Like it or not, anime is a big business that's getting bigger. The good news is, anime properties are inspiring the creation of some truly awesome games. Here's a rundown on the best and the brightest available for home consoles.
Pokemon invaded U.S. shores in 1998, and children's entertainment hasn't been the same since. The mass marketing juggernaut has spawned everything from crappy trading card games to crappy videogames. Pokemon Colosseum belongs to the premium group of anime tie-in titles that actually improved on its predecessors. The improvements? A relatively enjoyable gaming experience, for starters.
Very few gamers remember this title for the NES. Even fewer anime fan-boys recognize its connection to the late sixties Japanese manga. Combining multiple modes of gameplay, including third person action-adventure, first person action sequences, Golgo 13 was a game way ahead of its time. This anime/manga franchise is just begging for a comeback.
Yet another late '60s Japanese manga series to make the jump to a video game, Lupin the Third took all the snazzy crime noir aspects of the franchise and combined it with Metal Gear-style stealth and action aspects. While the game did have camera and collision problems, Lupin the Third is still considered the most enthralling Lupin videogame to date.
Based on the hugely popular Initial D Japanese series, the PS2 version of the anime featured 20 highly-modified drift rice rockets, anime series locations, and great light sourcing--at least, for its time. While the PS2 game pales in comparison to the arcade sit-down cabinet, it's still excellent.
Following on the huge success of the 1995 theatrical anime film 'Ghost in the Shell,' THQ picked up the license to produce this oddly entertaining game. Ghost in the Shell is a third-person action title where gamers pilot a "Fuchikoma think-tank," a walking weapons platform with the AI capacity of an 8-year-old child. GITS had an awesome control interface and solid graphics, as well as an incredibly hard difficulty level. It's sad that the latest GITS PS2 game couldn't maintain this level of ingenuity.
