Niahak's Place

Armored Core – Action (PSX)
From Software

Although I usually prefer multiplayer cooperative games, this game is surprisingly addictive.

If you’ve ever played the Mechwarrior game for SNES, you know more or less what the formula is: you are a mercenary pilot with a “Core” – or giant humanoid bot (as is standard). You are offered missions – usually between 1 and 4 are available at a time – and as you progress you find out more and more about what is going on between the two mega-corporations that are your primary employers.

Dungeons and Dragons: Tower of Doom & Shadow over Mystara – Action/RPG (Arcade)
Capcom

This entry is somewhat diferent in that if you don’t own the game(s), you probably never will. Regardless, these are two excellent games that I highly recommend playing if you see them at an arcade near you.

Master of Magic – Strategy (PC)
Microprose

Precisely what it is that this game does that makes it incredibly good, I’m not sure. But I do know that it is an amazing game, and one that has yet to be surpassed in its genre although Age of Wonders has done a good job of getting almost there.

Suikoden Series – RPG (PS/PS2)
Konami

The Suikoden series, based loosly around one of the first novels in the world (Outlaws of the Marsh, called “Suikoden” in Japan), takes place in an original fantasy world of Konami’s devising.

Seven Kingdoms 2: The Fryhtan Wars – Strategy (PC)
Enlight Software

Everyone’s heard of the standard RTS games – Starcraft, Warcraft, Command & Conquer – but the Seven Kingdoms games have largely escaped notice despite their quality.

Created by Enlight Software, these games portray an unlikely combination of cultures at the peak of their power in a world filled with monsters called Fryhtans. Although the game’s name claims “Seven”, there are actually a dozen unique human cultures to play as and several Fryhtan races as well.