Shinji Mikami is a bit of a Renaissance man, which is especially impressive given that he got into the game industry half by accident.
Once there, he made a name for himself with theResident Evilseries, and also spent time with Platinum Games, SEEDS Inc., and even Clover Studio.
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While he may be known as the Father of Survival Horror, Shinji has contributed to numerous interesting games over the years, serving as director, producer, and even advisor on occasion.
Sure, there are some survival horror adventures on this list, but there’s also visual novels, strategy games, platformers, and more, which means that this ranked list of Shinji Mikami’s best games features a wide and impressive library.
For these selections, we’re including any game that Shinji Mikami had a role in crafting. These include director, producer, and writer credits, but also smaller roles such as advisor. We’re also just including one game per series to keep the selections fresh.
10Dino Crisis
Dino-Mighty Survival Horror
Dino Crisis
When they call Shinji Mikami the Father of Survival Horror, it’s not just because of his contribution to theResident Evilfranchise. It’s also because he helped produceDino Crisis.
While admittedly a less prolific and long-lasting series than its zombie-filled brethren,Dino Crisiswas still an impressive and ambitious project. Not only did it replace slow-moving zombies with brutally intelligent dinosaurs, but it threw in some clever twists on themes you might see in something likeJurassic Park.
You’ll have to carefully manage your resources to deal with predators big and small, all the while hoping to thwart a mad scientist making bioweapons of a different sort.
Split Personality Mayhem
Most people think of Suda 51 when they think ofKiller7, and for good reason. But it’s also true that Shinji Mikami played the role of producer in this utterly unique and frankly absurd adventure.
Harman Smith might seem like an ordinary and frail man, but his initial appearance belies a horrible truth. He’s able to absorb the souls of others, and now several different individuals reside inside him, who are utilized by the government to assassinate enemies of the state.
Much of the gameplay revolves around first-person shooting segments with you blasting away vicious Heaven Smiles monstrosities. As for the plot ofKiller7, it’s all about wild conspiracies and bloody politics.
8Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Justice for All
No Objections Here
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Justice For All
There was a chance that we could only have gotten a couple ofPhoenix Wrightgames, if not for Shinji Mikami. He suggested working the first two games into atrilogy that ended in climactic fashion. And from there, the series has grown in scope and popularity.
So even thoughPhoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Justice For Allwas only the second game in the courtroom series, it also helped serve as a bridge between the first game and many more. Which is especially impressive given how obscure the series started when it launched on the DS in North America.
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Though quite different from the other Mikami games we’ve covered so far, there is a lot to love about thePhoenix Wrightseries. From its snappy humor to quirky characters, you’ll enjoy learning more about the cases as you struggle to unearth the truth.
7Steel Battalion
Experimental to the Max
Steel Battalion
While it’s not exactly unprecedented for some games to have specialized controllers, it’s pretty rare to have a situation where the game is free, but the controller costs a couple of hundred bucks. That’s exactly whatSteel Battalionrequires of players, which is a pretty steep ask.
For those who shelled out the cash forSteel Battalion, they found a fascinating experience. You pilot a Vertical Tank, essentially a giant, bipedal mecha. Using a controller with tons of buttons, foot pedals, and even a throttle handle, you’ll maneuver it to destroy any threats in your path.
It was an interesting experience on the Xbox, even if it’s one that didn’t sell particularly well. But since you can’t make an omelet without breaking some eggs, I’m always someone who appreciates games that are willing to try something new, regardless of how it lands.
6Hi-Fi Rush
Chai’s Melodic Adventure
Hi-Fi Rush
At some point, Shinji Mikami must have gotten tired of being known as the horror guy, since he decided to branch out with Tango Gameworks’Hi-Fi Rush, an action-packed game where everything is tied to the rhythm.
While it might seem odd that this came from the same company behindThe Evil WithinandGhostwire: Tokyo, it proved a massive success and impressed many gamers. The mixture of cel-shaded style, rambunctious gameplay, and tongue-in-cheek humor all madeHi-Fi Rushdefy any expectations.
