Metal Saga

A console RPG series developed by Crea-tech that takes place in a Mad Max-style post-apocalyptic world. The player takes on the role of a young bounty hunter, cleaning up criminals and monsters and learning about the world.

The games in the series thus far:

Metal Max (NES) - The first game in the series. The player controls a youngster, kicked out of your dad's place because you want to be a Hunter instead of a grease monkey. Along the way you join with a curious mechanic and a foul-mouthed lady soldier, butt heads with the famous hunter, Wolf, hunt bounties around Crime Country, and learn about Noah, the supercomputer that brought about the end of the world over a hundred years prior.

Metal Max 2 (SNES) - The young protege of a famous Hunter, you witness her group's death at the hands of the notorious gangster, Ted Broiler. You set out to destroy the criminal syndicate, with the assistance of a punk mechanic, an incompetent gun girl, and an intelligent dog with a bazooka mount.

Metal Max Returns (SNES) - A remake of the NES game with enhanced graphics and references to Metal Max 2. Translated by Aeon Genesis.

Metal Saga: Seijin no Kusari (Play Station 2) - See Excuse Plot. Received a western localization from Atlus.

Metal Saga: Hagane no Kisetsu (DS) - A direct sequel to the first Metal Max (and Returns by proxy). As the son of the first game's Hunter, Lebanner, you must unravel the threat of the Noah Seed and thwart the disaster that already ruined the world once before.

Metal Max 3 (DS) - The newest game in the series. You play an amnesiac Hunter who is revived by Dr. Minch, journeying to regain your memory (and your belongings). The first game in the series to let you freely choose what characters make up your party. In addition to the main character, you can choose up to two human characters (male, female, or "okama") from six different classes - Hunters, Soldiers, Mechanics, Wrestlers, Nurses, and Artists - with the fourth party slot reserved for everyone's favorite gun-wielding dog Pochi. It also introduces armored motorcycles, cars, and the strange but powerful "bio-tank".

Metal Max 2: Reloaded (DS) - An Updated Rerelease of Metal Max 2 which uses the same classes from Metal Max 3 and includes different vehicles.

The series features the following tropes:

