I AM EXCITE!!!!
So it has finally happened. The Battletech IP is coming to PC, in what many consider to be its purest form.
A short and incomplete history of Battletech/Mechwarrior:
Early 80's saw the emergence of Battletech as a board game RPG system, similar to D&D, or Shadowrun.
Mid/late 80's, the first battletech video games on PC and NES appeared. After this, mechwarrior appeared as distinct from battletech, because core systems were changed to facilitate 3D first person gameplay(which was very new at the time).
Mid 90's, one of the most beloved Mechwarrior games appeared - Mechwarrior 2: Mercenaries, where i got my indroduction to the IP.( a common theme in the PC titles, the games with mercenaries as the central theme were always better received)
Late 90's/early 2000's were a boom time for mechwarrior games. Mechcommander and sequal, Mechwarrior 4 and expansions.(which were largely ignored until the appearance of Mechwarrior 4: Mercenaries)
But then mid/late 2000's saw the Mechwarrior IP stagnate. Nothing happened until 2010 when there was a video teaser for Mechwarrior 5, which invigorated the fan base and brought in new interest from people who were not already fans. That game still has not yet materialized, but is being worked on currently by PGI, the people behind MWO.
But then MWO happened! Mechwarrior Online is a F2P game focusing strictly on mech combat. While lacking most of the deeper aspects of Battletech, the game is beautiful and does what it does very well.
And NOW!!! In less than a months time as of this writing, a true Battletech game will arrive! Single player campaign with the in depth management of Mechcommander, the art assets of MWO, combined with the turn based battletech combat systems from the pen and paper game. Oh and there is PvP multiplayer as well
Here is the first video showing some of the single player mechanics by ParadoxExtra:
Also here is a link to first episode of a Let's Play series by CohhCarnage:
If there is enough interest, i'll post more updates on this. Iv'e been a backer of the game for over a year now. It is a buy to play title, but @ 40$ price tag, i'd say its more than worth it(I contributed 60$).
Cheers!