Bring the Thunder: Robots in Gaming

Written by: Adam "ManKorn" Korenman, CC2K Video Games Editor

Imagine yourself running down a broken and burning city street, the stink of sweat and smoke and blood burning your nostrils. Bullets ricochet off of the walls, zinging passed your ears. Explosions shake the ground and send pillars of fire rising into the ash-choked sky. You slam yourself into a wall for cover, eyeing the open intersection ahead. Your rifle is light in your arms and you realize you’re almost out of ammunition. At that moment, you see a dozen enemy soldiers pouring into the street from every direction. They inch closer to your position. You realize this is the end. 

Just then, falling from the sky like a meteor, a five-story tall mech crashes to the ground. The enemy troops barely have a moment to react before twin chain-guns unleash a torrent of lead into the patrol, wiping out half their numbers in seconds. Rocket pods launch from the robot’s shoulders, exploding into clusters that destroy the remaining men. With the threat gone, the mech opens its hatch and you can see the pilot pull out binoculars. You recognize your fellow soldier and breathe a sigh of relief. But that feeling disappears when you hear the familiar sound of drop pods screeching down from the atmosphere. As you look toward the sky you see half a dozen mechs coming to avenge their fallen brethren. 

With a roar, you grab a nearby rocket launcher and charge into battle. If they want this city, you’ll make them pay for every inch. 

Welcome to Titanfall.

Robots in gaming go together like scotch and more scotch. With Pacific Rim arriving on Blu-Ray this week, and Titanfall coming in early 2014, I felt it was time to visit the best robots in gaming. Now, not every item on this list is technically a “robot,” some are “mechs” or “gears” or “cores.” The only stipulation I have is that they are giant and armed to the teeth. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the most impressive robots/mechs in gaming.