Proving that SNK and Capcom do not have an oligopoly on the 2D beat ‘em up genre; pachinko (see glossary) manufacturer Sammy surprised everyone with this excellent anime inspired 2D beat ‘em up.

It plays like most 2D beat ‘em ups – fast, frantic and involving complicated button combinations to produce some incredibly bizarre moves.  What puts Guilty Gear (and its sequels Guilty Gear X and X2) above the rest though are the brilliant visuals, which actually look like the cover artwork, and excellent animation, which basically makes this an interactive action anime.  But it is not all about looks as Guilty Gear contains a fine range of characters, speed-lines, a good learning curve and moves that enable you to attack your opponents with doors, yo-yo’s and pink whales.  It also contains swords, scythes and other traditional weapons for the purists out there, so this is really something for everyone.  The closest you'll get to playing an anime and well worth Playstation & PS2 owners picking up.

___________________________________________________________________________
 

Released on the Sega Mega CD (and later getting a sequel on the Sega Saturn), Keio Flying Squadron was a sideways scrolling shoot em up in a similar vein to Parodius.

Set in 17th century Japan (!) the game revolves around a girl called Rami, a descendant of aliens and defender of the Key to the Secret Treasure.  When the key is stolen by a super intelligent racoon called Dr Pon, she dons the outfit of earth's defender (a bunny suit that would make Hugh Hefner proud) and rides her dragon, called Spot, into battle against armies of animals and gods.  We are not making this up.  Complete with an anime intro, a thoroughly off the wall plot, and characters that rival Parodius for bizarreness, Keio Flying Squadron is frequently hilarious and is also one of the best shoot em ups to come out on any Sega system.  Well worth hunting down.

___________________________________________________________________________
 

In 1996 Sony unexpectedly released this bizarre rhythm action game - the first game from the now popular genre to be released in the UK.

Its simple fun gameplay struck a chord with mainstream, while hardcore gamers loved its insanity.  PaRappa combines sheer madness with flat 3D anime inspired graphics to produce a one of a kind gaming experience that has never been bettered.  The simple premise is that you rap to the catchy tunes of each level by pressing the corresponding button when it appears on the screen.  It’s great fun and you cannot stop playing it.  If you’re still not convinced of its credentials it also contains rapping onions, Rastafarian frogs, baking cakes by rapping, a dog in love with flower who lives a lemon and one level where you have to rap to see who goes to the toilet first.  Genius.

___________________________________________________________________________
 

Amongst the must bizarre games ever created, Parodius was a sideways scrolling shoot em up unlike anything that had been released in the UK before.

First appearing on the Super NES, and later the Sega Saturn, Parodius was actually a parody of Konami's existing Arcade game Gradius, and featured such things as angelic pigs, bunny girls riding bullets and an octopus as playable characters.  Taking bizarreness to a new level, this was probably the only game where you could be a penguin firing missiles at a giant icing bag inside a fortress made of Battenberg cake.  Parodius was an explosion of colour and anime style visuals with insane music and a distinctly Japanese sense of humour, but under this insane veneer it was also a superb shoot em up.  As well as being incredibly entertaining, Parodius was also difficult but endlessly playable and is well worth seeking out.  Insanity at its best.

___________________________________________________________________________
 

Everybody knew Capcom.  They were the Japanese games company who created probably the finest beat em up ever - Streetfighter II.  Because of this it was a bit of a shock when they decided to create a game that took the mick out of their po-faced masterpiece.

Eschewing their usual graphical style in favour of over the top anime visuals and chibi characters, Pocket Fighter was a great mix of insane humour and fun gameplay.  Uniting characters from the  Streetfighter and Darkstalkers series, Pocket Fighter had probably the most bizarre moves and hilarious parodies that have ever been committed to pixel.  From Morrigan changing into a nurse outfit and attacking you with a massive syringe to super villain M Bison riding around merrily on a sledge in the background of a stage, the game had its tongue firmly in cheek.  Combining Capcom's fighting game prowess with a truly bizarre, and distinctly Japanese, sense of humour is a masterstroke, and Pocket Fighter remains one of the most enjoyable fighting games of all time.

