Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon is doing well in reviews and things will probably get better for it as time goes on. FromSoftware has always been good at keeping their games alive through patches and expansions. Is Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon going to get DLC? It’s hard to tell right now as anything is possible.
Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon isn't the only mech game on the block though especially for PlayStation consoles. Sony has celebrated mechs ever since they put out the PS1. While some of these games may be harder to track down and play, they are all worthwhile.
9 Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon
Let's begin with the latest aforementioned mech game, Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon, to kick things off. Players are a voiceless pilot, codenamed Raven, and they crash land on Earth to do missions for their shady handler named Walker. After several tutorials, players can eventually start customizing their mech with new robot parts including new arms, legs, and weapons. It's a brutal game, but figuring out the right build for their mech can make even the toughest boss encounters a piece of cake. It's the best entry the series has seen in years.
8 Another Century's Episode Portable
Another Century's Episode Portable is the last game in what was a hot series. It was also developed by FromSoftware and released for the PSP. Mecha fans may be familiar with the Super Robot Wars series since a few of those titles have made it over here. For those in the dark, they are strategy RPGs that crossover mechs from anime and games. Another Century's Episode Portable is a crossover mech game as well, but it is action-based. Some familiar anime in the game include various Gundam series, Code Geass, and Eureka Seven.
7 Armored Warriors
Armored Warriors is one of the dozens of standalone brawlers that Capcom released in the 90s. It features three-player co-op but there are four mechs to choose from. Some are nimble and agile while others are clunky but pack a mean punch. Unlike most arcade games of this era, Armored Warriors can still be played officially via Capcom Beat 'Em Up Bundle. It will be a short ride as most arcade brawlers of this era were, but it will still be fun, especially with two other friends by your side.
6 Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 3
There are tons of focused Gundam games that could be put on this list. It’s the one mech-based anime that has had games on nearly every console since it started in 1979. Of them all, it’s hard not to constantly go back to Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 3 though.
It’s the one game in the series that used cel-shading to look more like the anime. The action and dialogue may be repetitive but the fan service is through the roof. Plus it has co-op to enjoy hacking and slashing with a friend.
5 Front Mission 1st: Remake
Front Mission 1st: Remake is not the best in the series but it is the most accessible. It’s a tactical RPG wherein players navigate their mechs through increasingly difficult missions. Players can tackle one of two campaigns that feature different sides of the war. They can also customize their mechs with tons of parts and guns just like in the Armored Core series. It’s a strategy game that is going to make players think critically about their moves and also tug at their moral values.
4 Speed Power Gunbike
Speed Power Gunbike is without a doubt the most obscure game on this list. Like Another Century's Episode Portable, it was only released in Japan and it was for the PS1. It’s significant because it is the first game that Inti Creates ever developed. Inti Creates is responsible for working on action game series such as Bloodstained, Mega Man Zero, and Azure Striker Gunvolt. Speed Power Gunbike features motorcycle chases and these bikes also turn into mechs for intense combat. It’s hard to find now without emulation, but the idea is unique enough that mech fans should look into it.
3 Titanfall 2
Titanfall 2 is still probably the best all-around mech game from the last generation of consoles. Fans of Respawn Entertainment have been waiting to see where the series goes next but the team has been hard at work on the Star Wars Jedi series instead.
Those games are great but they hold nothing to the intense action found inside Titanfall 2. Players spend part of their campaign running around and gunning soldiers as a human. The other half is played through the eyes of a mech and multiplayer takes advantage of this perspective more.
2 Xenogears
Xenogears is not the first mech-based RPG but it is a well-known one today. That’s because it is technically the first game in the Xenoblade Chronicles series following Xenosaga. The history behind these three franchises is lengthy, but it’s just good to know there is a relationship between them all. Like Titanfall 2, there are human portions of combat and then there are mech segments. Mechs, or Gears in this game, are used for exploration as well sort of like airships in other turn-based RPGs of this PS1 era.
1 Zone Of The Enders: The 2nd Runner
Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner is another action mech title, but the controls make it more like a SHMUP of the arcade generation. The story follows a space miner named Dingo who stumbles upon a lost mech named Jehuty. Jehuty is a flying mech, which is why the game feels a lot like a SHMUP instead of a game like Titanfall 2 which is ground-based. Hideo Kojima worked on this project alongside others at Konami. So, fans of his can expect plenty of wild interactions between the various characters and mechs.
Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon was released on August 25, 2023, and is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.