@Atheist Jew:

Yes, Batteltech is with WizKids, which Topps bought in 2003 and all they are doing is the Clix crap now it seems.

But the gaming license is still owned by MSFT which Smith & Tinker just got. So how much freedom MSFT will allow (which should be full since this is the creator for crying out loud) remains to be seen.

EnigmaNemesis

Imagine Bethesda got Shadowrun... about the only other 'theme' of a game that they could possibly have to become perfect would be one containing a zombie uprising.

SeanNoonan

I really don't give a crap about shadowrun, but I thought the Battletech franchise had been sold to WizKids, who promptly shat on its face, ruining it in every way possible.

Is that no longer the case? The last MechWarrior game I played was MW4, which wasn't that great. The Mech Assault games just...blech.

Atheist Jew

@Rabidsquirrel:

I dont think so ... I think they are licensed from MSFT!

Now that I just said that ... scary!

EnigmaNemesis

Very quick question... Does this mean he owns the rights again. I.E. they are out of microsofts hands!?

Rabidsquirrel

All three games bring back great memory's..i will gladly pay for the next gen versions as long as they dont price gouge us on a multiplayer only game...im looking at u shadowrun.

Snukadaman

Shadowrun RPG!!!! Shadowrun RPG!!!! Shadowrun RPG!!!!

y2julio

CRIMSON SKIES MMO!

Please god let it be that. We've needed a new crimson skies game for so long. And as with Caowyth I do mean the pc version.

DarknessMyOldFriend

Screw MMO's.

I'd love for a new Shadowrun RPG and a real Crimson Skies sequel (For the PC version, the Xbox version and all subsequent titles have been crap).

Caowyth

I loved the MechWarrior series on the PC. The online play was awesome! I would love to see a straight port on to the 360. No, not MechAssult. MechAssult was a dumbdown version of MW. I want the real MechWarrior. Here is hoping!

pupaboy2

@Rabidsquirrel: err mech5

Rabidsquirrel

Falcons FTW (I love being hated by default)
But untill a mech 4 is made, I'm happy playing in the virtualworld Mech pods.

Rabidsquirrel

Lets just hope the next shadowrun game isnt a steaming pile of shit.

Witzbold

@rateoforange:

Dont make me faint at my keyboard ... I would LOVE a Battletech Universe MMO!

Ghost Bear Clan in the house!!!

EnigmaNemesis

As much as ALL the purists hate it, I liked the 3rd person view in MW4, so I hope they at least keep the option. *puts on asbestos suit*

durrem

All three of these properties sound like it could be SO HOT if they went MMO. Hell, Mechwarrior can go the Chromehounds route for all I care, it'll be incredible. I don't like MMOs because of the pay model but I'd pay monthly subscription fees and pay it gladly for a Crimson Skies MMO.

Gunhaver

@EnigmaNemesis: Exactly.

I hope it's a Mechwarrior MMO. The games always had a progression element to them as well.

rateoforange

Hate to correct you Fahey But isn't it 4orty 2wo?

I didn't mind the Shadowrun FPS as a game, it had some nice points to it, despite the fact it is a sin against nature to the series.

But let's get a REAL cyberpunk game in there please? between this and Dues Ex, William Gibson must be proud.

Huginn

Shadowrun MMO? Yes please.

wired_fenix

@Polluted:
There was indeed, it was good fun in multiplayer on Xbox Live...

a Mechwarrior MMO sounds like it could be amazing.

Northernsky

Thank Goodness!

MSFT has done nothing but mainstream and casually destroy those 2 franchises!

EnigmaNemesis

First Homeworld, and now this! Wow, this is just great!

durrem

I want some shadowrun DLC. at $15-20 used, a lot more people might pick it up.

lotkrotan

Was there ever a Crimson Skies 2? I loved the first one.

Polluted

New mechwarrior plz, 4 was a disappointment.

Although I'll happily take a new Crimson Skies and/or Shadowrun. <3

belo

Someone inform sarcastic gamer.

kman2686

Holy hell! A Shadowrun MMO is an MMO I might actually play! Break out the monofilament sword, it's time to get to work!

SuperCracker

*great heaving sobs of happiness*

Cell9song

@CrimsonAngel: Turn off active radar.

CrimsonAngel

@PapaBear434: Nah a Fast Mauler with LBARX20 and a few Mg's to annoy the crap out of people now that is pure awesome.

You turn of active sneak in and BAM fast moving Heavy mach goes for the kill.

