When I heard that my favorite video games which had a few credible names working on them: Keiji Inafune and Nobuo Uematsu with the Earthbound Papas, I was thrilled! The only immediate problem for someone walking straight into the anime is that it makes no effort re-introducing a newcomer to the lore and characters of Gamindustri. That was probably done for several reasons, one such being to not keep any newcomers from the video games. Still, I fear it can cause some confusion and avert the attention of someone who might've been interested in the show.
On the other hand, one might be able to catch on to who the characters and their respective countries are supposed to represent. For the reader to get the gist: the different countries of Gamindustri (pronounced "Game Industry"), are satirical representations of Sega (Planetune), Playstation (Lastation), Nintendo (Lowee), and XBox (Leanbox). The story of the anime does a clever mix of each of the video games' stories. The ultimate plot being an enigmatic force working to take revenge on the countries of Gamindustri.
The anime was very well done and for those who enjoy seeing transformation sequences, humor, and every now and again a touchy scene will definitely enjoy this show. Again, the story was scored slightly lower on account of no detailed explanation of Gamindustri's universe. If you ignore that or are already a fan of the video games, the anime is very enjoyable. The art is true to the games and the sound is as well. The opening sequence changes in terms of animation at some point, but still has the same amazing song that adds to my pride as a programmer. The characters are always fun to watch and the show itself is a good time.
One might not appreciate every aspect of the show, but it depends on your tastes. It's not the world's greatest masterpiece either, but it's probably not intended as such. That being said, this show come highly recommended.
