Lost Classics: Shogo – Mobile Armor Division (PC)

Remember back in the days when instead of Japanese developers making games that appeal to American audiences, it was the other way around? Well, not necessarily American developers making games for Japanese audiences, but rather American developers making Japanese-style games? Well, Shogo: Mobile Armor Division is a relic from that era. Developed by Monolith (F.E.A.R, Condemned, Blood 2), Shogo takes its inspiration from Japanese anime such as Robotech and Gundam, putting players in control of a big robot. Rather than being a mech simulator like Mechwarrior, Shogo is a straight forward first person shooter. Playing as a young man named Sanjuro, who is a commander in the UCS, you step into the midst of a war over the planet Cronus. Sanjuro’s brother, childhood friend, and girlfriend were killed during the war. The game features a mix of mech and on-foot sections. Taking a cue from role playing games, players can sometimes hit enemies with a ‘critical shot’ which does increased damage. The game even features multiple paths and multiple endings. It was Monolith’s first game using their Lithtech engine. The character models and sparse textures show thier age, although the plot is much deeper than most FPS titles from it’s day and the gameplay is as fast paced as ever. The source code was released for the game some years ago, and there is probably a modding community that still supports it. If you love old school fps games and anime tributes (as cheesy as they might be), then you’d do well to check this out. It’s available at gog.com on the cheap.