Video game movies date back way earlier than one would think. When it comes to the West, many think about Mortal Kombat being the breakthrough title that started the trend. That may have been the one to popularize it, along with Street Fighter, but they existed in Japan before this is the point here. 

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Some of these films were never fully released outside of Japan either. This means that even the most diehard of fans may have missed some of these titles. Some are good and should be localized while others are best left forgotten. Even if they didn’t release officially in the West, every movie on the list at least has a fan translation out there so nothing is off limits here.

10 Yakuza: Like A Dragon

Goro Majima from Yakuza: Like A Dragon

Yakuza: Like A Dragon is based on the Yakuza series of games. Contrary to the name it is not based on the most recent release of the same name. It is instead based around the events of the first game. At this time only the second title, which released on PS2 in 2006 in Japan, was out. It was directed by a fairly big name in Japan, Takashi Miike, who would adapt quite a number of games into movies. 

9 Ace Attorney

Phoenix Wright from Ace Attorney

Ace Attorney is based on the Phoenix Wright games. It follows the events of the first game mostly in regard to the opening case and the final one which tries to incriminate his rival, Miles Edgeworth, of a murder crime. It released in 2012 and Takashi Miike also directed it. This might be the most faithful adaptation which is fairly easy given the fact that this series is like a novel without much intricate gameplay involved.

8 Super Mario Bros.: Peach-Hime Kyushutsu Dai Sakusen

Peach kissing Mario from Super Mario Bros.: Peach-Hime Kyushutsu Dai Sakusen

Super Mario Bros.: Peach-Hime Kyushutsu Dai Sakusen, or Super Mario Bros.: The Great Mission to Rescue Princess Peach, is an anime film that released in 1986.

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It is a wild adventure for Mario and Luigi for many reasons. First of all, they are not plumbers and instead run a grocery store. It’s also an isekai anime with the two brothers falling into a TV after playing a video game. It was never officially released outside of Japan. 

7 Dobutsu No Mori

Various characters from Dobutsu No Mori

Dobutsu no Mori is based on the Animal Crossing universe. It’s an animated movie that released in 2006. It’s basically the plot of the first game with a young girl stumbling into a village of talking animals and the hijinks that follow. It’s a cute movie filled with wondrous characters that favs I’d the game might like although it is light on the side of plot.

6 Persona 3 The Movie: No. 1, Spring Of Birth

Yuki Makoto from Persona 3 The Movie: No. 1, Spring Of Birth

Persona 3 The Movie: No. 1, Spring of Birth released in 2013. It is the first in a four part series of movies, the last of which was in 2016, all based around covering the third game’s events. Unlike Persona 4 and Persona 5 which got full anime seasons, Persona 3 was given the movie treatment instead. That’s actually a plus because the budget on these seemed higher and thus it is more of an action packed adventure with beautiful animation.

5 OneChanbara: Bikini Samurai Squad 

Aya from OneChanbara: Bikini Samurai Squad 

OneChanbara: Bikini Samurai Squad releases in 2008. It’s based on a series of games that began on the PS2 in Japan under the name of Zombie Zone in 2004. Some of the games have crossed over although they are more censored versions. Both the movie and games are all about two things: slashing zombies and showing scarily clad women. It’s very cheesy but it was successful enough to get a sequel in 2009 called OneChanbara: Bikini Zombie Slayers

4 Forbidden Siren

A zombie from Forbidden Siren

Forbidden Siren is the name most Western fans know as just Siren. The first game released in 2004 in North America, but this  is actually based on the sequel. 

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Forbidden Siren 2 didn’t released over here though but it did in Japan, Europe, and Australia in 2006 on the PS2. It is the only game of three that never officially released in North America. This is odd considering it is an internally made Sony property. 

3 Gekijoban Zero

Children from Gekijoban Zero

Gekijoban Zero is based on the Fatal Frame series. The film released in 2014 in Japan. The games follow traditional Japanese characters in the real world who just so happen to stumble into ghosts in one way or another. Instead of vacuuming them up like in Ghostbusters, players would use a camera to make them go away. The series started in 2001 in Japan on the PS2 which cane Westward in 2002. 

2 Biohazard 4D-Executer 

The poster featuring various characters from Biohazard 4D-Executer 

There are an insane number of Resident Evil films out there from live action to animation, but Biohazard 4D-Executer is undoubtedly the rarest and most obscure of them all. That’s it only released in amusement park theaters. It’s a twenty minute movie that began airing in 2000. The story follows a group of soldiers going into the newly infected streets of Raccoon City in order to rescue Dr. Cameron and to gain her research. It is without a doubt the most obscure film in the series.

1 House Of Neko Atsume

The main character surrounded by cats from House Of Neko Atsume

House of Neko Atsume might be the oddest adaptation out there. It’s based on the 2014 mobile game, Neko Atsume, which was like a cat collector simulation game. The film came out in 2017 and follows a struggling writer who moves away to a quiet house only to be bother by cats. If no one heard of this game before they might think this is just a fun slice of life movie from Japan. 

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