___________________________________________________________________________
 

Yep, worldwide phenomenon and probably the best known anime ever created, but Pokémon was a game first.

Under all of the merchandise, music, manga and anime tie-ins, card games and toys that make up the Nintendo marketing machine lies a very good series of games almost lost beneath the products made to advertise them.  Starting as a role playing game (RPG) on the Gameboy, the series has since expanded on to the Gameboy Advance, Nintendo 64 and Gamecube and its growth shows no sign of slowing.  As well as the RPG's, which follow a young Pokémon trainer as he/she attempts to collect new creatures, have come the RPG style beat em ups of Pokémon Stadium and Pokémon Coliseum, a pinball game and most recently a game where you have to run a Pokémon TV channel.  Endlessly adaptable and incredibly addictive, the Pokémon games are one of the best series of recent years, and one that deserves more recognition than its spin offs.

___________________________________________________________________________
 

Although somewhat overshadowed by the Zelda series, this Super NES gem is now one of the most highly sought after games on any system.

Eschewing the more arcade stylings of the Zelda series, Secret of Mana (and its UK sequel, Secret of Evermore) had a much more conventional RPG feel and combined it with a very in depth plot and massive map to explore.  Much of the artwork and graphics bear a similarity to the work of Studio Ghibli, with lush forests playing a large part, and with excellent music, longevity outstripping that of most other RPGs and a multiplayer option often missing from the genre, Secret of Mana was one of the all time RPG greats.  Unfortunately getting a limited release, an unusual move from a company that had proven the popularity of RPGs, Secret of Mana is extremely rare and often very expensive to buy nowadays, but if you can find it you will get your money's worth.

___________________________________________________________________________
 

Sega were always certain that RPGs were not popular in Europe (despite the success of Nintendo's Zelda series and Square's Final Fantasy) and so when Shining Force was released on the Megadrive it was in very limited numbers.

Which was a shame as it was excellent.  Adopting a very tactical, almost chess like, approach to battles and combining bright anime style graphics with excellent music, the game was pretty original when it came out and was a worthy alternative to the other RPGs available in the UK.  Following the success of the original game, the UK was treated to excellent sequels on the Megadrive and Mega CD and later the Sega Saturn, although the UK only saw the release of the first of the three parts of the Saturn game.  Highly sought after now, the Shining Force series may have influenced games like Konami's Vandal Hearts and Square's Final Fantasy Tactics but even now they are still the best tactical RPGs released in this country.

___________________________________________________________________________
 

Another extremely highly sought after RPG series, Suikoden was another to get a very limited UK release.

Despite being presented in a very retro style compared to the other games coming out on the Sony Playstation at the time, Suikoden was successful because of its storyline and gameplay.  Using a battle system that was similar to Final Fantasy and combining it with a multi character direction similar to Shining Force, Suikoden managed to strike a solid balance of styles and also be original in its own right.  One thing which only Shining Force had tried previously was that save games from the first game could be used in the second to change events and add characters.  This gave the series far more longevity and variety than most of its rivals.  Unfortunately, despite the collectible status of the first two games, the third (on the Sony PS2) did not get a European release, which effectively killed the series in the UK. 

___________________________________________________________________________
 

Probably the most original looking computer game to come out for several years, Zelda The Wind Waker is the latest in Nintendo's popular Legend of Zelda series.

Revolving once more around the warrior Link battling the evil wizard Gannon, the gameplay is expanded on previous instalments by adding oceanic navigation to the usual arcade style fighting and problem solving.  The cel-shaded graphics are simplistic yet stunning, adding another aspect to an already great game, and there are nods to Studio Ghibli in the design of some creatures and landscapes.  Playing like an interactive cartoon, The Wind Waker is one of the first major games to successfully meld cel shaded visuals to an established series without compromising on quality or style.  The graphical design of the game was a bold move by Shigeru Miyamoto, and it was one that paid off.

___________________________________________________________________________