Summary
- Video games merge Western and Eastern cultures, creating a unique artistic exchange.
- Power Rangers and TMNT blend Japanese and American influences to create iconic franchises.
- Games like Super Smash Bros. And Kingdom Hearts celebrate global video game history.
Video games have been a bridge for people all across the world. No matter what nationality one is, play is a universal language, and thanks to the internet, individuals in different time zones can log on and go a round in some of their favorite titles.
Thanks to the interconnected world we live in, video games often depict the mingling of cultures and nationalities in various forms. This is especially true when they integrate Western and Eastern ideals, creating something with a unique identity. Many beloved and obscure titles encapsulate this artistic exchange.
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7 Power Rangers: Battle For The Grid
A Western Creation Built On A Staple of Japanese Entertainment
Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid
- Released
- March 26, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Violence
- Developer(s)
- nWay
- Genre(s)
- Fighting
Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid may appear to be just another licensed title, but it is a surprisingly solid and fun fighting game. Heroes and villains from across the Power Rangers universe compete with a range of weapons and abilities. Some Rangers can even summon their Zords to deal some serious damage.
5 Games With Japanese Super Heroes
Superheroes are traditionally considered as Western character types. However, Japan has taken superhero stories and adapted them in their own way.
While Power Rangers is an American brand, it is based off of Japan’s Super Sentai series, an iteration of the tokusatsu genre of film and television. Saban Brands used footage of the fight scenes from Super Sentai and filmed their own stories with American actors, creating heroes that generations of Western kids would idolize.
6 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge
Pizza-Loving New Yorkers Trained In Ninjutsu
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge
- Released
- June 16, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Fantasy Violence
- Developer(s)
- Tribute Games Inc.
- Genre(s)
- Beat 'Em Up
Writers and artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird created the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as a loving parody of Marvel’s Daredevil comics. Their first independent issue would spawn a media empire, comprised of TV shows, movies, toys, and video games. The latter includes Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge, which takes the classic beat-em-up action of the original arcade games and adds modern features, including an expanded cast of characters such as Samurai rabbit Miyamoto Usagi in additional DLC.
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are the very incarnation of East meets West. The Turtles live in the sewers of New York City, were trained in the martial arts by their sensei, Splinter, and enjoy greasy slices of pizza. Also, their nemesis is a ruthless warrior in Samurai armor, who shows the Turtles no mercy.
5 Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
A Celebration Of Video Games Across The World
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
- Released
- December 7, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E for Everyone: Cartoon Violence, Comic Mischief, Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
- Bandai Namco Entertainment
- Genre(s)
- Fighting
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is Nintendo’s flagship arena fighting game for the Nintendo Switch. It takes some of Nintendo’s most beloved icons and pits them against each other in frantic battles filled with unique set pieces and entertaining power-ups.
These elements draw from across the greater history of video games, both East and West. Thanks to its DLC, heroes from titles made by Japanese developers can clash with Steve from Minecraft, made by Swedish developer Markus “Notch” Persson. Additional content also includes Mii Fighter costumes from iconic indie projects such as Cuphead, as well as armor from id Software’s Doom franchise. Seeing these characters and iconography from wildly different corners of the world is an epic fever dream.
4 Kingdom Hearts
Disney Icons And JRPG Heroes Fight Side By Side
Kingdom Hearts
- Released
- September 17, 2002
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E for Everyone: Violence
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
The original Kingdom Hearts follows adolescent Sora, who, along with his friends Riku and Kairi, yearns to explore worlds beyond his home on Destiny Island. When dark forces swallow his home and separate him from his friends, he must team up with unlikely allies Donald Duck and Goofy to find them and restore order to the universe.
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Kingdom Hearts brings some of Disney’s most iconic characters together with Square Enix’s most memorable RPG heroes. Players get to see Donald and Goofy talking to Final Fantasy 7’s Aerith and Yuffie, as well as Sora squaring off Final Fantasy 8’s Squall Leonhart. The Coliseum area, which is based on Disney’s Hercules, also includes a bonus boss battle against infamous Final Fantasy villain Sephiroth.
3 Afro Samurai: The Video Game
Samurai Action With Hip-Hop Soul
Afro Samurai
- Released
- January 27, 2009
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- t
- Developer(s)
- BNE Entertainment, Bandai Namco Studios
- Genre(s)
- Action
Afro Samurai: The Video Game is a 3D brawler starring Afro, a young samurai warrior wearing a legendary headband that is said to grant its wearer extraordinary powers. The stoic samurai embarks on a journey to avenge the death of his father, who once wore the headband himself.
The game is based on the anime inspired by manga creator Takashi Okazaki’s work. His Afro Samurai manga was influenced by hip-hop and soul in the West, including the American television show Soul Train. This influence can be seen in the video game, with a soundtrack boasting a beatbox vibe. The voice work of national treasure Samuel L. Jackson also helps.
2 Red Steel 2
Revolvers And Katanas
Red Steel 2
- Released
- March 23, 2010
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- m
- Developer(s)
- Ubisoft, Ubisoft Paris
- Genre(s)
- First-Person Shooter, Beat 'Em Up
At first glance, Red Steel 2 does not look like a sequel to the more visually realistic Yakuza-centered Wii launch title Red Steel. Boasting a slick, cel-shaded art style and light steampunk influences, Red Steel 2 continues the first game’s philosophy of east-meets-west. It throws a lone samurai gunslinger into a Western town whose architecture looks like something out of a Japanese village.
Red Steel 2 expertly blends melee and gunplay. It uses a classic revolver and other guns for long-range attacks and hard-to-reach targets, as well as a katana for slicing foes. Thanks to the pointer and motion controls of the Nintendo Wii, combined with the Motion Plus add-on, Red Steel 2 provides an engaging experience juggling the two combat styles.
1 Sleeping Dogs
A Free Hong Kong
Sleeping Dogs
- Released
- August 14, 2012
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- United Front Games
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Action
In another entry to the list of games to which fans demand a sequel that likely won’t happen, Sleeping Dogs follows hard-boiled undercover detective Wei Shen as he infiltrates the gangs of Hong Kong, working to earn their trust. His adventure will take him through the vibrant streets of the city, and he will have to fight foes with a mix of violent gunplay and martial arts skills.
Driving through Hong Kong in video game form provides a portrait of a Chinese-influenced city that was once a British colony. It features dingy city streets, a beautiful Temple, and activities ranging from races to Karaoke. Wei can also stop by the local pork bun stands and grab a bite. A man who never eats pork buns is never a whole man.
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