Astro Boy: Omega Factor (Gameboy Advance)

Astro Boy: Omega Factor is not just one of the best anime games, but also one of the best video games you’ll ever play regardless of system. Even if you’re not familiar with Osamu Tezuka’s iconic manga/anime franchise about the little boy robot, Omega Factor is still going to be a hell of a lot of fun to play.

History 

For the uninitiated, Astro Boy (or Tetsuwan Atom, as it is called in Japan) focuses on a fictional future in which robots co-exist with humans not as servants or workers, but as equals. The titular Astro is a powerful robot created by the head of the Ministry of Science Doctor Tenma based on the image of his son Tobio, who died in a car accident. Astro’s adventure starts when Doctor Tenma sells him to a cruel circus owner, after being disappointed that the robot cannot replace his son (mainly because the robot cannot grow old nor express human feelings.)

Bleach Blade Battlers 2nd (PS2)

Bleach is one of those anime franchises that is practically made for fighting games. Virtually every single character is a swordsman with flashy moves, with distinctive designs and their own specific transformation. Bleach Blade Battlers 2nd TRIED to take advantage of said rich videogame-oriented designs and somewhat succeeded.

The Game and the Story

If you searched for this game, chances are you are already familiar with Tite Kubo’s Bleach manga and anime franchise, and it’s one of the most popular shonen franchises today so there’s no need to provide the backstory. As for the game, it takes the characters from the Soul Society arc all the way to the first appearances of Grimmjow, Yammy and Ulquiorra, and puts them in a Super Smash Bros-type game.

Let’s get this out of the way first: the game is Japanese, but it’s a fighting game so you can play it even if you can’t read nor understand a single word. Besides, the menu has English text so you will be able to navigate it well enough to get into a match.

It does the characters justice – the moves are true to the series, and this is one of the first Bleach games to have actual transformations (as opposed to transformations that only occur during cinematic super moves ); Ichigo and the shinigamis that have bankais can go bankai, Shinji can use his hollow mask, and Grimmjow can use resurreccion. Of course, around the time that the game was made, many of the characters like Yammy and Ulquiorra have yet to show their transformations so you won’t find it in this game.