What makes a good mecha game?

[RookerSalen]

After playing some mech games I got this question...
What truly makes a mech game good?
If you actually go in deep on the topic the answer becomes more complex. In a nutshell, a mech game needs 1 thing to be a mech game: Mechs. After getting that now we have to analice a lot different stuff. Enemies, level design, customization (If there's any), speed, difficulty, etc. Also, a mech game doesn't neccesarily need to be an action game. Into the breach is a strategy game with mechs, which actually gives a really good experience on what it means to face consequences in the battefield. Some may say that a true mech game needs a cumbersome but rewarding control scheme, like Steel batalion, who used an unique controller to be played:

Or the first armored core games with their lack of joystick support. So, I want to know. What makes a great mecha to you? Also if you have any recommendations please share them I want to play more of these games.

 

[moonbits]

It needs a more pronounced element of tactical/strategy.
I recommend Front Mission 1-3

 

[freebie#47]

First....IT NEEDS GIANT FIGHTING ROBOTS...

Next, needs a good story. Third Cool action scenes with Finishing Moves.

Last and most important, Intense Boss Battle that take everything you got to beat them....then another Boss shows up and you have to do it all over again.

 

[Teberu]

For me, it's all about the weight and customization, i want to FEEL like i am controlling my own big ass robot, so stuff like the earlier Armored Core games or Mechwarrior are just perfect

 

[otogirisou]

What truly makes a mech game good?

The mechas

 

[RanmyakuIchi's iconRanmyakuIchi]

WEIGHT! I want to FEEL like I'm controlling a 55-ton walking war machine. I want the world to feel like it's ending when I fire my weapon. I want my melee to hit so hard, my enemies' ancestors feel it. Nothing takes me out of a mecha game faster that weightless, floaty game feel.

 

[destinyduelist]

For me it's Titanfall 2, usually when mech games are in question it's Japanese mecha, but for me the most fun mech game I've ever played is Titanfall 2
I also like Armored Core

 

[mana]

Personally, good mech games must be believable and have deep customization. 'Believable' meaning borrowing lots of elements from real life but not necessarily being 100% realistic. The best examples I can give rn are Front Mission 3, Armored Core 5, Mechwarrior 5, and Muv-Luv series.

 

[Cu-Neo]

The feeling when you move the mecha, for example Armored Core does that very well because you feel that you are moving a heavy, giant weapon of destruction, but to achieve that you have to create a good design, so for me those two things are very important.

 

[Yoru Momo]

Mecha games are defined by immerssion.

 

[AnonymousCookieMonster]

Having played a bit of MechWarrior 2 & 4 (PC, 1995-2000) and while fun it's neigh impossible to remember all the key buttons to act in time. Then the balance of weapons and weight and heat management... getting dosbox to work with MW2 works but getting decent button customization to be similar to today's is annoying.

Then Armored Core 3 (PS2) , though it feels like there isn't enough mission information so when i buy a sniper rifle i'm woefully unready for lots of small enemies and i can't back up enough to use the sniper rifle effectively without leaving the mission area.

I don't know. Should be fun and fast like doing a Shmup and avoiding bullets and changing forms to blast enemies, though not quite as fast paced.

WEIGHT! I want to FEEL like I'm controlling a 55-ton walking war machine

Depends. There's two ideologies for moving a mech. In the West it's a big hulking heavy machine, so it moves slowly and shudders with every step, like putting feet on a tank.

East/Japan however they tend to go more light model, so you get more gundams, vandread, machines that besides being big and heavy actually move probably 3/4 on par with human movements and flexibility. And probably more on par with playing with them by hand like with legos as a child.

 

[Yoru Momo]

@AnonymousCookieMonster
Depends. There's two ideologies for moving a mech. In the West it's a big hulking heavy machine, so it moves slowly and shudders with every step, like putting feet on a tank.

East/Japan however they tend to go more light model, so you get more gundams, vandread, machines that besides being big and heavy actually move probably 3/4 on par with human movements and flexibility. And probably more on par with playing with them by hand like with legos as a child.

That's not exactly true.
The western and eastern mecha design was always quintessentially different.
The Japanese mecha design is combination of the arsenal of a tank, mobility of a jet and and the frame of the samurai armor. It looks as if a bunch of cardboard boxes stacked on top of each other.
• PowerRangers Zords
• Gundam
• Getter Robo
• Mazinger Z
• Armored Core
They combine militarisic themes and a loose style of power-fantasy. The pilot usually sits in the cockpit, controling the machine from inside like a jet. The machine always has a face akin to samurai mask from Edo peroid.
There have been various weeboo series based off-of this style, most popular being • the Trasformers.

Western stayled mechas are more akin to exo-skeletons. It looked like an anthropomorphic body of a insect often stripped to bone with a rib-cage.
• Metalheads from Jak
• Machines in Matrix
• BIONICLE
• Terminator(s)
• Adeptus Mechanicus in 40k
Westboo series influenced by the over-seas works also incorporate this style:
• BLAME!
• Ghost in the Shell

It shared common motif of transcendence; seeking equilibrium between what makes a man and machine. The theme itself is deeply influenced philosophically. Often brute and dark in tone. Machine was more often in control then 'the man'.
Unfortunately the critical out-look on life and exposure of human skeletons have been gradually persecuted in social media and the genere died out shortly after 04-06.

 

[jiyuuboyetsvi]

Whenever I play any mech game I always compare them to Gundam VS ZAFT 2 on the PS2. The two Gundam Seed VS games on the PS2 have always been my favourite mech games.

From what it looks like I'm probably in the minority here when it comes to game feel, since the Gundam VS games are very fast paced arena arcade games.

My hack n slash brain craves giant anime robots swinging around energy swords and making each other blow up in spectacular fashion!!!!

 

[ShinnAsukaYESTaylorSwiftNO]

Whenever I play any mech game I always compare them to Gundam VS ZAFT 2 on the PS2. The two Gundam Seed VS games on the PS2 have always been my favourite mech games.

From what it looks like I'm probably in the minority here when it comes to game feel, since the Gundam VS games are very fast paced arena arcade games.

My hack n slash brain craves giant anime robots swinging around energy swords and making each other blow up in spectacular fashion!!!!

I see you're a man of culture.
Gundam Extreme VS. Full Boost can be played on RPCS3 with online multiplayer to boot via RPCN and there actually exist fan-made PC ports for Extreme Vs. 2 XBoost and Overboost. However, you must have a Chinese phone number to make Overboost playable though.

 

[beefbowl]

A good mech should feel like an extension of the player, not some clunky military war machine. Nimble, overpowered and it should make you feel a lot more cooler. Basically do what Titanfall 2 did and you'll have an excellent mecha game.

 

[jiyuuboyetsvi]

I see you're a woman of culture.
Gundam Extreme VS. Full Boost can be played on RPCS3 with online multiplayer to boot via RPCN and there actually exist fan-made PC ports for Extreme Vs. 2 XBoost and Overboost. However, you must have a Chinese phone number to make Overboost playable though.

WHAAAT!? Damn I'll need to look more into RPCN. I never really got to play Gundam VS on multiplayer except when I went to Japan in 2013. I played in the big SEGA arcade and that PS3 version with my host brother

 

[ObscureJigglypuff]

After playing some mech games I got this question...
What truly makes a mech game good?

Sexy fan service.

 

[Ikagura]

Regardless of the intent I think that clunky gameplay will be clunky at the end of the day regardless if it's meant to be clunky since it's a mecha.