In science fiction, mecha or mechs are giant robots or machines typically depicted as piloted and as humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese after shortening the English loanword 'mechanism' or 'mechanical', but the meaning in Japanese is more inclusive, and 'robot' or 'giant robot' is the narrower term.
BattleTech is a wargaming and military science fiction franchise launched by FASA Corporation in 1984, acquired by WizKids in 2001, which was in turn acquired by Topps in 2003; and published since 2007 by Catalyst Game Labs. The trademark is currently owned by Topps and, for video games, Microsoft Gaming; Catalyst Game Studios licenses the franchise from Topps.
Tech Romancer is a 1998 3D fighting arcade game by Capcom that draws heavily from the various subgenres of mecha anime. It was later ported to the Dreamcast console. The player controls a giant robot which is used to fight another robot in one-on-one combat. Studio Nue designed the robots in this game.
Shogo: Mobile Armor Division is a first-person shooter video game developed by Monolith Productions and published by Monolith and Interplay Entertainment in 1998. The game features on-foot first-person shooter action, and combat with anime-style bipedal mechs. Shogo is a combat system that features the possibility of critical hits, whereby attacking an enemy will occasionally bring about a health bonus for the player. Players take on the role of Sanjuro Makabe, a Mobile Combat Armor (MCA) pilot and a commander in the United Corporate Authority (UCA) army, during a brutal war for the planet Cronus and its precious liquid reactant, kato. Players must locate and assassinate a rebel leader known only as Gabriel. At two pivotal points in the game, the player also has the opportunity to make a crucial decision, which can alter the game's ending.
MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat is a vehicle simulation game developed and published by Activision, released in 1995 as part of the MechWarrior series of video games in the BattleTech franchise. The game is set in 3057, and is played as a tactical simulation that incorporates aspects of real-time first-person combat and the physical simulation of the player's mech. It is a game recreation of the "Refusal War." The player can join one of the clans, Clan Jade Falcon or Clan Wolf while engaging in up to 32 missions.
Metal Warriors is a side-scrolling action-platform run and gun video game developed by LucasArts and published by Konami exclusively for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in North America in April 1995. It is often confused by many to be a direct sequel to Cybernator, which was created by NCS Corporation and released earlier in 1992 on the console. Set in the year 2102 where dictator Venkar Amon has waged a war against the United Earth Government for three years, players assume the role of lieutenant Stone from the titular freedom-fighting group taking control of several mecha suits in a last-ditch effort to overthrow the Dark Axis military force on Earth. Its gameplay mainly consists of action and shooting mixed with mission-based exploration using a main seven-button configuration.
MechCommander 2 is a 2001 real-time tactics video game based on the BattleTech/MechWarrior franchise, developed by FASA Interactive and distributed by Microsoft. It is a sequel to MechCommander.
MechWarrior is the second video game released in the BattleTech game series. MechWarrior was the first video game to offer the player a chance to pilot a BattleMech from the view of a pilot. With this game the player has a great deal of freedom when compared to many of the follow-up MechWarrior games, which include choosing missions, buying & selling mechs and parts, hiring lance-mates, and traveling throughout the Inner Sphere. Underneath the major game mechanics, the player had the option of following a role playing style story arc that would unfold over five in-game years.
MechWarrior 3 is a vehicle simulation game, part of the MechWarrior series. It featured a new 3D accelerated graphics engine at the time of its release. The game contains over 20 missions, with access to 18 different mechs. A novelization called Trial Under Fire was written by Loren L. Coleman.
MechWarrior Online is a free-to-play vehicle simulation video game, officially launched during September 2013 by Piranha Games for Microsoft Windows. The game takes place within the larger BattleTech universe.
Enslaved: Odyssey to the West is a 2010 action-adventure game developed by Ninja Theory and published by Namco Bandai Games. Announced in 2009 as Enslaved, it was released on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in October 2010. As a loose adaptation of the novel Journey to the West, the game is set 150 years in a future post-apocalyptic world following a global war. Only remnants of humanity survive, along with the still active war machines left over from the conflict. The game's story follows Monkey who is forced to escort Trip home safely after they survive a ship crash. Players play as Monkey, who must combat enemies using his staff from a third-person perspective, engage in different platforming challenges and solve puzzles.
