MechWarrior 4 – Localized Versions

MechWarrior 4: Vengeance had a great introductory sequence. Live-action video segments in computer games are historically very ‘hit or miss,’ and MW4 seemed to get just the right balance of the CGI and live-action work to pull it off (at least I think so). This contrasts sharply with the game’s sequel, MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries, which went the route of using in-game scripted sequences for the movie, with decidedly “video-gamey” results, no matter how cool the opening narration was.

For reference, here’s the opening video, as I saw it back in the middle bronze age when this game was released:

MechWarrior 4 – English

Very recently I learned that FASA Studios (a wholly owned subsidiary of MicroSoft) produced not just localized versions of the game, but also localized versions of the introductory movie. Now, I know that in Canon everyone speaks English and all that, but I really like the idea that the various nations in BattleTech actually have, you know, national languages. So, for example, when I see this version of the video:

MechWarrior 4 – Japanese

I can totally mentally picture this general scene playing out with Drac warriors instead of Federats.

But I digress. The purpose of this post was to share some cool youtube videos of localized versions of MechWarrior 4 so… here you go:

MechWarrior 4 – German

MechWarrior 4 – French

MechWarrior 4 – Spanish

Beyond just the novelty of the localized versions, its interesting to see how the different country teams adjusted the delivery and sound engineering. Now I just need to find some Swedes to perform an unabridged recording of the Heroic Epic of Hanssen MÃ¥nsdottir in its native tongue…

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