Be the Hero
This year’s San Diego Comic-Con is currently underway, which naturally got us thinking about video games based around the adventures of comic book heroes. While many are often not as good as they could be, there are a distinct amount that do well in giving players a gameplay experience of what its like to actually be these characters. So here’s a list of some of the best games that feature most amazing gameplay representations of beloved comic book heroes.
Batman in Batman: Arkham City
Most superhero game lists often feature Rocksteady’s Batman Arkham City, and rightfully so. it’s certainly an achievement in the eyes of critics and Batman fans alike. After all, we gave the a game a 9/10 when it first came out in 2011. But what makes the game a great representation of its titular character? The one thing that comes to mind is how much its gameplay makes you feel like Batman. You’ll scour crime scenes for clues, engage in combat using an array of flawless attacks and counters, and you’ll glide through the skies using your cape while remaining vigilant of local crimes. These activities give the game its appeal as its gameplay never ceases to break away from the underlying components of Batman as character. | Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Deadpool in Deadpool
High Moon Studios’ game based on Marvel’s famous Deadpool character is not an amazing game. It’s actually quite mediocre what with its repetitive gameplay and poor controls. But whether you like Deadpool or not, the game provides a satisfying video game representation of his trademark quirky personality. It’s filled with self-referential humor, potty jokes, and comedic situations with Marvel characters that border on parody. Much to detriment of its gameplay but to the benefit of its fans, the Deadpool game was as Deadpool as a game could possibly get. | Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Spider-Man in Spider-Man 2
Spider-Man 2 deserves a medal for being the first open world Spider-Man game ever made. Despite not holding up as well as other games within its console generation, the game is one of the first to truly make you feel like the famous web slinger as you swung across the open skylines of New York City with its pleasing web swinging mechanics. As a result, Spider-Man 2 is a splendid example of comic book game where its mechanics are used to properly compliment the scope of its character. | Platforms: PS2, Xbox, GameCube
Wolverine in X-Men Origins: Wolverine
For a game based on a sub-par comic book film, X–Men Origins: Wolverine managed to be a great video game representation of its title character. This was mostly because its gameplay actually took advantage of one of the things that makes Wolverine so appealing: the indestructible power of his razor sharp adamantium claws. So when the game came out in 2009, it was quite astonishing how it didn’t hesitate for a moment in letting players brutally sink Wolverine’s claws into the bodies of his enemies in a bloody fit of berserker rage. This alone came in stark contrast to previous games featuring the scrappy hero, which often insisted that his claws act more like a pair of boxing gloves. Despite being a derivative God of War-clone, X-Men Origins: Wolverine holds true to the violent anti-hero spirit of Wolverine as a character. | Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Magneto in Marvel vs. Capcom 3
The Marvel vs. Capcom series has always been good at taking the absolute power of comic book characters and translating them into playable fighters. A standout of the series is Marvel vs. Capcom 3’s representation of the highly powerful X-Men arch nemesis Magneto. The game does a fantastic job at making the character’s visually simplistic powers appealingly over-the-top and intimidating by representing them as screen-filling purple magnetic beams and projectiles. Magneto’s power as a character also translates to the game’s mechanics since he is a highly versatile fighter whose efficiency in combos, zoning, and mobility makes him a formidable foe. Regardless, these elements work together to give Magneto a video game representation that perfectly aligns with his power as a character in the Marvel universe. | Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360
Superman in Injustice: Gods Among Us
Injustice: Gods Among Us brought gamers a great representation of quintessential god-like comic book hero Superman. Going with a more darker approach, the game featured a Superman who became a villain after being tricked into killing Lois Lane by The Joker. The representation of the character is a fascinating one since he went on to murder The Joker for his crime and establish a regime to create a unified world government. While very much unlike the Superman that most people know and love, Injustice: Gods Among Us did a great job at creating an intriguing version of the character that is compelling to watch spiral downward. | Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360, PS4, Xbox One, PC
Hulk in The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction
The Hulk is not really a hero that demands much from a game devoted to him. With the literal character summarizing catchphrase of “Hulk smash,” you’d think that a game representing him would write itself. However it wasn’t until Radical Entertainment’s The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction in 2005 that gamers finally got just that. In it, you could cause all kinds of mayhem and destruction in an open world environment as the Green Goliath. While not a perfect game by any means, it’s a great example of when taking a single trait of a character and building an entire game around it is much better than trying to vary the experience with unnecessary filler content that has nothing to do with them. | Platforms: PS2, Xbox, GameCube
