Third-Person Mech Shooter Recommendations

[J T]

I am a big fan of Zone of the Enders too. It's a great series, thought the sequel really blows the first one out of the water. As Gamerforlife said, some of the battles are just epic beyond anything else out there. Plus there is a cool cameo from Vic Viper (from Gradius), which is one of the better battles.

I also really like R.A.D. Robot Alchemic Drive. It's cheesy as hell, but the controls are fantastic. You really feel like you have a remote controlled giant robot.

Another game that you should check out if you have a PC that's even half decent is Metal Drift. It's only for online multiplayer, but it's a great sports game where you control futuristic tanks to capture a ball and bring it to your goal.


Another little gem to try out is Shogo: Mobile Armor Division. It's a nice, fast-paced first person shooter with mechs and anime-style characters.

[Genesis Knight]

Gungriffon and the Mobile Suit Gundam Gaiden games on Saturn are great, and don't forget about Mobile Suit Gundam on the Dreamcast!!! Bulk Slash on Saturn gets another vote.

Also, freaking Mech Assualt 1 and 2 on oXbox were ace.

[wip3outguy7]

I second Shogo mention by JT. Surprisingly solid game.

Armored Core series:
Toward the later half of the PS2's life (well, it's technically still alive), the Armored Core series started incorporating dual stick controls. However, it is clear that the games were not designed with these set ups in mind. Sometimes it works, sometimes it's best to stick with classic controls. The series was drastically altered (for better or worse) when it migrated to current gen systems. The dual analog "FPS" style play works pretty well with these games.

The first Robotech game released on the PS2 and Xbox is surprisingly capable. While nowhere near as polished or playable as the Japanese Macross games from the same era, Robotech is still a joy to play. It uses a L/R strafe style of play that was popular with earlier FPS during the Saturn and PS1 years. But it works well as it is less confusing when switching into flight modes. Collectively the biggest gripe about this game is the overuse of escort missions. Every 2nd or 3rd mission has you escorting a vehicle or group of vehicles made of paper mache. One of these stages will probably go down in history as one of the most difficult escort missions ever.

I am currently playing a lot of Lost Planet 2. While not a "mech" game, it is a third person shooter and there are plenty of opportunities to pilot the many VSs (Vital Suits). They range from simple reverse joint legged cannon carriers to classic anime style mechs that can transform into different forms. Some even have shoulder mounted turrets that can be manned by other players in co-op. Taking down these suits is almost as fun as piloting them through crowds of fleshy adversaries.

[Weekend_Warrior]

I finally played demos of Armored Core 2 and Zone of the Enders.

My first impression of Armored Core 2 was pretty bad due to the questionable control scheme - "I have to use the d-pad to move? That sucks!" I was so mad that I almost threw the game away. But then I decided to give this game a second chance by using my Street Fighter 6-button controller and acting like it was a Sega Saturn game. And you know what? It worked! I now use the left and right buttons on the d-pad to move left/right (instead of turn), the L2 and R2 to turn, and the L1 and R1 to look up and down. That setup feels a lot better to me than using the Dualshock.

...and oh my gosh, Zone of the Enders is really cool! I just played the demo tonight and can't wait to get my hands on an actual full copy now. I am very impressed with the flying and shooting action in this game. I hope to find the sequel soon, too.

Thanks for the recommendations!

[J T]

I'm glad you got to play Zone of the Enders. The sequel is even better. ZOE2 is one of my all time PS2 favorites.