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Top 10 comic book video games
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Comic Books and video games go hand in hand. They are both forms of escapist entertainment, and both are often filled with larger-than-life characters. It is only natural that the two woulds would meet, and in their meetings, spawn some quality entertainment for fans of both mediums.
For your viewing pleasure, here is a list of the top 10 video games based on comic books and their characters.
10. Spider-man – Spider-man has long been a video game staple, from the Atari 2600 to today, there is no shortage of Spider-man video games. And while there were few good ones (Sega’s Spider-man vs the Kingpin was one of the better video game outings for the webslinger), the one that finally captured the feel of the comic book character was Spider-man for the Playstation (PSOne). Made by Neversoft, the same team that brought you the Tony Hawk skateboarding games, Spider-man really nailed the essence of the comic book. From the characters and story to the wall crawling and web slinging, this title proved that all of the powers of an iconic superhero could be captured in a truly entertaining way.
9. Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe – Mortal Kombat games have been growing increasingly stale as of late, so the announcement of this title brought on more than a murmur of a collective groan from the gaming community, but those groans were met with what turned out to be a fun game. While Capcom and Street Fighter took on the Marvel license, it seems only appropriate that Street Fighter’s greatest competition (at least in the 90s) would team up with the DC Universe. The fighting was fun, with the ability to beat opponents through walls, off ledges, and use the super powers of each character in natural ways. While it seems like these two worlds would mix like oil and vinager, they actually blended more like cream and coffee.
8. Marvel vs. Capcom – Before Marvel vs. Capcom assaulted arcade goers with a roster of over 50 characters, the original Marvel vs. Capcom came out in arcades, and then for the Dreamcast and Playstation (PSOne). For those who don’t know, Marvel vs. Capcom featured 2 on 2 fights, and you could tag your partners in and continue fighting. There was a feature in the home version of Marvel cs. Capcom that made tagging fairly epic. Two teams could go at it (with four people playing), each controlling their own character. This made for some raucous cooperative/versus, gameplay. Just imagine doing a super, tagging your partner (who is sitting there with you) and he continues the beat down with his own super, and then you laugh at the people you are destroying. And to be quite honest, while I have played better fighting games, I have not yet found a fighting game that was as much fun as this, simply because of the added human element.
7. Punisher – Capcom made a fun arcade Punisher title in the 90s, but this isn’t the Punisher we’re talking about. Nope, this is the Punisher that came out for Xbox and Playstation 2, and it wasn’t afraid to show the darker side of Frank Castle. This Punisher was replete with violence, torturing, and blood-soaked death sequences. While this may be too much for some gamers to take, it was faithful to the comic book character. The Punisher also featured the voice of Thomas Jane, the actor who slipped on the skulled-body armor in 2004’s theatrical release of the Punisher film. Gameplay and graphics were both above average, but what made this one unique was the ruthless deaths that the Punisher could dole out via hot spots on each level.
6. X-Men – Konami had the arcade beat ‘em up down to a science in the 90s. Their top two games were Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and X-Men, and many a nerdy argument would carry on debating which one was better. To be honest, it really doesn’t matter as both were great games, each being faithful to the franchise they represented. X-Men combined some great sound effects with the perfect sets of animation to create a truly satisfying arcade beat down. And no other game offered a final boss (Magneto) that featured such awesome dialog. I will never forget the first time I heard "X-Chickens!" Or when Monte, my junior high mall buddy, walked around Laruel Mall repeating that phrase with a devil's expression to total, unsuspecting strangers.
5. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – It is hard to argue that there was a more iconic beat ‘em up in the 90s arcades than Konami’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It took the television license and made an incredibly fun game. Combat was surprisingly satisfying, especially when tossing enemies around, and stages had a lot of variety. Sound was also excellent, using a remixed version of the television show’s theme song to fantastic results. And there was plenty of voice acting and sound clips from the show, adding to the presentation and personality of the game.
4. X-Men 2 – The Sega Genesis version of X-Men took a comic book franchise and made a successful game out of it. All of the mutants looked good, and their powers were well represented, even if the game itself felt a bit sloppy and unpolished. However, X-Men 2 fixed everything that was wrong with the first game. The graphics were better, the controls were tighter, and the cast of characters was more robust. X-Men 2 was the quintessential side scrolling platformer, but it added comic book characters and make them fun to use. There are few games where it’s as fun to slash a guy with Wolverine, or hit someone with Cyclops’ eye beams. But those games are coming up next.
3. Marvel Ultimate Alliance – A top down role playing style beat ‘em up, Marvel Ultimate Alliance is one of the best comic book games around. Alliance is basically the sum of the older X-Men games coupled with improved graphics and opened to the entire Marvel Universe. Sure, the most popular X-Men, such as Wolverine, Cyclopes, and Storm, all made the cut, but a lot of new playable characters were introduced, such as Thor, Iron Man, and Captain America. Xbox 360 owners also got the opportunity to expand their roster by eight characters, adding such fan favorites as Venom and the Hulk to the mix.
2. Marvel vs. Capcom 2 – A lot has been said about this one as of late, with the announcement that it would be released as a downloadable game last week for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. However, when it comes to gameplay, few fighting games fair better. There are so many characters included in the game that you are bound to find your favorite. In fact, every single Marvel character ever featured in a Capcom fighting game is here (with the exception of a few hidden characters, such as U.S. Agent). The super moves do a great job representing their comic book origins while adding the flash and glitz of a Capcom versus fighter. Just pick your three favorite characters and duke it out with insane comboes and action. This is what video games are all about.
1. Incredible Hulk Ultimate Destruction – Dr. Banner’s open world outing is still the best comic book-based game out there. Ultimate Destruction actually captures what it would be like to control the Hulk, a feat no game prior to it has been able to accomplish. The screen shook, and the ground trembled with each heavy step in the Hulk’s gait. Cars and buses crumbled like Styrofoam dummies in the path of a rampaging NFL linebacker – the Hulk was a human (?) wrecking ball, near impossible to stop for anyone he faced in the game. As players progressed through the game, they were granted abilities that made the Hulk even more fun to play as until eventually, the Hulk was so powerful, and had such a large arsenal of moves, and he was a rampaging monster, controllable by only the player, and limited only to that player’s imagination. In other words, by the time you fully powered up the Hulk, Hulk was the strongest one there was!
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