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With the release of WB Games’ Gotham Knights right around the corner of being released here is a Top 10 list of the best video games based on around a comic book character.
10. Spider-Man: Shattered Dimension
This is the Spider-Verse video game before the Spider-Verse comic book series was even announced. Shattered Dimension was the first Spider-Man game that Beenox had developed and as far as their first attempt goes it is quite impressive. Especially seeing that this game had to follow the Spider-Man: Web of Shadows game. As far as gameplay goes it is very fun, and all four of the Spider-Men that are in this game feel distinctly unique. From Noir being primarily stealth based in his gameplay to Ultimate
Spider-Man where the Symbiote and Peter have bonded once more to feel like an absolutely brutal character. It is unfortunate that this game isn’t easily accessible anymore due to Beenox loosing the distribution rights to the character, but if you ever find a copy of it and like the Spider-Verse movie or comic definitely give this game a chance.
9. LEGO Marvel Superheroes
You can only rank a LEGO game so high when most of the game play and principles are recycled from one game to the next, but the reason why this game has made it this high up is due to how great the story honestly is. While yes the LEGO DC based games are great and fun as well, none of them have come near how wonderfully creative the LEGO Marvel game is. The way it is able to tie the Fantastic 4, X-Men, Avengers and other characters all together while giving us amazing depiction of our favorite characters like Doctor Doom or Iron Man is a testament to the quality of this game. The biggest fault of the game is that it is lacking some relatively iconic characters such as Miles Morales, Kamala Khan or Kitty Pryde.
8. Ultimate Alliance
With a starting roster of 16 unlocked characters and 7 unlockable characters it was one of the first games where a player had such a variety of their favorite superheroes and could choose the squad that they wanted to use for the story. While the combat is far from perfect and the game play can be repetitive if played for a prolonged period of time it does speak to how good the story honestly was. It should also be noted that it was a game that released back in 2006. It might not be considered absolutely stellar by today’s standards due to how lucky fans have been with the uptick in superhero media but I can’t deny that I definitely dissociated from the rest of the world as I just got immersed in this game as a kid.
7. X-Men Origins: Wolverine
While the movie that this game is linked to is far from good this game is somehow uncannily amazing. It is also most likely the most brutal and graphic superhero game that has ever been released. But the graphicness of Logan’s kills is not why this game is on the list, it is because of how well it adapts the experiences Wolverine goes through after he has the Weapon X process dealt to him. On top of the
pain that the character goes through it also has a gameplay where it is near impossible to get tired of hacking, slashing and dismembering people, cause if it was done poorly then the kills can feel hollow and unsatisfying.
6. Arkham Knight
While this game is not in the top 5, it should be noted that Arkham Knight is first in terms of gameplay (if we’re over looking most of the tank stuff.) The combat is honestly perfect. Free flow combat has never felt more powerful, and it is only made more satisfying by adding the ability to pick-up weapons, throw enemies in electrical panels, charging up equipment for more powerful stuns and various other capabilities. While the story is far from bad, it also isn’t as amazing when compared to how good the
story was in Arkham City, though Arkham Knight does end on a high note despite the journey to that “I am Batman” moment was less than spectacular. Now let’s talk about the tank. The controls for it is honestly very satisfying and tank combat as a whole was not terrible, the only reason why it brings it down is due to the copious amount of missions that involve Batman having to utilize the tank to the point where it disrupted the flow of the game. Another fault that this game has is that it was no memorable boss battles. It is fair to say that Batman has one of the most iconic rogues gallery in comics, so to have most of them squandered and reduced to quick little cutscenes where the player does not have the satisfaction of beating the villain it does have to be dinged for it.
5. Injustice 2
Injustice 2 is just such an improvement to the first installment. Injustice 2 took everything that the first game had and decided to balance it while also diversifying the character roster much more. While part of this decision is made due to me being a Green Arrow main and he got an upgrade in the boxing glove arrow, it is hard not enjoy the fact that the customization in character moves helps make this game that much better. Injustice 2 enforces the idea of each character being your iteration of them, but the amount of costume customization can definitely be overwhelming in and annoying in the fact that certain looks for characters are stuck to a certain class/level of gear.
4. Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
With all the swagger of a sequel that improves on almost everything compared to the original; the Miles Morales game in my own personal case at times beats out the original since I personally hold the preference of being able to utilize Mile’s Venom Blast over various varieties of gadgets that Peter can. But due to this game being shorter, and having less options in side missions it does sadly get brought down by these factors. Though, the moments that Miles has with most of the antagonists he faces are just as amazing as Peter facing off against Doc Ock in the first game it suffers from that shorter story since it would have benefited the game more if the player could have spent more time with Mile’s villains so that the final hits that come are even harder to take in.
3. Arkham City
What was considered the pinnacle of superhero games it should be stated that this game still has what is seen as one of the best and almost iconic boss battles throughout video games in Mr. Freeze. But looking beyond just the amazing boss battle of Freeze, the fights with grunts and other bosses also feel cinematic but also lets the player feel like the Dark Knight himself to an extent. Whether it be taking on a group of goons in the Iceberg Lounge or Ra’s Al Ghul, Arkham City is an excellently crafted game that so happens to revolve around the world’s greatest detective. It should truly be a testament to how good the combat is seeing that I would personally burn away many hours just taking on goons in the Iceberg Lounge as Nightwing and replaying it even after getting as many points as possible.
2. Marvel’s Spider-Man
The Spider-Man game that would dethrone Spider-Man 2 as at the best Spider-Man game (personally never really liked that game.) But what this new Spider-Man game has over Spider-Man 2 is the fact that this game is its own universe and has taken the time and care to flesh out Peter’s supporting cast so that when certain emotional beats hit they actually hurt to watch some characters face their inevitable fates. Beyond the main story though the game has various amount of easter egg goodies to seek out, fun side missions and the fact that swinging is just that relieving.
- Guardians of the Galaxy
Controversial take, but yes the Guardians of the Galaxy game is what I consider to be a #1 comic book adaptation video game. It is perfect for those who are fans of the comics but also fans of the MCU’s adaptation of the team. While yes you as the player are limited to just playing as Star-Lord it works seeing that it does truly contribute to the feel of you being the leader of the Guardians. The combat is very fun but not too difficult, but nor is it a stroll in the park. Now the game can be easier when you nail your Roll Call, but if you fail it then you get Rick Rolled and if a game can get away with Rick Rolling you then it deserves a placement at #1. While Star-Lord is the main character of the story it does not mean that he steals the entirety of the spot light, the rest of the Guardians get quite a bit of development. So much so that it actually sets an even higher standard for the movies iteration of these characters. But if you are someone who likes the Guardians of the Galaxy in any piece of media then you MUST give this game a try because it is driven by so much heart and care… unlike other Marvel games that have come from Crystal Dynamic.
