Metal Max is one of those weird, rough-around-the-edges NES RPGs that somehow sticks with you. You start off as a rookie hunter in a world where civilization's basically collapsed—most people huddle in sad little towns while the wasteland outside is crawling with mutants, bandits, and tanks (yeah, tanks).

What's cool is how open it feels for a 1991 game. You can just wander off the beaten path almost immediately, which usually ends with your party getting wrecked by some overpowered enemy you weren't ready for. The vehicle customization is the real hook though—finding and tricking out tanks with different weapons feels way ahead of its time. Just don't expect much hand-holding; half the fun is figuring out how anything works through trial and error.

It's janky, the translation's rough, but there's something oddly charming about its bleak little world.