It's called MechWarrior: Living Legends, and is the work of some modders by the name of Wandering Samurai. While ready for download and good to go, the mod is technically in "open beta", so don't go expecting the world.

Go into it expecting a reasonably polished, playable and surprisingly good-looking mod, however, and you'll be just fine.

[Mechwarrior: Living Legends]

Not because I hate Mechwarrior; far from it, I adore Battletech. It's just, giant robot fighting on the big screen has already been perfected in 1990's Robot Jox, and I'd hate to see some people blow a few million dollars in a futile attempt to better it.

The source also reports that a screenplay is being written by Michael Gordon (300, GI Joe), and that the project is currently "in development".

Source: MechWarrior movie 'in development' at Eisner's Tornante [Joystiq]

Yup, all you have to do is wait a bit (it's not out yet), head over to MekTek.net and you can grab the game (along with its expansions) for nothing. Squat. SQUAT.

How it holds up after all these years is anyone's guess (I'd given up on the series long before it hit a fourth instalment), but hey, it's free. No word on just when it'll be released, but we're promised it'll be "soon".

So at least you know they have experience with giant robots! Then again, it also means they have experience with making crummy games based on giant robots.

Though, let's give them the benefit of the doubt on this one. They only helped develop Revenge of the Fallen. And being a movie tie-in, it had a deadline to meet. Something they won't have to worry about with Mechwarrior, what with Battletech being 25 years old and all.

This new game is called simply MechWarrior, and will serve as a reboot of sorts for the franchise. You'll still be piloting mechs, but the developers reckon that current console technology will for the first time let you feel like you're really behind the sticks of a giant fighting robot.

They're also shooting for a "dynamic battlefield", and rather than feature a food chain of mechs, instead want to let players choose a style of mech and then upgrade that to suit their tastes as they progress through the game.

MechWarrior is coming to the PC and Xbox 360, with no details yet on either a publisher or a release timeframe.

To see the full debut trailer, click below. Looks like GRAW with giant robots. Which is a real good place to start.

Mechwarrior Revealed [IGN]

IGN say that tomorrow morning they'll be running an interview with a Mr. Jordan Weisman, who will explain what the trailer is all about. Jordan Weisman runs the company that now owns the rights to Mechwarrior. Jordan Weisman formed FASA, who used to own the rights to Mechwarrior.

So, yeah, it's probably a new Mechwarrior game.

Mystery Mech Game Solved [IGN]

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.

Smith & Tinker's License Procurement Announcement [Smith & Tinker via Gamasutra]

I never bought Steel Battalion, despite my intense love for giant robots (I think you all know what I'm talking about...uh huh...you over there in the Evangelion t-shirt) and everything that accompanies them. Mechwarrior 2 was probably the first game soundtrack that I really flipped out over (composed by Bill Brown) and I've been lugging mp3s of it around for nigh on ten years.

That said, plunking down over 200 clams for a specialized, mech-only controller was just insane. The battlepods over at Wizards of the Coast were still in business, and there was just no point.

But I know some of you couldn't help yourself, and you may cease hiding your shame as of now. Siliconera explains:

That mammoth sized Steel Battalion controller was a costly Xbox accessory at the price of $200 plus dollars. It's a one of a kind device designed for mecha games. Wouldn't it be cool to use the same controller for MechWarrior games on the PC? If you have an Xbox USB controller converter and the freeware program PPJoy to map the buttons to the controller. There are already custom button layouts made for MechWarrior 3 and MechWarrior 4.

Buttons maps are also available for Freespace 2, and for a generic 16-button, 4Axis, 1 POV joystick. Have at it! Eliza Gauger

Explicit instructions and downloads for the VT controller [c_McBride, via Siliconera]