There is no shortage of video games either directly based on or inspired by anime, so it is easy for gems to get forgotten about. On the heels of a year that gave us some amazing shows, the anime industry has never been more exciting to cover. For anyone looking for some games that will scratch their itch for more anime, here are some of our picks for games that haven’t gotten the attention they deserved upon release.
CONTENTS
1. Poker Pretty Girls Battle: Texas Hold’em
If you’re a fan of poker and want some anime girls to play with, this is the one for you. The game revolves around Texas Hold’em, which is the most popular type of poker in the world. In this game, players square off against AI opponents with an anime girl aesthetic. Poker Pretty Girls Battle features 16 girls to face off against, each with their own personalities and playstyles, meaning you’ll need to change up how you play based on who you are up against. The art style is fun and consistent. Those looking for a more NSFW option are best off looking elsewhere, but for everyone else, this is a fun game of poker against cute girls. What else could you want?
2. Naruto: Rise of a Ninja
There are dozens of games based on the Naruto franchise. The Ninja Storm series is particularly popular on the fighting game circuit, but Rise of a Ninja is often overlooked when discussing games in the series. This game follows the first chunk of the Naruto manga/anime up through the first 80 episodes of the anime. This focus on the opening chapters allows it to focus more heavily on what it is presenting, giving a polished environment that players are free to explore as they want. Considering this game came out in 2007, it still holds up surprisingly well both in its visuals and its gameplay, which featured a combination of fighting and role-playing games. Naruto: Rise of a Ninja is well worth grabbing if you are a Naruto fan.
3. Digimon World
It is rare for a series to stand the test of time like Digimon has. Though the Digimon anime series is still going strong and has new episodes airing currently in Japan, some of the video games haven’t quite captured people’s attention in the same way. Digimon World came out in 1999 to relatively low acclaim, but it is one of the most interesting concepts the series has presented players with. Digimon have begun losing their memories and going feral and the protagonist must help them recover their memories and find out the cause of the problem. It might not be the best known of the Digimon games but it is certainly one of the better ones to get stuck into.
4. Yu-Gi-Oh Legacy of the Duelist: Link Evolution
This game is based on the ever-popular Yu-Gi-Oh franchise and includes a staggering over 10,000 cards to collect and build into a deck, allowing players to face off against online opponents or famous duels from the series in the game’s story-mode. This might not be the quickest version of the Yu-Gi-Oh card game to feature in a video game, but it is the most in-depth and interesting to hit consoles, at least until Master Duel comes out later this year. It presents a deeper challenge than other games in the franchise, so that might be why it didn’t capture as much attention upon release.
5. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure – Eyes of Heaven
Fans of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure are used to the weird and wonderful plot and characters the series is known for, but for those who aren’t as familiar, Eyes of Heaven might have been a step too far toward the strange. With countless references to the show’s ever-increasing cast of characters and absolutely no regard for reality, this is a game that was made by fans and for fans. If you’re new to the JoJo’s world, this might not be a good point to start but it will certainly be a fun one for existing fans.
