The Best and Worst Titles of Anime Gaming

In terms of fanbases, anime and video games are two worlds that often collide. And should that come as a surprise to many? The thrills that we find in anime are often brought over to the video game world, delivering the high-impact visuals, emotionally-rich storylines, and awe-inspiring fight scenes that we've come to expect from both mediums. However, what happens when these worlds begin to blur into one another even more? Specifically, what happens when an anime series is adapted into a video game? Are the results often good? Are they bad?

As we've seen in the past with games like Dragon Ball Z: Legendary Super Warrior or Akira, sometimes there is too much lost in translation for the anime's strengths to come through. But, other times, we'll be lucky enough to play a fighting game like JoJo's Bizarre Adventure or Bleach: Dark Souls, and our faith in these adaptations is renewed. With the recently released, Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z, yet another anime video game is being delivered to the masses, so we decided that it was time to take a look at The Best and Worst Titles in Anime Gaming. Which side will Battle of Z join? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

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Year Released: 2008
Developer(s): Treasure, Hitmaker
Console: Nintendo DS

It hasn't always been easy to produce a coherent fighting game on a mobile platform, but Bleach: Dark Souls did an admirable job of it when it was released for the Nintendo DS in 2008. Typically, fighting games require the complex control systems that only a console can offer, but the DS showed no shortcomings in this regard, instead offering gameplay that, while not quite as visually intense as a console, was at least just as addictive. With 17 new characters added to the roster from previous games, as well as all-new techs for every character, Dark Souls upped the ante on the series' video game adaptations, giving Bleach the attention that the anime and its fans deserved.

Year Released: 2000
Developer(s): Capcom
Console: PlayStation

Originally released as an arcade game in 1998, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is notable for its ability to succeed as a 2D-fighting game. Most would think that the frenetic and fantastical aspects of anime demand a 3D experience that fully allows the user to attack their opponent from every angle. Most of the time, they'd be right. However, with JoJo's Bizarre Adventure we're instead given a Marvel vs. Capcom-esque fighting game, artfully designed to marry the brutal elements of any fighting game with the surreal, other-worldly aspects of the JoJo's Bizarred Adventure series. The result is wildly successful, and fear not: if you missed this title back in 2000, it's available now on the Playstation Network and Xbox Live Arcade in HD.

Year Released: 2007
Developer(s): Ubisoft Montreal
Console: XBOX 360

As a fighting and RPG hybrid, Naruto: Rise of a Ninja is a rare breed of video game, but certainly makes the case that more anime games should be made in this mold. In its RPG aspect, you play as Naruto, traveling around Konoha and its surrounding areas to complete various missions in your quest to become a ninja. Platforming aspects of the game are present as well, creating a fluidity to the experience that skillfully mimics the bounding, high-energy action of the TV series. This playfulness is transferred to the fighting aspect as well, which features cinematic attack modes, and movement fitting for a ninja-in-training. Anyone who has ever watched the Naruto anime won't have much to complain about with this adaptation.

Year Released: 2003
Developer(s): Treasure, Hitmaker
Console: Game Boy Advance

When it comes to anime, Astro Boy is, of course, the OG, having first been made all the back in 1963. However, as the years have gone by, the series has only proved to be timeless, reaching a worldwide audience, and undergoing numerous remakes in the process. In 2003, as the show was beginning to reach out to a larger fanbase in the United States, the game developers over at Treasure and Hitmaker decided that an Astro Boy video game was in order and, thus, Omega Factor was born. Released for the Game Boy Advance, the game was a classic, beat 'em up side-scroller that allowed you to play as Astro Boy, who was racing to stop a robot killer by the name of Death Mask. Utilizing a wide range of combat maneuvers, and featuring some ultra-stimulating visuals, the game rarely gets tedious or boring, instead offering an experience that feels worthy of a such a canonical name in anime.

Year Released: 2004
Developer(s): Dimps
Console: PlayStation 2

If there's one area where the Dragon Ball series has been able to succeed in the video game industry, it's in the Budokai franchise. Progressively, as the rosters have expanded, and the techs have become even more intricate, each game has improved, arguably culminating best in the series' third iteration, Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3. Featuring an explosive array of Ultimate Attacks, a revamped Ki system, and the ability to go Super Saiyan 4, Budokai 3 has been one of the most faithful re-tellings of the anime on the market thus far. DBZ's appeal lies in its epic, drawn-out fight scenes, jam packed with bright, bursting color and high-intensity action. Budokai 3 puts on an admirable display trying to replicate that experience for gamers everywhere.

Year Released: 2008
Developer(s): Ganbarion
Console: Wii

The world of pirates was given an expressive and unique twist when the One Piece series came onto the scene, but the Straw Hat Pirates and their trusty Thousand Sunny were done totally wrong when Namco Bandai published this title in the One Piece video game franchise. The fighting aspects were achingly repetitive, the story was a bit of a throwaway plot, and the level designs could've used more flair in the visual department. Plus, its lack of interactivity is all the more disappointing when you consider that it was made for the Wii. Unlimited Adventure was a let-down in more ways than one.

Year Released: 1988
Developer(s): Taito Corporation
Console: NES

Akira is one of the most important anime films ever made in terms of its cultural impact and legacy, serving as one of the first titles of the genre that generated serious crossover appeal with audiences in the United States. Unfortunately, the video game adaptation was completely forgettable. Eschewing the RPG or side-scrolling genres, Taito Corporation instead opted to make an action-selection game that left you stuck either reading dialogue or choosing things like "Talk" or "Look" or "Listen" from a response list. To say this game was boring would be an understatement. Plenty of great games were made for the original Nintendo, and this just wasn't one of them.

Year Released: 2006
Developer(s): Namco Bandai
Console: PlayStation 3

Transformers is great and all, but the realest mecha fans out there know that the Gundam series is 100 percent where it's at. If you're ever trying to convince someone of that, though, you should never use Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossfire as a means of stating your case. A launch title for the PlayStation 3, Crossfire failed to live up to the capabilities of Sony's new system, instead earning a slew of criticisms for its outdated graphics, a thin storyline, and numerous technical issues. There's a lot of potential in any video game featuring Gundams, but Crossfire couldn't come close to reaching that.

Year Released: 2002
Developer(s): Banpresto
Console: Game Boy Color

For anyone who absolutely loved Dragon Ball Z as a kid Legendary Super Warriors was probably the most faithless and disappointing addition to the franchise's video game legacy that they've ever played. Whoever had the idea of taking a television show that had as much pulse-pounding action in it as DBZ and then turning it into a turn-based card game, should no longer have a job related to video games. It's almost impressive that anyone could neuter this anime so severely. Goku and the gang deserved much better.

Year Released: 2001
Developer(s): Konami
Console: PlayStation 2

Centering a card-based, anime-inspired video game around the 15th century English warring between the houses of Lancaster and York may sound like a strange idea. And that's because it is! As well as a critically unpopular one. The Yu-Gi-Oh! anime series had plenty to offer on its own in the way of context and setting, so Konami's decision to place Yugi and his friends among the battling upper-class of old-timey England is a head-scratcher. I mean, The Duelists of the Roses is kind of a cool title for a game, but clunky gameplay mechanics and a near-impossible difficulty level never make for a good time.