 * Abandoned Laboratory - Yoshida Life Sciences Laboratory and  in Metal Max (Returns). Noguchi Chemical from Metal Max 2
 * After the End
 * AI Is a Crapshoot -
 * Apocalypse How: Ranges from Class 1-2 depending on the game.
 * Apocalyptic Log
 * Arrows on Fire - The Lawless Bow in Returns
 * Arch Enemy -
 * Ted Broiler in 2
 * Betting Minigame - Frog races!
 * BFG - Bazooka and
 * Big Creepy-Crawlies
 * Bootstrapped Theme - Dr. Minche/Mortem's theme, and the Bar's music.
 * Bonus Boss - The Bounties you can hunt down, often allowing for some quick cash
 * Brain Uploading -
 * Also, in Metal Saga, while she's already a robot,
 * Computer Terminal
 * Conveniently an Orphan - The Backstory of the main character in 2. Was adopted by Maria and became her protege.
 * Chainsaw Good - Not only do you get a Chainsaw but you get a Chainsaw Launcher!
 * In Metal Max 3 there are multiple types of chainsaw, from the Jet Chainsaw dropped by  to the Killer Chainsaw you can buy in Teppen Town.
 * Crossing the Desert
 * Crowning Music of Awesome - Route 99 from Sajin no Kusari
 * Darker and Edgier - Metal Max 2
 * Death Is a Slap on The Wrist - For the hero or anyone is an ally of him. Dr. Minche/Mortem will revive you for free - he's just doing it For Science!.
 * Door to Before - In Metal Max: You know that cave near the Large Cannons you had trouble destroying early on?
 * Energy Being -
 * Excuse Plot - The "story" of the Play Station 2 installment is literally, "You want to be the world's greatest hunter. Do this by traveling from the Eastern side of the planet to the Western side. Good luck."
 * Expendable Clone -
 * Final Death -
 * Also, in Metal Saga,
 * Freudian Excuse
 * Goggles Do Nothing - The Main character in almost every game has Goggles.
 * Guide Dang It - Good luck finding every little event and item without a nicely detailed FAQ or map. Especially the tanks. There are also a few really bad glitches involving items a first-timer wouldn't know about unless he/she read a guide.
 * Infinity+1 Sword - In MMR: For tanks,  For on-foot weapons,
 * Kill It with Fire - Flamethrowers!
 * Kill Sat -
 * Laser Blade
 * Lightning Gun - The Neutron Gun.
 * Lock and Key Puzzle - You need ID Cards in order to open some of the doors. Some of the keys are found in places one would not expect.
 * Locked Door - Oh so many.
 * Lost Forever - Certain bosses may (or may not) drop their items. Some of these items may (or may not) be completely unique.
 * Metal Max Returns gives you Item, Equipment and Monster lists for your BS-Con, giving you a way to measure your progress towards 100% completion. Bonus points for the Strawberry Lipstick, a useless novelty item that nonetheless has a convoluted process to acquire within a limited portion of the storyline.
 * In Metal Saga, you only get one shot at each bounty boss. If you lose, you get revived and can continue the game (as usual), but you can never fight that boss again, which means you can never collect their reward, never get any items they drop, and miss out on any plot developments related to defeating them. Ouch.
 * Mad Scientist - Dr. Minche/Mortem and Dr. Optica
 * More Dakka - Many of the weapons that hit all enemies.
 * Nail'Em - The Rivet Gun in Returns
 * Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot - The monsters you fight. Even some bounty bosses.
 * The series itself qualifies, too -- it's a Sci Fi After the End Western-themed Eastern RPG about Bounty Hunters who use World War II-era tanks to hunt bounties (with the occasional firetruck or more futuristic tank thrown in for good measure.)
 * Noodle Incident - The "Great Destruction", which is the apocalyptic event which lead to the current world in the series.
 * Nonstandard Game Over - In Seijin no Kusari, you can receive one at the very beginning of the game if you decide not to set off on your journey.
 * You can also ask either Misha or Rachel to marry you, which will end the game.
 * Only Mostly Dead - As long as the corpse is fresh, Dr. Minche/Mortem can revive you or your allies at no cost (since the process is experimental).
 * Penal Colony -
 * Recycled Soundtrack - The series has a lot of recurring songs between installments (understandable, since every game in the series is pretty much a remake of the first, often scene-for-scene). Most noticeable is the bounty boss theme, which has been exactly the same in every installment. Compare: Metal Max 2 Metal Max Returns Metal Saga Metal Max 3
 * Rocket Punch - Your characters can equip a rocket-propelled fist as their personal weapon.
 * Robot Girl -
 * Secret Government Warehouse - Ghost Base in Metal Max
 * Showdown At High Noon -  is Version B. It is also a Duel Boss complete with Dramatic Wind and tumbleweeds.
 * Tank Goodness - Naturally. The characters' use of armored vehicles can be likened to Final Fantasy VI's use of Magitek Armor.
 * Those Two Guys - The Pichi Pichi Bros
 * The Igor - Dr. Minche/Mortem's Assistant is literally named Igor. He drags your corpse to the Doctor in Metal Max 3
 * Wake Up Call Boss - The two Big Cannons in Metal Max (Returns), which teach you to use part-breaking attacks such as Piercing Shells and the Wrench Boomerang (and the Buggy's open top as well).
 * Wave Motion Gun -
 * Wide Open Sandbox - Metal Saga can make you feel pretty lost with all the choice you're given so early on in the game.
 * Metal Max Returns is a bit better about this. You can follow the world's semblance of linearity, passing through each major landmark and experiencing its story... or you can make for Canabelle and Hell's Gate while dealing with the bare requisite minimum Bounty Heads and other roadblocks, reaching the best buyable equipment in record time.
 * Wide Open Sandbox - Metal Saga can make you feel pretty lost with all the choice you're given so early on in the game.
 * Metal Max Returns is a bit better about this. You can follow the world's semblance of linearity, passing through each major landmark and experiencing its story... or you can make for Canabelle and Hell's Gate while dealing with the bare requisite minimum Bounty Heads and other roadblocks, reaching the best buyable equipment in record time.