Ranger X

Every now and then a game appears that makes you disbelieve it even runs on the hardware in question — and Ranger X is exactly such a case for the Mega Drive. This 1993 run & gun mecha action from Gau Entertainment pushes the 16-bit console beyond what seemed possible: dynamic lighting, environmental deformation and effects that look as if someone from the future had conjured them.

The most intriguing part, however, is the control concept itself. You don't just steer a combat robot, but at the same time a support vehicle resembling a mechanical bird that can fire independently, cover your back or serve as a springboard. Juggling both machines at once gives the battles unexpected depth and a tactical layer — you have to think on two planes simultaneously, which makes Ranger X an unusually thought-out action game.

Added to this is an energy system where the weapons recharge from a solar source, so you can't just mindlessly hold down the fire button. This creates a rhythm of attack and rest that elevates the game above pure firepower madness. The controls are complex at first and require practice, but once you get used to them, they reward you with a feeling of perfect control over the machinery.

Visually it is one of the console's technical peaks. Backgrounds ripple, explosions light up the scene, and the overall impression is smooth and futuristic. This is exactly why Ranger X is still cited by experts as an example of what the most capable programmers could wring out of the hardware when they knew how.

Despite its qualities, Ranger X remained more of a title for the initiated than a mass hit, and so it still carries the label of an underrated gem. For collectors and lovers of more demanding action, however, it is a discovery worth the effort of those first few minutes of learning.

Why play it: For technically dazzling and unconventionally thought-out mecha action, whose interplay of robot and support machine is still among the most original experiences on the Mega Drive.