When it comes to video games, few places in the world can compare to Japan. The home of Nintendo, Sony, Sega, and many more, Japan has become the leading force in video game entertainment for over forty years. With some of the most famous and popular series hailing from Japan, there’s no shortage of fantastic video games to discover and dive into!
The World Of Gaming Is Waiting For You!
In many ways, it’s easier than ever before to explore the wonderful world of video games. Whether games are bought physically or digitally, enjoyed online or solo, or they’re old or new, there are countless ways to play video games. And with countless TV shows, anime, manga, and now even movies bringing video games to all sorts of other mediums, there’s a veritable overload of gaming goodness to enjoy!
Now, there are more amazing games in the world than we could ever fit into a list of any size. But here we are, doing our best just for you! The following series highlights what makes games so much fun, regardless of age or skill level. And before the inevitable question of, “What about X game?”, we didn’t forget about it. We only have so much space to work with, but we find solace in knowing we love it, too. But onto the games!
Kirby
Far, far away, in a magical place known as Dreamland, there is a tiny pink puff of a hero named Kirby. Always cheerful and ready to play, Kirby is the best friend anyone could ever ask for. Well, anyone besides King Dedede, the grouchy ruler of Dreamland. Or Nightmare, the evil force that seeks to corrupt the Fountain of Dreams in the heart of Dreamland. See, whenever evil rears its ugly head, Kirby wastes no time in defending Dreamland with everything he’s got!
Kirby debuted in 1992 on Nintendo’s handheld system, the Game Boy. Kirby’s gameplay was simple and accessible for younger players. Kirby could jump and fly with one button and suck up enemies and spit them out with the other. Over the years, Kirby’s powers have expanded, like his now famous means of copying enemy abilities, but the core tenets of his heart and personality have remained the same: fun, family-friendly adventures that everyone can enjoy.
Tamagotchi
What happens when you take an egg and mix it with a watch? You get a Tamagotchi! Translating literally to "egg watch”, Tamagotchi was a massive hit when it was first released in Japan in 1996. The premise of a Tamagotchi is straightforward: space aliens sent eggs to Earth to learn what life was like on the big, blue planet. It’s up to us, humans, to raise the baby aliens and let them experience life here on Earth.
When the Tamagotchi debuted in the US, it was equally as successful, spawning numerous excellent content, including TV shows, video games, and merchandise. The biggest thing to come from Tamagotchi has been Digimon, a line of Tamagotchi products specially branded for boys. Digimon has its own massive line of games that involve players recruiting, raising, training, and digivolving their companions into more powerful and advanced forms.
Pokémon
Even people who don’t play games know what Pokémon is. Giving players the chance to catch ‘em all since 1996, Pokémon has since become a global sensation, crossing over into anime, movies, manga, and countless toy lines. There’s just something special about those little Pocket Monsters that has captured the hearts and minds of Pokémon Trainers the world over. And at the forefront of the Poke craze are the games.
Because they’re RPGs (role-playing games), at their core, the Pokémon games allow players to travel across and explore whole regions within the world of Pokémon. Along the way, players can catch wild Pokémon and train them to battle efficiently against other trainers and Gym Leaders. What makes the games so great is their easy learning curve for younger players, combined with a significant amount of depth for more advanced gamers.
The Legend of Zelda
In the land of Hyrule, a place filled with magic and adventure, there is a singular hero who will rise to defeat evil when the time comes. Wielding the mythic Master Sword, this hero, who goes by the name of Link, has defeated countless incarnations of evil time and time again. With the power of the Tri Force within his heart, Link must harness the might of Wisdom, Power, and Courage to save Hyrule!
The Legend of Zelda has been one of Nintendo’s biggest series since its debut on the NES back in 1986. By giving players a non-linear, open-world kingdom to explore, The Legend of Zelda helped set the bar for what action-adventure games could be. And with every new entry in the series maintaining the highest levels of quality in production and gameplay, there’s a very good reason why The Legend of Zelda is as popular as it is. Have you played any of these games before? Please let us know! We’d love to hear about your favorite games!
