Top 5 Video Games Based on Anime

As long as Japan keeps producing video games and anime, there will be anime tie-ins to video games and vice versa.  Like the movie to video game counterparts in the states, there's a lot of crap and a lot of good titles.  Here's my...

Top 5 Video Games Based on Anime

#5: Blue Dragon (360)

So let me get this straight... this game includes the creator of Final Fantasy, the composer from Final Fantasy, and the author of the Dragon Ball/Blue Dragon manga? Whoa...

Not only does this game feel like the old-school Final Fantasy, Blue Dragon also has an anime and manga that came out before the game was released.  Akira Toriyama, the artist/author of Blue Dragon, is not new to the gaming industry.  He did the artwork for Chrono Trigger, all the way back on the SNES.  Factor in Hironobu Sakaguchi and Nobuo Uematsu, and you've got a ton of top tier talent in one package.  Did I mention that this game is 3 DVD's in length?  And this game was an early addition to the xbox 360's line up.

#4: .Hack (Series)

The .Hack franchise is one of those multimedia things that spreads itself out across several different media.  The games take an interesting look at the MMO genre, while keeping the game single player to tell the story.  It's an interesting story method.  I'm not entirely sure I like the idea of buying all four discs of a game separately, I love the universe that The World creates.

 

#3: Wild Arms

 

Now, some of you are probably saying, "Wait, Wild Arms is an anime?"  Yes it is.  You'd be surprised to know that an anime came out the same time as the first game.  Available under the subtitle, "Twilight Venom," The US release was handled by ADV and features the voice of Wendee Lee in one of the main characters.  It's a fascinating series, and definitely worth looking into.  The game, on the other hand, is an excellent example of mid-90's JRPG in all the right ways.  The characters were deep, the story engaging, and it has a kick-a** opening cinematic.  Check it out:

#2: Digimon World

I chose the first Digimon World game because this game was so unique, in terms of PS1 RPGs.  No level progression, open-ended exploration, and high replay value highlight this specific title over other Digimon World games. I liked the fact that there was no "leveling," as it were.  Instead, you would boost stats within a certain time frame in-game.  If you reached the right stats and cleared the right conditions, your digimon would digi-volve, and gain new skills and abilities in the process.  It was a pretty awesome way of re-inventing the wheel.

#1:  Pokemon (Series)

When Satoshi Tajiri created Pokemon, he had no idea what he was unleashing on the world.  The manga started out with a story set in Kanto, Japan, but really exploded when Nintendo turned it into a video game for the Game Boy hand held.  Since then, it's become a juggernaut of a product, and doesn't show any signs of stopping any time soon.  The current generation of teenagers grew up watching elder siblings try to catch 'em all, and now it seems like they spend more time (and money) trying to catch a mall. *rimshot*

Those of you that have read the Pokemon manga know how different it is from the anime and video games.  I find it entertaining to see the differences in the different media and how the different "authors" tell a similar, yet different, story.  It would be nice to see more series that follow a similar route when they are made.  There's too much of the same right now.

Well, that concludes another Top 5.  See you in two weeks!