MechWarrior 4: Black Knight exclusive

Microsoft sent us new information about some of the new weapons that will appear in its upcoming mech combat simulation expansion, MechWarrior 4: Black Knight, along with a new group of screenshots from the expansion. The expansion adds a variety of new features to the sci-fi combat game MechWarrior 4, including new vehicles, mech units, and customization options, as well as a new single-player storyline and several new multiplayer modes. The expansion also adds a new black market mode where players can buy and trade parts for their mechs.

Black Knight will feature a number of new weapons, including the autocannon 20, the ultra autocannon 10 and 20, the cluster-bomb launcher, and x-pulse lasers. The autocannon 20 is a heavy ballistic weapon similar to the LBX 20 that does large amounts of damage at close range, but unlike the LBX, it concentrates all of its firepower into a single slug. The ultra autocannon 10 and ultra autocannon 20 both fire two shots per trigger pull. They are best used at close range, and they deal massive amounts of damage but are extremely heavy. The cluster-bomb launcher is best used in longer-range attacks, and it can fire a spread of explosive bombs up to a kilometer. The new x-pulse lasers come in small, medium, and large versions and can fire up to 600 meters.

We've posted some new screenshots in the gallery above that show off some of the new weapons that are featured in the expansion. MechWarrior 4: Black Knight was developed by Cyberlore Studios, and it will be available in stores in early November for an approximate retail price of $29.95. For more information, take a look at our previous coverage of the expansion.