Honestly, the only reason that this exceptional game sits so low on the list is that Shinji Mikami only served as a producer for it, and not someone who actively drove the experience. But that in no way changes how much fun this unexpected rhythm adventure proved to be.
5Viewtiful Joe
Henshin a Go-Go, Baby!
Viewtiful Joe
The GameCube may not have been my favorite console, but there were several cool games that were released for it. One of which was none other thanViewtiful Joe!
This is another game where Shinji played a more secondary role, and much of the adventure was guided by Hideki Kamiya. But it’s still a worthwhile footnote in Mikami’s biography of epic games.
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Saving your girlfriend Silvia is one thing, but doing so inside a world influenced by movies and television? That’s another thing entirely. On the plus side, it empowers Joe with strange abilities to warp reality to his advantage.
Mix all that with colorful and eye-catching cel-shaded graphics, fast-paced and energetic combat, and over-the-top boss battles, andViewtiful Joeis one legend that will never die.
4Onimusha: Warlords
The Wrath of Nobunaga Oda
Onimusha: Warlords
While I didn’t play a lot of games on my GameCube, I enjoyed a ton of adventures on my PS2. And one series I thoroughly enjoyed from Capcom was the one that started withOnimusha: Warlords.
This was basically a Sengoku-era adventure peppered with some survival horror notes, though it was a lot more action-packed thanResident Evil. It’s also a game steeped in cultural myths and fantasy aplenty.
Nobunaga Oda’s shadow is long and deep in the adventure, and dangerous forces are conspiring to twist it into something horrible. It’s almost a bit like some of the themes you’d find inCastlevania, except switch Dracula with Oda, and you’re on the right track.
This is a title that Shinji Mikami had an advisor role on, but you can still see his fingerprints here regardless.
3The Evil Within
A Twisted World of Horror
The Evil Within
After helping create the survival horror genre withResident Evil, Shinji Mikami attempted to perfect it inThe Evil Within;A game where very little is as it appears, and that plays upon your psyche in surprising ways.
You play a cop named Sebastian Castellanos. While investigating an incident, he and his partners get sucked into a strange, twisted world where everything is trying to kill them, and his partners become corrupted by mysterious forces.
You’ll have to carefully manage resources inThe Evil Withinwhile solving puzzles and defeating horrifying creatures with a variety of weapons and traps. Worse, you have to burn them to completely eliminate them, lest they revive and hound you once more.
All the while, the game will keep you anxious and terrified, and when the truth behind the nightmare world becomes clear, things get even more hectic. It’s a great iteration on the genre, and one any horror fan should check out.
From Russia With Love
Generally, when I worry about Russia, it’s thanks to politics or world affairs. But inVanquish, they pose a threat so cataclysmic that the US has to send in a super soldier to deal with the dangers of the Order of the Russian Star.
That hero is named Sam Gideon, and he’s armed with something called the Augmented Reaction Suit. When damaged sufficiently, all his reaction times are increased tenfold, allowing him to avoid almost anything and unleash mayhem on foes.
The game mixes third-person combat with bullet hell, and Sam will navigate some truly chaotic war zones in the adventure. The gameplay itself is a ton of fun, even if the writing inVanquishis a bit more sophomoric.
1Resident Evil 4
Leon Versus Los Ganados
Resident Evil 4
After the first couple ofResident Evilgames, there was a period of time where it felt like the series was playing it safe and had perhaps drifted from its horror roots. But then cameResident Evil 4, which reinvigorated the series and made fans excited again.
Not only did Shinji Mikami rekindle the series, but he also thought up a new type of zombie with the parasitic Los Ganados. These aren’t simple or stupid monsters, but a devastating hive mind that can work cooperatively together.
Leon Kennedy might think he’s up for the challenge afterResident Evil 2, but even he gets caught flat-footed by this infestation.
Resident Evil 4is a starkly different yet no less terrifying survival horror adventure from the father of the genre, and an exceptional game at that.
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