Top 10 Comic Book Superhero Games (REDUX)

Superheros make the perfect video game protagonists: I mean, who wouldn’t want to use a variety of powers to smash a supervillain’s face in? Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’ll be reduxing our list for the Top 10 Superhero Video Games.

This clip is a redux, meaning that while we covered this topic a few years back, there’s been enough new additions to the genre to warrant a brand new video.

For this list, we’ve picked the top 10 video games featuring superheroes from pre-existing comic universes. That unfortunately means that awesome games like “Freedom Force” and the “Infamous” series don’t qualify, since they are original video game franchises.

The “Lego” games follow a tried-and-true formula: take a beloved franchise, re-create everything using rendered Lego blocks, and turn it into a fun, light-hearted action platforming game. “Lego Marvel Heroes” is one of the best of the bunch, offering an almost encyclopedic selection of Marvel heroes for players to collect and control. With a fun storyline that connects various different franchises together, and the trademark addictive collect-a-thon quality found in most “Lego” titles, this is a game that both diehard and casual Marvel fans can sink their teeth into. Avengers, assemble yourselves.

MMORPGs taking place in superhero universes had been developed rather successfully with games like “City of Heroes.” “DC Universe Online,” however, was the first game to successfully fuse the popular gaming genre with one of the iconic comic comics companies. Although you not everyone can be be batman or superman, you can still fight along side em, which is almost as good. “DC Universe Online” features an extremely robust character creation system, skill trees, and a combat system that’s more accessible than its MMORPG Brethren. Plus, it’s free for the PS4, and you can’t go wrong with that price point!

Most games based on movies aren’t very good, but “Batman” was an early exception to that trend – proving to be a worthy . The gameplay wasn’t very original, following the tough-as-nails platforming formula that was the norm for Nintendo games. Yet, for “Batman,” the sum is greater than the parts. The game is an extremely polished, fun platforming romp that introduced a bunch of cool gameplay mechanics through the use of Batman’s various gadgets. This was one of the first games that really made you feel like a superhero.

By combining light action-RPG elements as seen in games like “Dark Alliance” for the Playstation 2 with the Marvel Universe, Activision stumbled upon a great formula which they would build upon throughout the “Ultimate Alliance” series – but consensus is that the first is the best. Fast-paced, filled with non-stop action and a wide assortment of Marvel superheroes, these are fun, relatively straightforward action games with a decent amount of character and party customization elements. Things pick up several notches if you have a few friends to play the offline 4-player co-op mode.

You’d think that open-world sandbox games are basically the ideal fit for a superhero game, and yet “Spiderman 2” was the first game to truly take advantage. Borrowing elements liberally from the groundbreaking “GTA 3,” “Spiderman 2” was the first game to really give you the true Spiderman flavour. The web-slinging mechanic is revolutionary, and the story, based on the movie, is as decent as you might expect from games like this. Sometimes the missions can get pretty repetitive, but, to be honest, you can spend hours just swinging through the air, crawling up buildings, and exploring the game’s world.

Transplanting the great formula they established in their Mortal Kombat reboot, Netherealm studios gave the DC universe the fighting game it always deserved. Strangely enough for a fighting game, “Injustice” tells a really interesting original story, exploring a the very DC concept of a parallel earth where Superman is evil and rules the earth with an iron fist. Throwing together all of the most popular “DC” characters together in a fun, beautiful-looking fighting game package seems like a great idea – and it really is. However, most of all this game works so well because it painstakingly and lovingly re-creates a DC Universe filled with interesting characters and relationships.

What’s better than beating up legions of enemies with 3 of your friends? Beating them up with 5 of your friends! “X-Men: The Arcade Game” was most notable for featuring previously unheard-of 6-player co-op, which was a gamechanger in arcades. Gamechanger meaning game that stole all your change. Beyond that, this is your quintessential beat ‘em-up game, with fairly standard but satisfying gameplay, nice, vibrant graphics based on the cartoon TV show, and all of your favorite X-Men to choose from. Also, this game features some of the most non-sensical dialogue and localization ever seen in a video game.

Yes, that’s right: before they became iconic multimedia moneymakers, the Turtles had relatively humble beginnings as comic book heroes – so this still count. Widely considered the king of arcade beat-em-up developers, Konami really hit their stride with “Turtles in Time,” a game we listed as our favourite side scrolling beat-em-up of all time. This game features awesome graphics, satisfying gameplay, and really captures the goofy feel of the animated TV series. Sending the turtles careening through time was also a great decision, because it allowed for some extremely memorable level designs and enemies.

Capcom struck a goldmine when they started making Marvel-themed 2D fighters, with “Marvel vs. Capcom 2” being the pinnacle of their efforts. Featuring a staggeringly huge roster of Capcom and Marvel characters, intense, screen-filling attacks, and beautiful sprite-based graphics, this is a true classic of the fighting game genre. This is a game that is STILL played competitively today, with new combos and strategies still being discovered. Sure, it’s not the most perfectly balanced fighter ever made, but with this much insane fun, is anyone really complaining?

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

“X-Men Origins: Wolverine” (2009)
“X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypse” (2005)
“The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction” (2005)
“Lego Batman 2: DC Superheroes” (2012)
“Scribblenauts: Unmasked” (2013)

“Batman: Arkham Asylum” is a modern gaming classic in its own right, but its sequel, “Arkham City,” is bigger, badder and better. By opening things up and bringing Batman out of the Asylum, developer Rocksteady perfectly captured the feeling of being Batman, skulking through the dark streets of Gotham and fighting crime at every corner. The fighting mechanics are simple, yet oh-so-satisfying, and the sense of immersion is truly unparalleled. The “Arkham” games are basically the perfect superhero games, and “Arkham City” is truly one of the best action adventures ever created.
Do you agree with our list? Which game made you feel like you were wearing a spandex costume? For more crime-fighting top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.