CrimsonAngel

@y2julio: Won't happen because they do not like RPG games hell most of the original FASA team hated shadowrun PnP.

CrimsonAngel

@pupaboy2:

Agreed. The MechAssault games is an abortion of the series.

More MechWarrior and MW: Mercenaries games, please. Ghost Bear Clan for life, bitches. Give me my trusty Rhino with three huge long range gauss cannons and an LRM 20 pod, and you'll never know what just shot you from three mountain tops away.

PapaBear434

The cynic in me knows exactly what's coming out next: "Mechwarrior Party DS" and "Shadowrun Racers Revolution".

Chef

@cynopt: Tragically , I just realized Hellgate was supposed to fill that niche.
Maybe in three months...

*sigh*

cynopt

Well this is nice to hear; although I'm guessing after the last game, they returned Shadowrun on the end of a long stick. I always wanted to give SR a look, but by the time I finished my obsession with WoD books, it was already in decline, or at least it was impossible to find a group.

Can't wait to see what comes of this, a deep RPG with shooty bits in a crazy ass cyberfantapunk setting is exactly the sort of thing I want to play.

cynopt

Mass Effect, with different characters, could really be just like Shadowrun if you think about it.

Altima NEO

@EnigmaNemesis: Hm, hopefully he'll be allowed to restore the franchise to it's former glory. No more of this "Dark Ages" bullshit.

Atheist Jew

mechwarrior mmo? i think i just cum a little.

Rammsoldat

@PapaBear434:

My goodness,

Your play style was just about the same as mine with the Rhino!!!

EnigmaNemesis

@CrimsonAngel:

Me and a couple guys I played with had strategies made up. I had three mechs made for almost any purpose. I had a Raven built for pure speed, damage, and annoyance. All engine and jump jets, no armor.

I had a Nova set up for standard use. Medium speed, decent jump jets, and well balanced enough to be able to put a good combo of weapons on it. It was probably my favorite, and most used, until I customized out a Kodiak to replace the Nova for that purpose.

But my Rhino was a thing of beauty. I had it outfitted to snipe with. I would the big bitch up on a mountain top, slightly down the slope to hide myself, and sit with my systems off so I wouldn't show up on radar. I would just use my zoom, waiting for my guys to bait the enemy out of a cannon, or away from their group. I would power up, fire all three gauss rifles, and power down before the projectile ever got to it's target. Massive damage and minus one leg later, the enemy would be easy pickings for my teammates without ever knowing what the hell hit them or from where.

PapaBear434

@Mecharine:

Are you sure? ... cause this doesnt sound like it is written that way (and I HOPE you are right btw)

"Smith & Tinker is pleased to announce that it has licensed from Microsoft the electronic entertainment rights for Mr. Weisman's previous creations of MechWarrior, Shadowrun, Crimson Skies and the other properties of the FASA catalog. We're not quite ready to announce our plans for each property, but please be assured that our goal is to surprise and delight old fans, while welcoming new fans to these fantastic worlds."

EnigmaNemesis

@EnigmaNemesis:
Interesting to note, EA killed an attempt at this like 7 years back.

[en.wikipedia.org]

Actually was a decent try, they just smothered it with a pillow for no apparent reason. In actuality, it was basically the same thing as MechAssault 2's Conquest mode, but it still kicked ass.

Nikolii

@EnigmaNemesis: Actually, Weisman owns the licenses, he licensed the IP's to MS.So the licenses are back with him.

Mecharine

Mechwarrior 5 plox.

Mecharine

MechWarrior MMO, NOW.

...Are CBT fans gonna have to choke a bitch?

RedRaptor

SHADOWRUN MMORPG !!!!!!!!!! PLEASE!!!!!!!!
or at least a good ol single player rpg damnit !

Nexus6

I'm looking at the news on the site, and the date says October 15th, about a month after Microsoft closed FASA Interactive.

For some reason I thought this occured today or just recently.

Starcade

@Chef:

You know, you just single handily destroyed this thread!

EnigmaNemesis

@Atheist Jew: Pretty much. The decision about BattleTech is that they wanted to "refresh" it for new players after FASA closed and WizKids picked it up. So they spun off "Classic" to...FanPro, I believe?...and rebooted the universe as "Mechwarrior: Dark Ages". And then sold Clix games, which sucked (Classic is still...classic, though.)

AFAIK, Crimson Skies (the tabletop game) was forever axed with the death of FASA (poor kid never had a chance), and Shadowrun was licensed to FanPro (who may or may not have shat all over it, depending on who you ask). Now someone just needs to make an EarthDawn game (or not).

