to progress through the game, and that gives the title a refreshingly open-ended feeling to it. There is a plot – with three different endings, no less – but I get the feeling that the journey will be more important in Mechwarrior 4: Mercenaries then the destination.

The presentation in the game is very good, with the graphics being quite serviceable if not earth shattering. In game voice-over work is professionally done, although there are a few stabs at humor that seem a bit out of place in the game. Menus are slick and intuitive, and you are never more than a mouse-click away from the information you need.

Customization is another area that Mechwarrior 4: Mercenaries excels in; you’ll be able to build your own machines of mass destruction using a plethora of base mech types (from the quick and agile “Flea” to the lumbering and deadly “Fafnir”), weapon loadouts (lasers, missiles, etc.) armor types, and special add-ons such as jump jets. You can even get stylish by picking one of several color-schemes, so your mech looks good as it’s dishing out pain and destruction.

At the center of any mech-type game is combat, and from the beta I played it looks like the developers as FASA Studios have done a good job making the difficult task of controlling these huge steel beasts quite intuitive. I played several missions using a Microsoft USB Precision Pro 2 joystick, and control couldn’t have been any easier. Switching weapons groups or targets is available at the touch of a button, and throttling, turning, and torso twisting is simple once you get some practice. I also played the game using the keyboard interface, and all I can say is… buy a joystick.

Speaking of practice, there’s a great tutorial that covers most of the basics (you’ll have to refer to the manual for the more advanced options, though), and an Instant Action mode that will throw you and some squad-mates into a mission of your choice to get some much-needed cockpit time in before diving into the main campaign. You can even “run the gauntlet” to see how long you can last against enemies engaging you from the land, air, and sea.

For fans of multiplayer, Mechwarrior 4: Mercenaries looks like it will have all the options you’d want. In addition to all the standard Mechwarrior 4 multi-player options, there are also 19 brand new maps to play on, as well as a couple of new online-play options such as the “C-Bill Game” (where mercs are restricted according to how much money their teams have made) and the ability to track the success of and join with their favorite clan through Microsoft’s Zone.

With a grand total of 44 possible base mechs (not to mention the ability to customize them to your heart’s content), the 40 single player missions, the Instant Action mode, and the multiplayer options, Mechwarrior 4: Mercenaries should manage to keep the series faithful happy, while turning on outsiders like myself to some mech-powered goodness.

This old “Privateer” was pleasantly surprised, and is definitely looking forward to the retail release of Mechwarrior 4: Mercenaries sometime later this month. Keep your eyes peeled here at PCGameworld for a full-on review sometime soon!

Preview by Michael Askounes, PC Gameworld.