Believe it or not, there actually aren’t alot of superhero games. And not many of them are of good quality. The early X-Men game that was released on the NES is considered to be one of the worst games ever made. In fact, most of the greatest games involving superheroes have been made recently, and have alone managed to effectively capture the feel of the comic books and movies from which they have been adapted. Here are three prime examples.
Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu: is one of the few quality Batman games out there. Batman: Arkham Asylum may turn that around when it is released, but for now Rise of Sin Tzu is where it’s at. While it may at first appear to be a rather basic beat-em-up, the combat is solid and overall it’s a gratifying experience. The story involves the villain Sin Tzu, who is utilizing tactics from Sun Tzu’s book, Art of War, to steadily take over the city of Gotham. The animation is perfect for Batman’s cartoony style, as when you strike a thug small, the 2D explosions appear that in the show would usually read “Pow!” and “Wham!”. Despite appearances, Rise of Sin Tzu is actually one of the best 3D beat-em-ups around.
X-Men Legends: combines action, roleplaying, and mutants in an intriguing twist. X-Men Legends is a beat-em-up for up to four players in which you take control of X-Men’s mutated cast of heroes. As you unlock more and more characters, you can organize your team as you see fit. This game was a huge hit when it was released, but at the same time I highly recommend it’s sequels: X-Men Legends II and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. Ultimate Alliance features over 20 playable characters from the Marvel universe, such as Spiderman, Captain America, Wolverine, and loads more.
Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction: is perhaps the truest comic-to-game adaptation ever made. Once you transform into Hulk, it’s basically a GTA style adventure in which you can basically go anywhere and do anything you want, but there are also both story and side missions, which you can complete at your own pace. Unlike in past Hulk games, players are given a myriad of ways in which they can utilize their environment against enemies. And basically just blow stuff up. Most every object is destructible and can be used for something. Destroying power sources in cities puts out electricity, including lights, etc. When running, you can pick up enough momentum to run up buildings. You can “weaponize” all kinds of objects, like ripping a car in half and using each piece like a gigantic brass knuckle. The amount of stuff you can do is staggering, and greatly influential of later games in the Spiderman series.
