This is honestly one of the greatest game compilations I've ever seen. Where other publishers lazily throw a handful of roms in an emulator package then call it a day this one acts more as an interactive museum about Atari and gaming as a whole during the 70s and early to mid 80s onwards. It is filled to the brim with fascinating historical documents, interviews, and overall insight into an era of gaming most people ignore in favor of the NES onward. Even if you're not into this period of video games I highly recommend picking this up for this historical context it provides.
Also it's got Tempest 2000.

Look man there's a lot of issues with this game. Hardly any enemy variety, all the levels are basically generic city streets, and the difficulty is a bit absurd. But you gotta realize when I was five I got to be Venom.
I GOT TO BE VENOM
I
GOT
TO
BE
VENOM

MAIN SYSTEM ENGAGING COMBAT MODE

Man what is there can I not say about this game? Armored Core was a franchise that lasted from 1997-2013 serving as From Software's major cash cow until Souls gained mainstream popularity. The franchise has a heavy emphasis on customization so extensive it can be intimidating for new players.

The original Armored Core and every entry up to Armored Core 2 Another Age takes place in a futuristic setting where most of humanity is wiped out and what remains is an anarcho capitalist hellhole where the major corporations are all committing all sorts of atrocities on each other along with the general public to be the big dog. The player takes the role as a Raven who is basically a gun for hire these corporations will contact and it's up to you to pick which missions fit your agenda whether it be your morals, objective difficulty, or monetary gain. At the end of the day you're going to be doing some dirty deeds whether it be killing a bunch of homeless people squatting in an area a company wants to expand in, unleashing a biological weapon to screw over another company, or killing someone who went under a horrific experimental procedure to turn them into a murder machine only to go rogue. Starting with the very first game Armored Core establishes a bleak setting where the player is not the hero of the story but rather another factor in its ongoing misery.

What makes Armored Core really stand out for me is how customization is integrated into its overall missions structure. Each mission will give you a briefing that details a general idea of what you're in for and it's up to you to tune up your AC as needed. The majority of the game is essentially this puzzle of tackling a mission, changing things as you feel need be and either successfully accomplishing the mission or having to troubleshoot where your AC is lacking and do some touch ups. This might sound tedious but From made the right call in two areas. Missions are generally short very rarely surpassing the five minute mark but more importantly every weapon or part you purchase in the store can be resold at the same exact price you paid for so there is absolutely no punishment for experimentation.

Another aspect of Armored Core I absolutely adore is the control. Initially the controls will seem very clunky and unintuitive but over time you eventually get the hang of them and my god does it feel incredible piloting a hulking behemoth who is also somehow flying around in circles dodging missiles and shooting rival ACs up in the sky with your plasma cannon.

Also gosh dang is the music FANTASTIC. AC1 in particular is a great combination of electric and atmospheric tracks and I frequently find myself coming back to them often while I'm not playing. My personal favorite from AC1 are Synoptic Dope, Shape Memory Alloys, Grip, and Air.

I'm trying to keep this review as concise as possible so I'll finish now with urging you to finally try out this series. It may be forgotten now by gamers but there's a pretty dang good reason we got 18 games in a 16 year period and it's absolutely worth diving into the first entry to get a glimpse why.