Shogo: Mobile Armor Division (PC Games, 1998)

This is a classic from the end of the nineties. When this game came out, folks were still stuck in the "find key, open door, next level" mentality of the Doom era. And then you had Shogo, replete with voice acting, a gripping plot, fantastic anime visual style and the ability to fight not only on foot, but in a 100ft. tall mecha! The sound, music and just the raw feel of this game world is fantastic. Action is always gutsy and fast-paced, and there is a certain amount of replayability due to a number of branching decisions you make along the way. Now, a few reasons I've marked it as four bars: first and worst, the AI is quite crap. Enemies just stand there while you waste their buddies next to them. When they are on the alert, they sometimes display the "superhuman computer" syndrome, seeing through walls and gunning you down before you have the slightest chance to react. And die you will, many many times, for bullets actually HURT in Shogo. There is no taking-two-rockets-and-still-bringing-it action here. You will learn to tread carefully. Other complaints would be an overall feeling of under-cookedness throughout: clipping errors, invisible walls, opening doors randomly killing you, shoddy stuff. It's clear that this one shipped before it was done. For those of you used to the polish we've come to expect from Valve and the gaming world at large, this will probably be frustrating. But for those who remember the excitement of PC gaming circa 1998, this title will remain a blast and maintain a special place in the heart of any gamer who played through it.