The Punisher in The Punisher
The Punisher game from 2005 is much like Marvel’s Daredevil series on Netflix. Both are immensely gritty and mature in tone, so much so that it’s a wonder how they even exist given the other Marvel adaptations in its medium that preceded it. But one thing is sure, like Daredevil, The Punisher provided a great representation of its character. With its blend of Max Payne third person shooting and near Manhunt-ish levels of torture interrogation violence, The Punisher did not beat around the bush about literally showing the brand of justice that its titular hero is known for in its gameplay. Case in point, The Punisher could literally dump a guy into a wood shredder. Nevertheless, the game’s violence and sheer brutality lives up to the name of The Punisher in a way that properly hones in on the moral grey area of the character. | Platforms: PS2, Xbox, PC
Jackie Estacado and The Darkness in The Darkness
What do you get when you cross demons with the mafia? Starbreeze Studios’ The Darkness; a first person shooter loosely based on the Top Cow published comic book series of the same name that stars Jackie Estacado, a member of the mob possessed by a powerful demonic force known as The Darkness. While more grounded than its raunchy over-the-top source material, The Darkness takes the comic book series’ occult premise and instead grounds it in a gritty crime drama reality. The game is even filled with elements of the comic that are blended into the mechanics of its gameplay, such as the Darkness’ weakness to light and its ability to summon tiny demon creatures. Ultimately, The Darkness is a video game representation of the comic series that reinterprets it in a way that is both entertaining and compelling. | Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360, PC
The X-Men in X-Men Arcade
Based on a cancelled X-Men cartoon from the late 80’s, Konami’s X-Men for the arcade is built from the same repetitive gameplay seen in most side scrolling beat-em ups. But what sets X-Men apart is how its rudimentary gameplay is enhanced by the allure of its comic book team-up premise. You along with five other friends can literally be the X-Men and cooperatively fight off Magneto and his army of Sentinels all at the same time. This near screen-filling setup was impressive for its time and did a great job at representing the team dynamic of the X-Men in a way that was simple but elegant. | Platforms: Arcade (Remastered version available on PS3, Xbox 360, Android, iOS.)
Captain America vs. Iron Man in Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2
While many of the games on this list are great representations of their respective characters, Vicarious Visions’ action-RPG Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 is an amazing representation of super heroes during real comic book story arcs. Depicting Marvel’s Secret War and Civil War events, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 puts gamers through the moral conundrum posed within the conflict between Captain America and Iron Man. Does a masked hero legally register with the government for the sake of the country’s security or do they continue to fight for the right to remain anonymous? The question is an intellectually fascinating one that permeates all of Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 via Captain America and Iron Man’s and makes the game well-worth checking out for its depiction of the classic story arc alone. | Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Astro Boy in Astro Boy: Omega Factor
Based on the iconic Japanese manga super hero of the same name, Astro Boy: Omega Factor captures the aesthetically pleasing and colorful style of the titular hero and his world. While playing this one, you can’t help but get caught up in its colorful world as you punch giant robots, fire lasers, and rocket across the screen using your jet boots. But what helps this along is how this is all built into a bombastically entertaining action game developed by none other than Treasure, the studio known for Gunstar Heroes. Regardless, Astro Boy: Omega Factor expertly captures the colorful style and fighting robot action of Astro Boy. | Platforms: GBA
The Flash in Justice League Heroes: The Flash
DC’s The Flash seems a difficult hero to make a video game out of when you think about his power of super speed. What kind of game can accommodate such a skill? Past developers answered this question with little to no success by making mediocre platformers. But in 2006, developer Wayforward took on their own approach with Justice League Heroes: The Flash, a traditional side scrolling beat-em up but with a twist. Instead of just walking up to bead guys and fighting them, you can actually dash around the screen from enemy to enemy quickly punching them in the face. The game even lets you occasionally slow down time via The Flash’s super speed to beat enemies down even further. It all sounds simple, but that’s because it is. Justice League Heroes: The Flash never bothers to inflate its design anymore than it has to. Rather, it takes The Flash’s unique power and simply embeds it into its gameplay mechanics in a way that is clever and intuitive. | Platforms: GBA
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