Top 10 Digimon Games!

While the original did its own thing, this sequel digivolved the franchise into something more conventional. Abandoning the monster-raising gameplay from the first Digimon World, BEC's follow-up is a straight-forward dungeon-crawler RPG. Battles are turn-based, allowing up to teams of three, as the player selects what skills or items to use. Digimon World 2 was poorly received by critics - earning only a 42 on Metacritic - but users were considerably more forgiving. Admittedly rough around the edges, Digimon World 2 offers a great deal of content, with a roster of over 200 Digimon to catch and train.

In terms of great Digimon games, Japan has a more expansive selection than the West. Released towards the end of the PSP's run, Digimon Adventure was, unfortunately, not deemed worthy of receiving an official English translation by the publisher. Which is a total digi-dick move. Re-telling the story from the original anime series, this turn-based RPG is visually impressive and a must-play for fans of the franchise, if you’re familiar with the ol’ nihongo. Sure, the players can only control the Digimon of the DigiDestined, but the hand-held title is a fantastic love-letter to the series.

Say what you want about the PlayStation One games, they were far from predictable. Digimon World 3 is the closest the franchise ever got to…((mumble)) Pokemon ((/mumbling)), with the gameplay being divided into One vs One battle screens and an explorable 3D world. Digivolutions are no longer permanent; and, in comparison with Digimon World 2, the roster is streamlined. The decent storyline is set in an MMORPG entitled Digimon Online, and players are required to plan ahead before going into battle – an inclusion that separated the rookies from the megas.

This little fighting game was a hidden gem on Nintendo's Game Boy Advance. Serving as a companion piece to the pretty divisive Digimon Frontier, players can select from five available fighters, although beating the story unlocks a few more. The gameplay is similar to Super Smash Bros, with battles taking place in a multi-level arena. Rather than knocking your opponent out, battles are decided by a point system, adding an element of strategy to the button mashing.

These two Nintendo DS titles proved to be a wake-up call for the franchise. Dawn and Dusk took advantage of the momentum created by their predecessor, resulting in a mostly improved experience. There is a relatively vast world to explore, and random encounters supply data which can be used to create Digimon. The roster is massive - especially for a handheld title - with nearly 400 Digimon to catch and train. The sprites are bloody gorgeous, and the simplistic gameplay will keep you in good spirits throughout the 20-ish hours it runs.

Some nice friends you got there Davis. Anyone who loves the original trilogy will admit - Digimon Rumble Arena is a solid one-on-one fighting game. With only three attack buttons, the combat is rather basic, but Rumble Arena delivers in terms of spectacle. There are nine tamers and partners available, all voiced by their original actors. And best of all, each come with a Mega evolution that can be triggered in the middle of a battle. For long-time fans, few moments are quite as satisfying as suddenly digivolving Agumon into Wargreymon to turn the tide in your favor. Just…steer clear of the other entries in the franchise.

Great, another game that Bandai decided to not release internationally. Thankfully, fans took it upon themselves to translate Digimon World Re:Digitize. And digi-destined across the globe couldn’t be more grateful as the game took the franchise in a new direction, complimented by awesome character designs from Suzuhito Yasuda of Durarara fame. The real-time battles are rather hands-off, with the tamer giving suggestions from the sideline while the Digimon deliver the ass-kicking – but this autonomy actually works to build the relation between you and your buddy – leaving you devastated when they kick the bucket. Downer…

Available on the PlayStation 4 and Vita, Next Order is a dream came through for fans of Digimon World. This time around, the tamer is accompanied by two Digimon, allowing for DNA digivolution when you’re in a bind…and a little less grieving if one goes to digi-heaven. The story is honestly pretty good, as we learn more about the apocalyptic threat facing the Digital World… but perhaps the most charming thing about it is the many call-backs to the original. It’s a game that asks the player to invest a lot of heart heart, and if you stick around long enough, the rewards are well worth it.

The Grandaddymon of them all, this JRPG actually predates the anime series by two months. Digimon World introduces gamers to Jijimon's File City, as the human protagonist is chosen to save the Digital World. The majority of the time is spent training and raising your companion while praying that they digivolve to something besides Numemon. To summarize this game in one word – its comfy. In comparison with the later games the learning curve can be rather steep…But in no time you’ll get the knack of it and kick your feet up because after all these years its still an absolute gem.

Critics and Digimon games do not always go together. From the dozen of released titles, Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth finally garnered plenty of praise. The turn-based combat and monster management is reminiscent of the Shin Megami Tensei franchise, with three active combatants that can be switched out on the fly. The surprisingly dark storyline takes place over the course of 20 chapters, with missions presented as detective cases. While collecting Digimon is fun and easy, the massive 200+ roster encourages you to uh…catch them all – and best of all, they don’t die. Aww.