Top 10 Cel-Shaded Video Games

First on our countdown is this overlooked first person shooter. XIII is about an amnesiac man with a roman numeral XIII tattoo who trying to unravel a conspiracy over the assassination of the President, a crime that he’s been accused of. The game is presented like a moving comic book Cutscenes are set up as a series of moving and shifting comic panels, with sound effects written across the screen. Even the gameplay is littered with them, from the “tap tap tap” of enemy footsteps in stealth missions, to the “BAM” when you fire a weapon.

After his girlfriend Sylvia is kidnapped during a movie date, ordinary filmgoer Joe is thrown into Movieland, where he becomes Viewtiful Joe, a Japanese Tokusatsu inspired superhero with the power of Viewtiful FX. This flashy ability plays on common film camera tricks, like speed ups, slow downs, and close-ups. Joe uses these powers to beat up bad guys across a variety of sets, like a medieval castle and onboard a battleship. No matter where to action takes place, it’s sure to be stylish.

Who doesn’t want their own light saber? (*Clears throat*) I mean, beam katana. Modeled after southern California, Santa Destroy is home to sandy beaches, beautiful vistas and dangerous assassins. As Travis Touchdown, you’ll spill the blood of a lot of wild and wacky personalities while attempting to regain your status as the number 1 assassin in the world against 50 other assassins. Just about every enemy you’ll face goes out in a torrent of red. Your rivals are so memorable that you almost feel bad for killing them. Almost.

If there were ever a game to make you feel as if you were a comic book superhero, aside from a specific Batman franchise we choose not to mention, Crackdown is it. As the Agent, a biologically enhanced supercop, you’ll leap across the scenic Pacific City with ease. Crackdown gives you the freedom to do what you want, when you want, as long as want you want involved driving, jumping shooting or generally kicking the crap out of stuff. But, as anyone who’s ever played it will tell you, you’ll probably spend most of your time hunting down all of those orbs.

Honestly any of the games in the original Sly Cooper could have easily earned a spot on this list, In the 2nd game Sly’s lifelong buds, Bentley and Murray, get to join in on the action as the three pull off a series of daring heists in this semi-open world stealth platformer. Everything in these games is bursting with color and personality; it’s like playing a Saturday morning cartoon. There are a multitude of dastardly villains to take down, but you can be sure this thieving dream team has got you covered.

This game is as stylish as it is insane, and it’s pretty darn insane. Borderlands 2 takes its predecessor’s comic book style and greatly expands on it. You can explore a wide variety of locales, gleefully blasting man and monster alike. Borderlands’s cast of characters are just as wild as the visuals. From a gentlemanly hunter with metal limbs to a 13-year-old pyromaniac, this game is anything but boring. Did someone say explosions?

Known as Jet Grind Radio in North America, this game is the one we have to thank for making this list possible. Originally released on the Sega Dreamcast, Jet Set Radio sets you in a fictional version of Tokyo and one of many “rudies”, young people with a penchant for rollerblades and graffiti. With a colorful city to explore and even more colorful characters to do it with, tagging the city is a blast, as long as you don’t get beat up by the trigger happy cops.

Definitely the most serious game on our list, The Walking Dead sets up a gritty, harsh world where most things just want eat you alive or leave you with nothing. Emulating the look of the popular comic book series, you play as Lee Everett, a recent convict who bands together with a young girl named Clementine. Over the course of the five chapters, you’ll fight for survival against walkers, starvation and even your fellow mans.

When this game was first revealed, it stirred up a lot of controversy from fans wanting to something similar to Ocarina of Time, but most of that criticism was laid to rest when the game actually came out. The Wind Waker is a beautiful looking game, It vast oceanic world littered with countless colorful characters and strange, exciting locations to explore. And the voyage on the Great Sea really sets this game up as one of the best in the series.
Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

“Street Fighter IV”
“Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars”
“MadWorld”
“Red Steel 2”
“Killer7”

Taking the top spot on our list is this absolutely gorgeous adventure. Inspired by Japanese watercolor paintings, Okami’s Nippon offers several stunning, vibrant landscapes, and as the goddess Amaterasu you have the ability to paint into the world yourself. You can create powerful gusts of wind, spawns cherry bombs and restore life to dying trees. With a vibrant artistic style that makes the best use of of Cel-Shading we’ve ever seen, there should be no question as to why Okami is our pick for the number one cel-shaded game.

Do you agree with our list? What cel-shaded games do you think deserve a mention? For more stylish top 10’s, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com