There have been a plethora of games based on anime. Back in the anime boom of the late '90s and early 2000s, we saw dozens of publishers capitalizing on the popularity of the growing medium, especially in the PS2 era of gaming. Fighting games, action-adventure, Mario Party clones, there was an anime game for every genre of gaming. We wouldn't be surprised if there was an anime Kart Racing game that was only released in Japan. With thousands of titles on the market, it's easy to forget some of them. So, for this list, we'll be taking a look at ten amazing anime games that we all forgot about. The only caveat, outside of being good, is that we're only looking at games released in the US.
10 Astro Boy: Omega Factory
It's a shame that most people don't know about Astro Boy. He's to anime what Mickey Mouse was to American animation. He was the original anime character and has become one of the most iconic characters in Japan. In 2003, both the US and Japan got a remake of the classic series, and a video game arrived on the GBA.
Astro Boy: Omega Factory was an explosive side-scroller that featured some of the best 2-D beat-em-up action around. It's fast-paced, features tons of abilities for Astro to use, and is often considered one of the best games on the GBA. If you love classic games like Streets of Rage, you owe it to yourself to play this underrated gem.
9 Fullmetal Alchemist 2: Curse of the Crimson Elixir
When the first Fullmetal Alchemist game was released, it didn't get the best reception. Combat was dull, the graphics were pretty flat and didn't fully capture the feel of the anime. The sequel did a much better job as both an adaptation and a video game. Combat wasn't solely relegated to using weapons, and each of the three weapons you obtain can be swapped out at any time. It is still a repetitive affair, but the real hook was the story, which retold the first few episodes of the series and featured Ed and Al taking on Heartless-like creatures called Golems. Featuring the same cast of the show and new anime clips exclusively to the game, it made for an adventure like no other.
8 Bleach: The Blade of Fates
Of the "Big Three," Bleach is the anime that many people remember the least, meaning a lot of games based on the series didn't get brought over to the west. One of the few that did make it the US was The Blade of Fates, a 2-D fighter that's hailed as the best Bleach game.
Featuring a mixture of surprisingly deep fighting mechanics and a card-based system, Blade of Fates was a game that both fans and non-fans could get a kick out of.
7 Lupin the Third: Treasures of the Sorcerer King
Yup, everyone's favorite red-jacket thief made his way to the PS2 in this obscure title. Rather than focusing on action and gunplay, Lupin took a page from Solid Snake and Sam Fisher by relying on stealth. In a world where most anime games focus solely on action and spectacle, it made for a nice change of pace. It wasn't perfect, with the A.I being hilariously oblivious to Lupin whenever he hides right in front of them, but it told a fun, original story that was a real treat for fans.
6 Dragon Ball Z: Attack of the Saiyans
Acting as one of the last DBZ games released for the 3DS, Attack of the Saiyans was a departure from the number of fighting games based on the franchise. What we got was a turn-based action game that retold the entire Saiyan saga. While there have been a few RPG games, never did we have a turn-based one. But, it was a successful transition, thanks to the development team at Monolith Soft working on it. It turned out to be one of their last titles before they released the excellent Xenoblade Chronicles.
5 One Piece: Unlimited Adventures
One of the very first action-adventure games based on the mega-popular anime series, One Piece: Unlimited Adventures has Luffy and the gang travel to a mysterious island to gather resources and find a hidden treasure. Gameplay was mostly a simple action game that let you control your favorite Straw-Hat Pirates (minus Brook) and fight many generic enemies.
It had some amusing abilities and even featured the Funimation voice cast, something you don't see very often in One Piece games. If you're a One Piece fan, you'll have to collect a lot of treasure to purchase this one.
4 Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked
Sidetracked, like most anime games, is yet another retelling of the series of the same name. Players have the option of controlling either Mugen or Jin to hack your way through various levels. What made Sidetracked standout from other hack-and-slash games was how combos were linked to multiple hip-hop records and a turntable on the top screen. It was fun to mix and match various attack patterns, and the tension gauge leads to some fun kills. The biggest surprise was learning that Suda 51 and his studio, Grasshopper Manufacture, created this title. Not that often do you see someone as big as the guy behind No More Heroes and Killer 7 work on a game based on a popular series.
3 Yu-Gi-Oh: Dungeon Dice Monsters
After Yugi saved his grandpa, he was challenged by Duke Devlin to prove that the King of Games' victory against Pegasus was a sham. Instead of Duel Monsters, Yugi partook in Devlin's own game of Dungeon Dice Monsters. The 4-part event proved to be popular enough to warrant its own game.
While Dice Monsters didn't take-off as well as Konami had hoped, it was still a fun spin-off game. Gameplay was strategic and unique from other board games, leading to some exciting chess-like moments. Combine that with monsters new and old, and you have a winner, at least in our book.
2 Dragon Ball Z: Legacy of Goku II
Everyone has fond memories of DBZ games, like Budokai 3 or Tenkaichi 2, but no one seems to remember the great Legacy of Goku II. The original was an un-fairly difficult game, but the sequel was a much better and fair experience. The game featured a mixture of Zelda-like combat and dungeon crawling, letting you play as Gohan, Piccolo, Vegeta, and Trunks, as it retold the entire Android and Cell saga. If there was anything wrong with Legacy of Goku II, it's that you don't get to play that much as its titular hero. Still, it's a solid DBZ game that fans should give a shot.
1 Naruto: Rise of a Ninja
Back when the Xbox 360 launched, Microsoft tried it's best to convince Japanese audiences to give Xbox a chance. Along with a few exclusive JRPG's, Microsoft and Ubisoft created a Naruto: Rise of a Ninja. Following the first 80 episodes of the series, the game allowed fans to explore a beautifully realized version of the Hidden Leaf Village. While Rise of a Ninja was a fighting game with similar mechanics to the Ultimate Ninja series, it also featured RPG and exploration mechanics, something that would come to define Ubisoft for years to come. It's a shame that we don't get anime games from large Triple-A studios like this one, because Rise of a Ninja was one of the better anime games.