Forgive the redundant nature of this article (those who read my Inner Sphere Mech Pak review will find this one strangely familiar), but since both titles are identical in premise, presentation, graphics, sound and appeal, I felt it inappropriate and unnecessary to write out a completely new piece when all that needs to be commented on are the new additions. So...

When I purchase a title, I expect it to have a few things. When I purchase an expansion for a title I expect it to expand my gaming experience while having the same things of the original. Because of this, I've always found Microsoft's half expansions for MechWarrior 4 (the $13 Mech Paks) to be a little suspicious.

They say cheaper add-on. I say a patch in a box that still costs money. I'm right.

MechWarrior is a beautiful, deep, sci-fi action simulation. Everything about the series enthralls me. From premise to delivery, the games have never managed to disappoint. And now I get this, something I should have been able to download from the official website completely free of charge. Let's go over what's here in my shiny retail patch, shall we?

Masakari: An 85-ton fan favorite, the Masakari has a big head and little legs. Very accurate at ranges, this assault mech comes with ferro-fibrous armor, the new enhanced optics, and an armament consisting of PPCs, Ultra AC5s and LRMs. It lacks jump jets, but can cruise at a brisk 83 KPH if taken care of. A middle of the road heavy hitter with devastating and dangerous to manage weapons, this is a mech that's clearly for the more patient and skilled pilot.

Kodiak: I believe the Kodiak first made its MechWarrior debut in Ghost Bear's Legacy, where it was as lethal as it was large. A little slower than the pack, this brawler is designed to stay close, but not too close, as is evident by its no nonsense electronics free design, fully featured jump jets, and medium range everything (MRM, Clan ER Laser, Clan LBX AC20). A little sluggish for my tastes, but nonetheless powerful, the Kodiak is a bit of nostalgia relived.

Arctic Wolf: Take a medium class chassis built to run at 115 KPH and then fill it with short range missiles and you have the Arctic Wolf. Its four banks of Clan Streak Short-Range Missiles allow it to shower and devastate the slower missile absorbent mechs. Unless you're big on swooping around an opposing lance, and firing off missiles in the hopes that they don't blow up in your face or fly off target, then the Arctic Wolf may not be for you.

Cauldron-Born: Perhaps my favorite of the new mechs, the Cauldron-Born is a workhorse that can absorb an uncanny amount of punishment but still speed along at 92 KPH (it does weigh only 65 tons, after all). The enhanced optics, LRMs, Clan LBX ACs, and Clan ER Medium Lasers round out its seemingly apelike but still effective design.

Streak MRM: Several iterations of a new homing medium range missile have been included in the Clan Mech Pak. Behold the Clan Streak Medium Range Missile. The new tracking technology makes the missile more effective than previous MRMs (it even has greater range), but comes at the cost of damage, which for the skilled pilot, is not an acceptable tradeoff since homing is of little use when you pinpoint every other shot anyway. The missiles come in the 10, 20, 30, and 40 varieties and have varying strengths and weaknesses accordingly.

Enhanced Optics: This is a simplistic but effective component, depending on how you look at it. The enhanced optics essentially enlarges the zoom screen. For some that's great because it allows for more controlled sniping with far less confusion when spying on speedy baddies. For others it's not so good because it takes up more valuable screen space. It's a tradeoff and a personal preference, but nonetheless a kind of cool piece of technology that fits in to the whole fairly well.

Factory: A big, broken down factory on the competitive sporting planet of Solaris VII serves as the setting for this arena style multiplayer map.