I sometimes like to look back over the 26+ years I’ve run J-List to see how technology and software have changed during that time. I now have a tiny computer in my pocket with a 4K camera I can record anything with. I can reach fans and customers in every corner of the world instantly via social media. My car navigates through Tokyo’s ridiculously complex freeway system with ease, making trips to Comiket from Gunma much easier. And thanks to classic game emulators like M.A.M.E., I can also enjoy all the nostalgic arcade games I grew up playing as a boy, reproduced perfectly. What a time to be alive!
In this post, let’s look at the most important anime arcade games you can play on a modern PC or Mac!
What is the M.A.M.E. Emulation System?
The Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator, if you’ve never encountered it, is an extremely flexible open-source system that can emulate almost every commercial arcade game you’ve ever played. M.A.M.E was first released in 1997 by Italian developer Nicola Salmoria and has been continually developed as an open-source project by many others.
While revisiting all the great arcade games of my youth from Pac-Man to Asteroids to Street Fighter II is great, I really love hunting down anime-themed games and playing through them. It was a great way to entertain myself during lockdown.
But how can you find these amazing ROMs that allow you to play all your favorite arcade games on any modern PC or Mac? While you can get the most recent M.A.M.E. emulator tools here, naturally they don’t distribute the copyrighted game ROMs with the open-source apps. To get a full set of updated ROMs, you’ll need to learn to use a torrent program and find a set of ROMs from “various places,” for example romspack.com. They’re quite easy to find if you Google them.
(Yes, this is a less-than-100%-legal way to play classic arcade games, unless you already own all the arcade machines in question. You’ll have to make your own decision on this topic.)
What Are the Best Anime-Themed Arcade Games to Play in M.A.M.E. Emulation?
Let’s look at some of the excellent anime arcade games you can enjoy with a M.A.M.E. emulation setup on a modern computer, for free!
Area 88. One of the first anime arcade games I discovered was Area 88, which was released in the U.S. as U.N. Squadron. Based on one of the first manga ever published in English, the game lets you assume the role of one of three pilots flying missions with side-scrolling shooting and bosses at the end of each level.
Are you a child of the classic video games of the 1990s? Then you should totally watch the Hi-Score Girl anime on Netflix. Read my blog post about it here!
Tokimeki Memorial Taisen Puzzle-Dama. There’s a very special classic arcade in the Takadanobaba region of Tokyo called Mikado, where you can play dozens of classic anime-themed games. One I recently discovered there was Tokimeki Memorial Taisen, a Tetris-style puzzle game. If you score enough points, the girl you chose will confess her love to you!
ARC Mobile Suit Gundam: Final Shooting. There are some really amazing Gundam arcade games out there, though many are too recent for them to emulate well with M.A.M.E. One fun game you might like is the ARC Mobile Suit Gundam series.
Fist of the North Star. The glorious period of the 90s and early 2000s gave us a lot of fun fighting games. One anime arcade game you should check out is the Fist of the North Star game. So cool!
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure. This 1999 Capcom game allows you to play through the various battles of Jotaro Kujo in a Street Fighter II-esque combat battle.
Tatsunoko vs Capcom Ultimate All-Stars. Are you a fan of the various Tatsunoko anime works? Grab this game, then you can battle with all the Street Fighter characters, playing as Joe from Science Ninja Team Gatchaman or Casshan or Tekkaman Blade.
Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon. Another totally fun game that was made in the mold of the Simpsons and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade games. You choose one of the five main bishoujo senshi to play as and walk along a scrolling map fighting monsters that spawn along the way. There are a lot of easter eggs: for example, a certain kick will expose Sailor Jupiter’s panties. Never change, Japan.
Super Dimensional Fortress Macross. I’ve literally played hundreds of hours of this game, and it’s the best anime arcade game I’ve ever encountered. You basically play through the entire story of the 1984 Macross: Do You Remember Love? film. Since an emulated game lets you continue without putting quarters into your computer, it’s great fun to clear the game! There’s also a Macross II game that’s not nearly as good.
Bonus Ecchi Anime Game: Gal’s Panic. My introduction to the concept of ecchi arcade games came in university when my local game center imported a Gal’s Panic machine from Japan. In the game, you have to uncover 80% of the screen while creatures try to destroy you, revealing a sexy girl underneath, whose clothes come off if you keep playing. Considering that I went on to found a hentai empire with J-List and JAST USA, this game must have made a big impression on me at the time.
(If you like the idea of this game, you should definitely play Yukkuri Panic, a yuri-themed game from JAST USA that borrows this game mechanic, combining it with a hardcore yuri tribute to the Cream Lemon Escalation hentai anime.)
Thanks for reading this blog post exploring the best anime arcade games you can play using the M.A.M.E. game emulator! Did we miss any great games that should be on this list? Tell us below, or on Twitter!
J-List has always been the best place to pick up all the best anime magazines from Japan, and we’ve got all the popular issues in stock right now! From Newtype to Megami Magazine or the super-sexy Dengeki Moeoh, we have the anime magazines you want! Browse them here.
