There really isn’t much point in denying it — there are plenty of video games we all only ended up playing because of trendy toys and card games. Sure, those toys and cards were usually accompanied by anime, but the physical toys were always the gateway to picking up the video games from a rental store.
Related:The Rarest Yu-Gi-Oh Cards And What They’re Worth
In a way, companies just laid out a thrilling trap card to get everyone to pick up what usually wasn’t beloved games. People may love some Pokemon and Digimon, but many of the other popular properties ended up dying off quicker than my awkward phase in high school.
10Yu-Gi-Oh!: Master Duel
People might lie and say thatthey played the Yu-Gi-Oh! gamesbecause of the anime, and while it was excellent, we all know it’s because there was a period of time in which EVERYONE was playingYu-Gi-Oh!. Wherever you looked, someone was pulling out a deck of cards to play by a series of made-up rules.
The game may be slightly incredibly complex now, but there was a simple time when Kaiba could completely make up the rules of the game, and that’s exactly what we all did. Honestly, we probably all ended up learning the real rules from some of these games.
9Army Men: Sarge’s War
The new generation will never know just how shockingly excellent all those Army Men games were back in the day. Those ridiculous little green men went to absolute war with the Tans and the Blues, and we were all right there bought into the entire conflict.
No one needed a completeCall of Dutyplotline, because you knew that Sarge was going to have a simple adventure. The adventures were so simple most people probably can’t even remember what Sarge had to do in all those wars.
8Skylanders: Trap Team
While I never actually played as much Skylanders as some people, I know so many people who did, and the number one reason people gave me for playing it was the cool statues. I’m never going to fault someone for wanting to collect something, but we can’t act like we didn’t just happen to play the game as well.
Related:Forgotten 80s Toys You Need To Remember
Skylanders are kind of like amiibo — they’re great to use when you can, but they often just look great decorating a room somewhere. We all had to give the game a shot at some point, and luckily, they actually aren’t too bad.
7Beyblade Metal Fusion: Battle Fortress
While the series does still have a dedicated community, Beyblades were another major toy that was a huge fad on the playground. I was one of the many kids who had never even watchedan episode of the Beyblade anime, but I had to get one so I could be frustrated as it continuously fell apart instantly.
When you can’t win in real life, then it’s time to turn to video games. There was a huge stretch of time in which I didn’t even know Beyblade games existed. My brain couldn’t comprehend how spinning tops could translate into a game, not realizing that it already was a game in the first place.
6Nerf Legends
It seemed like all the cool kids have Nerf guns back in the day, and I was left to use whatever half-broken Nerf guns my friends had left over. I know I can’t be the only one who wanted Nerf guns to be way more fun than they actually were, and that’s where the games came in.
While it’s not an amazing game by any means, Nerf Legends is a bit of a bizarre game that any Nerf fan should experience. The only way a non-Nerf gun user is playing this game is if their grandmother accidentally buys this game for them thinking it was that popular gun game everyone is on about.
5Battle B-Daman
At least once a year something makes me remember Battle B-Daman. As far as fad games go, this one was one of the fad-iest. Those little marble shooters were actually a blast, but they weren’t always the most practical to use.
Everyone who wanted some Battle B-Daman action on the go would have to turn to theodd little Game Boy Advance game. Even trying to describe the game to someone is a difficult task, which makes it clear that only those who played with the toys were going to be picking up the incredible anime cartridge.
4Bakugan: Champions Of Vestroia
You may remember Bakugan for that wicked theme song that the original run of the anime had, or you may remember it for all those weird little transforming marbles your friends would toss around at recess.
That’s another game that may sound a little strange, but it was so strange that everyone had to go out and get some to be able to play. Sadly, the game died off in real life pretty quickly in a lot of circles, and that meant most people were left to throw transforming marbles in video games instead. The games we play, huh?
3Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
Some might try to argue with me on this point, but I think everyone can admit that everyone lovesLego. Even people who didn’t get to play with Lego as kids love Lego. It’s a simple little toy that is fun for kids and a surprising stress reliever for a lot of adults.
Related:The Best Pixar Game Adaptations
Kicking back and building something is a blast, so why wouldn’t a Lego-lover want to tryone of their many simple video games? Enter Star Wars. Everyone’s tried to build one of those overly complicated Star Wars Lego sets, and those of us who failed will always appreciate having access to those games that make it all look easy.
2Hot Wheels Unleashed
Like Lego,Hot Wheelsare another classic childhood toy that pretty much everyone played with at some point. It’s a simple gimmick — cool cars go fast. You may not learn incredible lessons about family as you will from the Fast And Furious series, but hey, not everyone can be Dominic Toretto.
It’s pretty easy to go from pretending to drive a car with your imagination to doing the same in video games. Luckily, Hot Wheels Unleashed is of much higher quality than something like Mortal Kombat’s Motor Kombat kart racer.
1Magic: The Gathering Arena
A case could be made for the games coming first in this instance becauseMagiccan either be incredibly easy or ridiculously tough to get into. For a lot of people, the Magic games offer a way to try out new decks and practice strategies without having to have a group of friends to play.
Magic was always that game the kids that were too good for Yu-Gi-Oh! played back in the day, and that might still be true. It’s complex, and maybe even too complex for my ever-dwindling attention span. All I know is, cards cost a lot these days, so it might be easier to start with the games at this point.
