The discussion about the best mech games of all time cannot be restricted to one genre or type of video game. Mech-related media has existed for years, since the term is directly derived from the English word ‘mechanical.’
The term received popularity in Japanese media when it started getting associated with every giant robot related media, thus giving birth to a new science-fiction sub-genre.
Below, we take a look at some of the games related to this genre that have become long-running franchises, or are well praised enough to be highly recommended plays.
All time favorite mech games
Titanfall 2
Created by Respawn Entertainment, the Titanfall franchise became popular with the second game, which is probably one of the finest first-person shooter games of all time involving mechs. Given its popularity, it’s a pity that a follow-up game was never made.
The gameplay involves agile mech maneuvering, including wall-running, and other sci-fi elements swinging through moment-to-moment action sequences.
Titanfall 2’s single-player campaign mode drew inspiration from games such as Half-Life and other similar media. The story follows a Frontier Militia soldier who inherits the titan BT-7274 from his mentor after he passes away.
On release, the game was showered with several award nominations, including Game of the Year in 2016
Metal Wolf Chaos
Metal Wolf Chaos is one of the craziest mech games of all time, and it was developed by FromSoftware, a company that people associate with the highly popular Dark Souls games.
It was originally released as an Xbox exclusive in Japan when Microsoft was trying to make the console relevant in that market. A remastered release hit the shelves in 2019 thanks to Digital Devolver, titled Metal Wolf Chaos XD.
The plot puts the player in the shoes of the President of the United States of America who pilots a mech, fighting to push back the rebel army of the Vice President, who is forcing a hostile takeover of power in the country.
Super Robot Wars
The Super Robot Wars games are Bandai Namco published mech titles spanning across multiple years and consoles. The series is best known among the fans of media related to mech for being one of the biggest crossover video games of all time.
Super Robot Wars series crossovers span across multiple high profile mech franchises such ass Mazinger, Mobile Suit Gundam, Dancouga, Getter Robo and more.
The gameplay in these games involve the classic grid-based tactical RPG style games popularized by titles such as Fire Emblem and Final Fantasy Tactics. Storylines in these games are unique, and each has its own continuity tying into different media.
Front Mission
Moving from one of the best and long running tactical RPG franchises of all time to another, Front Mission is a mech game series that’s published by Square Enix and has been around since 1995
Originally developed by Toshiro Tsuchido at G-Craft, which was later merged with Square Enix, the Front Mission franchise has spanned across several media over the years, including radio drama, novels, manga, toys and more.
The series has various spinoff titles that diverge into other game genres, such as MMOs and sidescrollers. The main franchise is always recognized as a tactical RPG, set around a fictional 22nd century, with players taking command of mechs called Wanzers.
Zone of the Enders
Zone of the Enders or Z.O.E. is a mech game franchise that was developed and published by Konami. The game was created by the legendary video game director Hideo Kojima.
Unfortunately, the franchise has not resurfaced since the PlayStation 3 era, as there have been no new entries in the series, but the games were well praised for being some of the best hack n slash games on consoles back in the day.
The story in these games usually takes place in a futuristic sci-fi setting with pilots called enders commanding mechs known as Frames.
Armored Core
Armored Core is currently one of the most recognizable mech video game franchises of all time, solely due to the release of the sixth game. Before this the franchise was dormant, and long-time fans thought that the developers would never make another one.
The first Armored Core game in the franchise dates back to PlayStation 1 era, and just like every other game in the developer’s catalogue, these games are also known for their neck-breaking difficulty with no hand-holding.
Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Battle Destiny
When talking about mechs, the Gundam franchise is synonymous with all kinds of media associated with the topic. Suffice it to say, the Gundam franchise was there during the pioneering days of the mech genre.
So it is very natural that a franchise with such an embellished history will have a long run in the video games media. But not all Gundam games are hallmarks of excellence, as most of them are commercialized products meant specifically for the consumers of this type of media.
We picked Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Battle Destiny as it is considered the best entry point into the Gundam mech games and has a remastered version that is available on almost all platforms. The game follows the plot of the titular anime and is published by Bandai Namco.
