5 Bandai Namco Games You Forgot Were Awesome

In 2006, two iconic video game studios merged, forming Bandai Namco. Since then, the mega-publisher has released dozens of great games, including huge hits like Dark Souls, Elden Ring, and the continued adventures of the Tekken series. While most know the publisher from its high-profile releases, it also has quite a few hidden gems that most players have forgotten about over the years. These games didn’t break sales records like Bandai Namco’s biggest games, but they’re still worth checking.

Here are the five Bandai Namco games many players have forgotten about.

5) Chroma Squad

Chroma Squad is a tactical role-playing game from Behold Studios. Bandai Namco jumped in to publish the console and mobile versions, helping Behold take Chroma Squad to new heights. Players take on the roles of five stunt actors taking part in a Power Rangers-inspired TV show.

While the action is technically fake, you wouldn’t know it from playing. These movie monsters and mecha pack a real punch. Thankfully, you can upgrade your stunt men and women via the in-depth skill trees, while adding even more utility through crafting and random equipment. It’s a must-play game for Power Rangers and tactical RPG fans alike.

4) Mario Super Sluggers

Before the two studios merged, Namco worked on Mario Superstar Baseball for the GameCube. The Wii sequel isn’t quite as strong, thanks to the addition of motion controls, but families looking for a baseball game more in-depth than Wii Sports had a blast with this one.

In Super Sluggers, players can play through Adventure Mode, recruiting a team of players to take down Bowser and Bowser Jr. There’s also a solid multiplayer mode that lets you immediately dive into the arcadey baseball action.

3) Eternal Sonata

Eternal Sonata has one of the wilder premises you’ll see in an Xbox 360 game. You play as Frederic Chopin, the famed Polish pianist and composer. In real life, he died from tuberculosis at 39. That’s still true in Eternal Sonata, but as he’s dying, he enters a magical world inspired by his life and music.

It’s a bonkers premise, but it lets developer tri-Crescendo loose with one of the better soundtracks of the era. And everything is themed around music. Even the battle system incorporates musical elements through active turn-based combat. That said, the music is the star of the show. You could just throw it up on Spotify, but playing through Eternal Sonata only adds to the music, turning it into a full celebration of the famous artist. If you have any affinity for classical music, you owe it to yourself to seek out a copy of Eternal Sonata.

2) Tales of Vesperia

Like the Mario Sluggers series, the Tales of series has roots that extend further back than the merging of Bandai and Namco. Technically, the first Tales game that launched under the merged company was Tales of Innocence, which is a fine game, but Vesperia was the first real achievement under the Bandai Namco banner.

This Xbox 360-era game was a critical darling. Players and critics loved the big-budget visuals and excellent cast of characters. There were a few quirks in the English translation, and Vesperia doesn’t have much end-game content. However, it’s widely seen as a high point in the long-running series.

Fans might argue that Tales of Xillia should take this spot. That game is another phenomenal entry in the Tales series, but I wanted to recognize the start of Bandai Namco’s partnership here. Either way, an early Tales game has to make this list. The series has slowly gained more popularity outside of Japan, but it deserves more love from other regions.

1) Enslaved: Odyssey to the West

Enslaved: Odyssey to the West routinely ends up on lists of the most underrated games of all time. Developed by Ninja Theory in 2010, Enslaved was first pitched as a CGI film. When that fell through, the team decided to move toward a sci-fi theme and brought in Alex Garland to help write the story. He eventually became involved in the game’s design, helping ensure cohesion between the story and gameplay.

Ninja Theory brought in Andy Serkis and Lindsey Shaw to voice the two protagonists, and both actors delivered incredible performances. Unlike most games at the time, the team went through painstaking efforts to make their relationship believable. Enslaved also stood out visually because it came out in an era filled with brown games. That made the vibrant look of its version of the post-apocalypse feel like a breath of fresh air.

Sure, Enslaved didn’t have the most captivating gameplay, and a few technical issues dragged it down in reviews, but it’s still one of the best games of its era. Unfortunately, players didn’t show up, and plans for a sequel were cancelled before they ever got off the ground.

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