Starbound is a 2016 action-adventure game by Chucklefish. Starbound takes place in a two-dimensional, procedurally generated universe which the player is able to explore in order to obtain new weapons, armor, and items, and to visit towns and villages inhabited by various intelligent lifeforms. Starbound was released out of early access in July 2016 for Windows, macOS, and Linux, and for Windows via Xbox Game Pass in December 2020.
D.Va is a character developed by Blizzard Entertainment for their Overwatch franchise. She was introduced at launch in their 2016 first-person hero shooter video game Overwatch and returned in its 2022 sequel, Overwatch 2. She features in the franchise's related animations and literary media. Outside of Overwatch, D.Va also appears as a playable character in the crossover multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game Heroes of the Storm and as a gameplay announcer in StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void. In English-language media, D.Va is voiced by Charlet Chung.
MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries is a BattleTech mecha game developed by Piranha Games released on December 10, 2019, on Microsoft Windows. It is the first single player MechWarrior game since 2002. It was initially available as an Epic Games Store exclusive title, which, like other games with Epic Games Store exclusivity deals, was met with criticism. On May 7, 2020, it was made available through Xbox Game Pass for PC. On May 27, 2021, it was made available on additional platforms including Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Steam and GOG, in addition to the DLC pack Heroes of the Inner Sphere, Call to Arms, and Rise of Rasalhague. It features ray tracing powered by Nvidia RTX as well as DLSS.
Into the Breach is a turn-based strategy video game developed and published by indie studio Subset Games, consisting of Justin Ma and Matthew Davis. Into the Breach is their second game, following FTL: Faster Than Light. It features writing by Chris Avellone and music composed by Ben Prunty. It was released for Microsoft Windows in February 2018, for macOS and Nintendo Switch in August 2018, and for Linux in April 2020. A version for iOS and Android mobile devices was published by Netflix in July 2022.
Scythe is a board game for one to five players designed by Jamey Stegmaier and published by Stonemaier Games in 2016. Set in an alternative history version of 1920s Europe, players control factions that produce resources, develop economic infrastructure, and use dieselpunk combat mechs to engage in combat and control territories. Players take up to two actions per turn using individual player boards, and the game proceeds until one player has earned six achievements. At this point, the players receive coins for the achievements they have attained and the territories they control, and the player with the most coins is declared the winner.
Starwing Paradox is an arcade game by Square Enix with animation produced by Sunrise. In it, humans from Earth remotely pilot giant humanoid mechs as part of a conflict between aliens of two countries on the planet Maguriboshi over the energy resource Hoshinochi. The game features character designs by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, mechanical designs by Ippei Gyōbu and Junya Ishigaki, and a script by Yoichi Kato. The voice cast include Mikako Komatsu, Ryoko Shiraishi, and Ayaka Suwa. The game was released in November 2018; updates for the game and the companion smartphone app were discontinued in November 2020, and the servers for the game were shut down in October 2021 as part of a trend of the termination of Square Enix's online arcade games, effectively terminating the game as only the offline demo mode continues to function without them.
Lego Builder's Journey is a puzzle game developed by Light Brick Studio and published by Lego Games. When it first released on December 19, 2019, Lego Builder's Journey was initially an exclusive game for the Apple Arcade service on iOS, macOS, And visionOS; however, the game was subsequently ported to the Nintendo Switch and Microsoft Windows, with these ports both being made available on June 22, 2021. It was also ported to Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S on November 25, 2021. The PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 ports of the game released on April 19, 2022. Lego Builder's Journey and Lego Brawls were the first two Lego games for Apple Arcade. Lego Builder's Journey has received generally positive reviews.
Shin Kidō Senki Gundam Wing: Endless Duel is a 1996 fighting video game developed by Natsume Co., Ltd. and published in Japan by Bandai for the Super Famicom. It is the first game to be based on the Mobile Suit Gundam Wing anime series. Set in the year After Colony 195, players take control of a pilot from the Colony Liberation Organization or the Organization of the Zodiac. Its gameplay consists of one-on-one fights, with a main four-button configuration, featuring special moves, as well as three playable modes.
Gundam: Battle Assault 2 is a 2002 fighting video game developed by Natsume Co., Ltd. for the PlayStation. Based on the Gundam franchise, it is a follow-up to Gundam: Battle Assault (1998). The story is divided into three storylines following a pilot from Mobile Fighter G Gundam, Mobile Suit Gundam Wing and Mobile Suit Gundam. Its gameplay consists of one-on-one fights, with a main six-button configuration, featuring special moves and two playable modes, while players can select any available mech to battle against enemies in story mode.
