At the end of the 20th century, the planet Mars was the subject of numerous tests. Scientists believed human life could exist on the planet, which was great news to everyone because the Earth was slowly running out of natural resources. If it was ever needed, the government could set up shop on the surface of Mars and transport humans to live in colonies or bring back valuable resources to Earth.

By the year 2034, Earth has finally run out of resources and machines have been set to Mars in an attempt to mine it. The machines were given synthetic brains with simple artificial intelligence and without any defensive mechanisms or assault weaponry. This proved to be very costly to the human race, since aliens have landed on the planet and are taking over the robots.

In an attempt to stop them, Earth launched a full assault on the alien invasion. Researchers have developed an advanced human suit that would give a Machine Hunter the ability to take control over a robot allowing him to maneuver it and think as its brain. After some unforseen circumstances, it is up to you to thwart the alien invasion and save Earth and Mars...by yourself.

MGM Interactive's top-down shooter Machine Hunter has you taking on alien machinery through vast areas of combat. There are 16 different missions in all that will have you blasting through factories, military compounds, mines, swamps, and the alien nest. Each mission, or level, contains secret items that increase your firepower.

The basic objective is to destroy everything that moves. Because each mission has multiple levels (all rendered in 3D), enemies come at you from all angles and sides. In an order to combat this, your machine has the option to transform into alien technology. If you kill a mechanized spider, for example, you can assimilate that spider in order to help you progress throughout the level. There are 10 different robots in all and each one is more advanced and deadly than the last.

There is also a two-player mode in which you can play through the missions against the computer AI or engage in a split-screen deathmatch to the finish. Both digital and analog control is supported.

Machine Hunter (Sony PlayStation 1, 1997)