10 WEIRD Superhero Games You Forgot About

“Iron Man and X-O Manowar in Heavy Metal” (1996)

While this action side scroller may not seem all that weird, retroactive evaluation is certainly baffling. Because we all know who Iron Man is, but most non-comic readers have likely never heard of X-O Manowar. If you’re thinking he’s an obscure Marvel hero who was more popular at the time, you’d be wrong. He comes from Valiant Comics, which was purchased by publisher Acclaim the same year this game was released. Marvel itself wasn’t in a great state financially at the time, and Iron Man was far from the superstar he is today. Still, it’s strange to see him star in a game alongside a hero he had no previous history with, and one from a different comic universe. It also sold and reviewed poorly, ensuring it would stay mostly forgotten.

“Pepsiman” (1999)

The 90s were a very odd time for product placement in video games. Pepsi’s Japan branch created a superhero mascot who gained powers by drinking something called ‘Holy Pepsi,’ whatever that is. And he became popular enough to star in his own video game. Released solely in Japan for the original PlayStation, “Pepsiman” is an endless runner, where the hero must avoid obstacles to reach someone in dire need of a soft drink. In between levels, we got live-action cutscenes of a typical American guy drinking the soda and offering words of encouragement to the player. It is clearly ridiculous, but that has actually led to it having a bit of a cult following after selling poorly.

“Gotham City Impostors” (2012)

This digital-only FPS is so far removed from Batman, it may as well have had a different name. “Gotham City Impostors” is a team-based shooter where one side dresses like wannabe dark knights while the other styles themselves after the Joker. You can still customize your character, including their guns, size, and clothing. But it’s extremely straight-forward, getting a lot of “Call of Duty” comparisons at release. Clearly, the DC license wasn’t necessary, but it was likely the biggest reason players gave it the time of day. The concept is pretty out there, especially having a bunch of guys dressed like Batman ignoring his ‘no kill’ policy.

“Superhero League of Hoboken” (1994)

In this futuristic world, various disasters and a mass increase in pollution have resulted in most people becoming mutated. And if “X-Men” has taught us anything, mutations = superpowers. “Superhero League of Hoboken” is an RPG released on PC in 1994. It naturally follows a group of heroes in conflict with supervillains, but the powers are what’s strange about it. Instead of the standard collection, characters have sillier abilities, such as Crimson Tape’s power to make organizational charts or Tropical Oil Man’s ability to give people high cholesterol. Although, being an RPG, you can also give them new powers by consuming special drinks. No matter who you’re playing as, though, expect the unexpected.

“X-Men: The Ravages of Apocalypse” (1997)

Speaking of the X-Men, the mutant team was everywhere in the 90s. They received a ton of video game adaptations, both on console and in arcades. However, “The Ravages of Apocalypse” has been lost to time for most players, though for good reason. As you can tell, it’s a first person shooter, a strange style to go with for any superhero game. The player is enlisted by Magneto to stop Apocalypse, who is building an army of mutant clones. Cut to you running around, blasting everyone from Psylocke to Iceman with futuristic weaponry. In one more layer of odd, it was also built in the “Quake” engine, requiring the game in order to play before it became freeware nearly a decade later.

“Swamp Thing” (1992)

In all honesty, “Swamp Thing” isn’t that different from other superhero sidescrollers of the era it was released in, other than that it’s bad. But it’s weird it got made in the first place. It was based on the character’s cartoon series, which only ran for five episodes. Clearly, Swamp Thing has never been one of the bigger heroes DC has in its catalog. Yet, he still got his own solo game before the likes of Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and Aquaman, major figures in DC Comics history. Even if the main character wasn’t niche, awful controls and gameplay made certain it was forgotten by players not long after release.

“Captain Rainbow” (2008)

It’s a shame this superhero Wii title never made it out of Japan, because it is absolutely bonkers in all the best ways. It follows the titular TV hero trying to reclaim his popularity by visiting an island where dreams come true. On said island, he can help other Nintendo characters reach their own dreams. All of them were redesigned, but these cameos range from the well-known, like Birdo from “Super Mario,” to the obscure, like Crazy Tracy from “Link’s Awakening,” to the downright weird, like an overweight Little Mac from “Punch-Out!!” who you help lose weight. Undeniably silly, it didn’t sell well in the one country it was released in. And the only reason it’s ever brought up these days is to talk about how bizarre it is.

“Boogerman: A Pick and Flick Adventure” (1994)

With a title like that, it’s not surprising in the slightest that this game is super weird. Released for the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo in 1994, “Boogerman” is the most 90s, ten-year-old boy type of game we can think of. It follows mild-mannered millionaire, Snotty Ragsdale, battling his way through the alternate Dimension X-Crement as his superhero alter ego. And that’s only the tip of the grossout iceberg. Boogerman’s abilities include damage-dealing burps, farts, and, of course, boogers. And every level is just as nasty as the last. Although it was a surprisingly decent action platformer, the juvenile aesthetic, jokes, and lead character obviously stole the show.

“Questprobe” Series (1984-85)

While most superhero games in the 80s tried to emulate the action, the “Questprobe” series went the adventure route. Released by Adventure International from 1984 to 1985, there were three titles focusing on different Marvel characters; one for Spider-Man, one for the Hulk, and one on the Human Torch and The Thing. A fourth focusing on the X-Men was canceled after Adventure International went bankrupt in 1986. All three essentially have the same structure, following each hero as they try to escape a place they’re trapped in and deal with various villains. Although many Marvel fans may not know of these games, they hold some historical significance. Marvel initially agreed to a ten-year license, its first long-term one, and it marked the Hulk’s first appearance in a video game.

“Super Gran” (1985)

Unless you were a kid growing up in the UK during the mid 80s, this may be your first time hearing of “Super Gran.” It was a live-action kids show, focusing on a grandmother who gained superpowers and used them to protect her town. As strange as the premise is, it’s even stranger that this obscure series got not one, but two video games. The first, self-titled entry was an action game for home computers while the second was a text-based adventure game. Both were produced by Tynesoft and both released the same year the series began airing, 1985. Neither of them were particularly good. But even if they had been, the obscurity of their IP means they probably would’ve been forgotten anyway.

Know of any other obscure and bizarre superhero games? Share your thoughts in the comments, and be sure to subscribe to MojoPlays for more great gaming videos every day!