Best Bandai Namco Games, Ranked

Japan is the only Asian country with a long history in game development, and thankfully, this industry is still alive and well in Japan with multiple international companies releasing top-notch games every year that not only represent the Japanese culture but also appeal to the global market.

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There are plenty of games that Bandai and Namco developed when they were separate companies, and they have also released an abundance of games after the merger. Similar to all companies, Bandai Namco has also experienced ups and downs in the industry, but the company now has a solid position and presence.

Updated December 25, 2024, by Mehrdad Khayyat: Bandai Namco is one of the well-known names in the world when it comes to game development and publishing. The company is the result of a merger between Bandai and Namco back in 2005. Before this merger, both companies were making video games for consoles and arcades.

This merger turned Bandai Namco into one of the biggest Japanese publishers in the world, as the company currently holds the publishing rights to hugely successful games like Elden Ring and the Tekken series.

10

Ace Combat 4: Shattered Skies

Incredibly Satisfying Airborne Combat Experience With Addictive Multiplayer

The Ace Combat series was a great innovation from Namco before its merger with Bandai, delivering semi-realistic airborne battles into life with great gameplay elements and addictively challenging missions. The series is always known for its superb variety of fighters with unique loadouts.

Ace Combat 4: Shattered Skies was the first game in the series to be released on PlayStation 2, and this meant a massive graphical overhaul, which also came with solidified gameplay mechanics. With over 20 aircraft, Ace Combat 4 features both a single-player campaign and split-screen multiplayer. The latter was quite an addictive mode for players to challenge each other in different scenarios.

9

Scarlet Nexus

A Brand-New Hack And Slash IP With Solid Gameplay And Story

Set in a cyberpunk-themed city, Scarlet Nexus follows the story of a special force agent who is tasked with eliminating the mutated creatures that have invaded the city and feed from human brains. The player can choose between two different protagonists in the beginning: one male and the other female. Each character will have some unique side-quests but the overall story remains the same.

The gameplay in Scarlet Nexus mostly revolves around dealing with tons of enemies, which is the core of a hack-and-slash experience. The player can learn new skills and upgrade their abilities as they make progress.

As a whole, Scarlet Nexus is a solid package, and it surely has the potential to turn into a new franchise for Bandai Namco, as the setting can easily grow to open up new branches of the story.

8

Tales Of Arise

Reinventing The Franchise To Be More Western-Friendly

After not hearing anything about the Tales series for around five years after Berseria, Bandai Namco released Tales of Arise as a new game in the franchise with significant gameplay improvements over the previous iterations, which welcomed many newcomers to the franchise for the first time.

From the ground up, Tales of Arise was developed as a game to appeal to a global market, especially the Western market, and this allowed the studio to break free from some of the old traditions. The story in Tales of Arise became a little more mature and darker than in previous titles, though anime-style visuals remain unchanged.

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Tales of Arise was released as a single-player experience globally focusing on AI-controlled in-game companions that help to introduce new combat mechanics, which also played a crucial role in the game’s worldwide success.

7

Tekken 5

Ruling The Fighting Genre After A Graphic Overhaul

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Tekken 5

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Released

February 24, 2005

Developer(s)

Namco

Tekken 5 was the second entry in the franchise to be released on PlayStation 2, and it was a true successor to Tekken 3 by returning to its roots. Unlike Tekken 4, which was a rushed and soulless game in the franchise, Tekken 5 rose the series to fame once again by improving upon the solid foundation of Tekken 3.

Not only did the number of fighters increase in Tekken 5 significantly, but also each fighter received a different ending scene, which was quite epic thanks to the overhauled visuals, in PlayStation 2. Other than that, the game received some brand-new modes to diversify the overall experience.

Tekken 5 was the evolved and expanded version of Tekken 3 and can be easily named as the best iteration of the franchise ever.

6

R4: Ridge Racer Type 4

The Perfect Gran Turismo Competitor

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R4: Ridge Racer Type 4

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Released

May 4, 1999

Developer(s)

Namco

Back in the day, Japanese developers had a strong presence in the racing genre. While Gran Turismo still remains one of the best racing simulations on PlayStation, it’s been a long time since the Ridge Racer series has been shelved by Bandai Namco. Before the Forza Motorsport series was born, the real competition between circuit-based racing was between Gran Turismo and Ridge Racer.

Ridge Racer has a longer history than Gran Turismo, but Ridge Racer Type 4 was released several months after the original Gran Turismo, and it introduced itself as a true competitor to Sony’s new racing franchise.

The fourth installment in the Ridge Racer series delivered a whopping number of 321 vehicles, which was more than two times bigger than the number of cars available in Gran Turismo. The gameplay system was also more arcade-friendly in Ridge Racer Type 4, with a strong focus on drifting.

5

Tales Of Vesperia: Definitive Edition

A Classic JRPG With Revamped Visuals For New Consoles

Originally released in 2008, Tales of Vesperia earned itself a remaster that made the game more readily available to modern players. A contender for the best entry in the storied JRPG franchise, Tales of Vesperia‘s calling card is its strong roster of playable characters, spearheaded by a refreshingly mature protagonist.

Tales of Vesperia has aged extremely well due to its visual style, solid combat system, and gripping narrative, particularly in the latter half of the campaign.

4

SoulCalibur 4

An Evolution In The Soulcalibur Franchise With Memorable Guest Characters

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Soulcalibur IV

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Franchise

Soulcalibur

Released

July 29, 2008

Developer(s)

Project Soul

A great addition to a consistently very good franchise, SoulCalibur 4 serves as a solid entry point into the long-running series. The weapon-based fighter delivers deep customization, and plenty of content across a variety of modes, and hits the right balance between accessibility and complexity.

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SoulCalibur 4 introduced the Soul Gauge to the franchise, a mechanic that served to reward aggression and discourage overreliance on the block mechanic. The game also has three characters from Star Wars.

3

Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection

Delivering The Tekken 5 Experience To PSP With More Improvements

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Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection

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Perhaps surprisingly, the best version of Tekken: Dark Resurrection is found on the PSP, comfortably outshining the PS3 release. A big part of that has to do with the limited competition on handhelds, but that doesn’t take anything away from Tekken: Dark Resurrection as it completely blows its contemporaries out of the water.

Dark Resurrection updates Tekken 5 with new modes, characters, and gameplay improvements. The game even runs at 60 fps on the PSP, which is an incredible achievement.

2

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

The World’s Greatest Crossover Fighting Game

Systems

Released

December 7, 2018

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was co-developed by Bandai Namco and Sora Ltd and published by Nintendo for the Switch. Next to Capcom, Bandai Namco is easily tied in recognizable fighting game franchises, but this entry may put them over the top. As the name suggests, this really is the ultimate version of an idea that started back on the N64.

The number of stages, characters, and music that pay homage to dozens of franchises is unbelievable. Way to help Nintendo take it to the next level.

1

Pac-Man Championship Edition DX

Bringing A Classic Back To Modern Consoles With Improved Visuals

As a property of Namco on the map back in the early ’80s, Pac-Man Championship Edition DX modernizes the license’s tried and tested formula with vibrant visuals and a range of memorable mazes.

Offering arcade goodness that can be satisfying in short or long sessions, Pac-Man Championship Edition DX delivers unfiltered fun. This game just shows that certain concepts are timeless, and Pac-Man is clearly one of them.

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