One Must Fall: 2097

One Must Fall: 2097 is a fighting game where you pick a pilot, then pick a giant robot, then punch other robots until one of you explodes. Each pilot has different stats—some boost speed, others add durability—so your choice affects how the robot handles. Winning fights earns cash you spend on upgrades between matches. The setup: corporations run everything, and one called World Aeronautics and Robotics builds these machines for space work. Now they're also used for sanctioned arena combat. You fight through a tournament bracket, improving your bot as you go, until you reach a final match that decides the champion. It's a straightforward ladder with a persistent upgrade system, which was unusual for fighting games in 1994.