In closing, Fuck Harmony Gold.

Jazhuis

@belo:

We all do!

:-(

EnigmaNemesis

I would die of happiness if a Crimson Skies MMO was announced.

DannoHung

please, please don't make a shadowrun mmo. i don't want to become one of *those* people.

GUY_JIN

@PapaBear434: @EnigmaNemesis:

Now I wanna play Mechwarrior :(

belo

Mechwarrior MMO. I think I just peed myself. God help my marriage if it ever comes true.

Voodoo77

Mechwarrior MMO would be so...incredibly...oh.

I liked to use a Daishi with 3 LBX20s. Slow giant target, but the first shot either killed them or knocked em down, and the second one always killed. There's just something about one shotting a medium mech as it jumps into the air and having it fall to the ground a burning hulk.

Faselei

@PapaBear434: My Msg Above was meant for you

CrimsonAngel

@EnigmaNemesis: i never where very good at the long range i like to go in close and for the kill.

CrimsonAngel

From the VP job description they have listed it looks like they are aiming for a web-based portal system built in-house. Whats interesting is it seems they are looking build an SDK to share with "development partners" showing that they plan on doing more than game creation. Not only other companies but it could also mean user made content as well.

Weisman has treated some of his IP's poorly in the past but whatever you think of him, his game/product ideas are always very cool.

Cell9song

As someone else pointed out ...

There WAS a mechwarrior MMO, when under the Microsoft banner. It got as far as post alpha testing and it was pretty damned good (as part of the alpha testing crew I got to play it) but M$ pulled the plug.

(just F.Y.I it was Battletech 3025 but obviously it's the same universe, based in the pre-clan days of the inner sphere which, imo is far more interesting.)

Ghiestuk

@Ghiestuk: if you think the pre-clan IS days were 'more interesting' you would hate where theyve taken it these days and worship the clan invasion.

diesel power, manual controls and giant chainsaws.

red

I just want another arcadey mech game like Mechassault. (The original) I played the heck out of that during the early days of Live, and still would if there were people on there. I wish it were BC. :(

lionkitten

@Jazhuis:
I second the proposal to Fuck Harmony Gold. They've done nothing with their Robotech License except piss off Macross/Robotech/Mospeada/etc. fans. Let's sit on a license and do jack with it for 20+ years! They're like the patent trolls of American-branded anime products.

As for the idea of a Battletech MMO, it's already been done and was hugely successful. It had guilds, active participation, missions that affected the storyline. However, it was text based, and largely confined to university campuses (any Battletech MU* veterans out there?). I spent my freshman year of college enjoying one of the last years of the Battletech MU*. As a previous poster mentioned, EA had a beta up for one, but it kinda sucked. A gaming company would have to have pretty big pockets to pull off a Battletech MMO, unless Weisman decides to strip it bare. That is, it would not be a cockpit-based game. It would be similar to a tabletop game translated to the web. That would be cheaper to make, but oh so much more boring...

SwapMeet

Mech4 was great fun, especially Mercenaries. If Mech5 had a good story with a modern engine it would sell as well or better than Mech4 which has to have made a couple dollars by now.

I have one idea that could make the series complete and cool. Merge the Mechcommander top down campaign with the fps style of Mechwarrior. You can play the entire campaign as either a commander from above or a grunt on the ground and you can switch between either at an appropriate mech station..

Battlezone I and II gave you the option to switch between these modes and made things more open for the player.

Swapping out your mech for a better one you've just axed mid mission would be awesome too.. if you can limp it to a repair station you can salvage it.

PC version first, then modify it for the consoles. NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND!! please. thank you..

railskins

JW is the same person who sold the properties to MS originally. After shipping one game of each, MS put them in the dead IP vault, so it's nice to see them back in play. The question is, without any compelling characters in these universes, can they actually be made appealing and relevant to the current market?

tryptic

The mechwarrior series still has a player base within MW4, it has probably dwindled to just a couple thousand total, but those still playing have created spectacular mods. NetMechIV ([www.mechlab.net]) has created some spectacular mods to the mechs (Weapon loadouts,heat management etc.) That makes it like a 5th installment of the game as it is... Then there is Inner Sphere Wars ([iswars.com])that has created an interface that brings everything fans of MPBT:3025 wanted. Complete with logistics, planet capture, combat resolution (through the use of MW4Mercs and the netmech mod)and many other features... If ya still have the NM4Mercs game and arent already involved in these new mods, your missing out.

Ramblin