#49: Monster Rancher

Tecmo's Monster Rancher won't get talked about much in RPG circles.  However, its mechanics were strong and it could become an addictive force... especially if you were in my house during the late-90's.  Your "monster" could be generated from any CD.  Surprisingly, this gimmick wasn't used with any other mainstream games.  When you received your monster, you could train, battle, and explore with it.

The heart-breaking nature of this game happened when your monsters would eventually die.  This wasn't Pokemon.  After a few in-game years, your monster would die and there was little you could do to stop it.  It made the breeding step that the game encouraged all the more important.  Sure, your Suezo might die soon.  But if you breed it with another monster, part of your original monster could live on.

If you ignore the peculiar cross-species breeding, Monster Rancher was an endearing classic.