With the upcoming release of the Spiderman: Homecoming game, Injustice 2 and the announcements from Square-Enix and TellTale Games working on their own Marvel projects. It's a very exciting time to be both a gamer and a superhero fan.
There was a time where comic book based videogames, like a lot of licensed titles, were met with a lot less enthusiasm than they are now. That was, until Rocksteady showed the world how a superhero game should be done with the amazing Arkham series.
There have been other superhero games that have gone overlooked, or simply passed off as another bad title but are still worth your time.
If you are wanting to get your superhero fix, until the new Insomniac Spidey game gets released later this year, here is a list of some of those games that you may have missed the first time.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Platform: Xbox 360/PlayStation 3
X-Men Origins: Wolverine was undeniably a God Of War clone, but that didn't stop the game from being a fantastically violent thrill ride from start to finish.
It was fully voiced by cast, from the movie of the same name, and was arguably more entertaining and certainly more faithful to the brutality of the Wolverine character.
With the new Wolverine film Logan coming out very soon it could be the perfect time to give this game a try.
Batman: The Brave and the Bold
Platform: Nintendo Wii (compatible with the WiiU)
Batman: The Brave and The Bold the videogame is a side scrolling beat em up and platformer based on the cartoon series of the same name. It's a fun throwback to the 16-Bit era of gaming.
While I'm not a great fan this particular adaptation of the Dark Knight, the game is still tremendous fun because it brought back the fun of the drop-in and drop-out two-player couch co op games of the past.
I had some good times playing this game with my kids, so If you're looking for a good family friendly one or two-player game to play on the Wii (or Wii U) I'd definitely recommend Batman: Brave and The Bold.
Conan
Platform: PlayStation 3/Xbox 360
This game puts you in the shoes of the titular character Conan (voiced by Ron Perlman), while it's another game heavily influenced by the hack and slash mechanics of the God Of War series, it stands up well with it's own take on combat. The take being that it relies just as much on its enjoyable and intelligent counter move system, as it does slicing your way through hordes of warriors and monsters.
The Conan character found massive success and popularity in comic book form from the 70's to the late 90's with Marvel, and is even more faithfully recreated now in the comics published by Dark Horse.
There's not many good games based on the legendary Conan character and with Conan: Exiles gaining more popularity, it could be worth seeking this game out too if you're a fan of the barbarian.
Spider-Man: Web of Shadows
Platform: PlayStation 3/Xbox 360
Spider-Man: Web Of Shadows is an open world game based on the comic books rather than the movies, like many previous adaptations of the game. It features a lot of recognisable faces from the Marvel universe like Wolverine, Luke Cage, and Venom to name a few to keep comic book fans happy.
Despite its age Web Of Shadows still features some of the best web slinging and mid-air combat seen in the Spider-Man franchise, and is definitely worth a try if you're waiting for Spider-Man: Homecoming.
Captain America: Super Soldier
Platform: PlayStation 3/Xbox 360
Captain America: Super Soldier is game that's borrowed more than just a few gameplay mechanics from Arkham Asylum, especially in its combat system and interconnected hubs.
While it didn't quite reach its full potential, likely due to the pressure on the developers to make the release date in time for the film. The combat system is fluid, intuitive and cinematic, and does a great job of making you feel like Captain America himself.
Regardless of being an Arkham clone, Super Soldier could have been something special if it was given more time in development, but it's still a genuinely good game that fans of The Cap will appreciate.
Batman: Arkham Origins
Platform: PlayStation 3/Xbox 360
Arkham Origins had to deal with negativity from the fans before the game was even released, and despite the game being released by Rocksteady's direct (WB Games Montreal) just being a different developer was enough for fans to turn their noses up.
While Origins didn't bring a lot new to the table with the combat system as well as a pointless multiplayer mode. It did bring the best boss battles seen in the series to date, as well as a great plot. Origins also introduced the gadget that allowed Batman to virtually recreate crime scenes seen again in Rocksteady's own Arkham Knight.
The focus on characterization and the dynamic between Batman and Gotham's rogues gallery of villains are real standout point of the game. Origins also gave fans some of the best DLC seen in the series which finally did justice to the Mr Freeze character -- Arkham: Origins is definitely worth another look.
The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction
Platform: Original Xbox/PlayStation 2
Hulk: Ultimate Destruction by Sierra Games was the best adaptation of the Hulk character ever seen in a videogame, even Bruce Banner himself was voiced by the returning Neal McDonough -- the same voice actor from the 1996 animated series.
Despite being a huge unstoppable monster, the Hulk character controlled with a great feeling of fluidity in using his strength and momentum to run up walls, climb buildings and power-jump over great distances -- all of which meshed together brilliantly when in combat.
As the game's title suggests Hulk is capable of destroying everything in his path, he can level tall buildings, run through cars like they aren't even there and even grab and destroy enemy jets and helicopters in mid-flight.
Ultimate Destruction also features a very well told comic book story supported with great voice acting and performances all round.
Unfortunately, we didn't see another Hulk game in the series from the same developers as they lost the rights to the character but very similar mechanics were used again in the Prototype series from the same team.
Did I miss any other underrated or overlooked Super Hero games? Give me your thoughts and suggestions in the comments below.
Published: Feb 27, 2017 01:25 pm