10 Greatest Comic Book Video Games Ever Made

Determining the best comic book superhero video games is subjective, and there are plenty of good ones to choose from. There are also tons of bad comic book video games, but it’s always more interesting to dive into the best ones. Instead of picking games that are all outstanding from the same franchises, we’re limiting the choices to the best from each franchise. So, you’ll only find one Batman: Arkham game on here. The same goes for fighting game franchises, and so on. Each of these is one of the best comic book video games ever made, and they’re presented in no particular order.

1) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Konami’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles crawled out of the sewers and into arcades in 1989 to widespread success. This was one of Konami’s first proper arcade beat ‘em ups that allowed four players to simultaneously make their way across the levels to take the fight to the Shredder, Krang, and enough Foot Clan goons to cost a whole allowance worth of quarters. The game’s story, graphics, controls, and sound are all exceptional, and it remains a beloved classic released at the height of Turtle Fever, thanks to the TMNT cartoon. It was ported to nearly every system on the market and remains a favorite among retro gamers to this day.

2) Batman: Arkham City

There’s more than enough debate among gamers as to which Arkham title is the best. Many feel that the first, Batman: Arkham Asylum, takes the crown, while it seems that more people feel that its first sequel, Batman: Arkham City, released in 2011, is superior. Asylum was an absolute game-changer for the industry, and its place in the hallowed halls of video game history cannot be overstated. Still, the sequel built upon and ran with its predecessor’s success, refining and expanding the format to deliver a truly memorable title. To many, Batman: Arkham City is the greatest Batman game of all time.

3) X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse

When X-Men Legends arrived in 2004, it introduced players to one of the best comic book games made up to that point. The mechanics and style of gameplay were captivating, and it was incredibly successful. Unsurprisingly, it spawned a sequel, and like Arkham City, it too built upon the success of its predecessor. X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse is a fantastic game that tells an engrossing story, offering a great deal of replayability. It added online play, additional powers for the mutants, and a significantly larger cast of characters, making the sequel an improvement over the original.

4) Marvel’s Spider-Man

There’s a long history of crummy Spider-Man games, but that changed with the release of Marvel’s Spider-Man in 2018. The game silenced any naysayers with its beautiful recreation of New York City, the excellently programmed web-swinging and fighting mechanics, interesting quests and missions, and a beautifully written storyline. Players can get lost in the game for hours, doing little more than swinging through the city, looking at the amazing sites as they uncover Easter eggs and a plethora of references to the comics. The game spawned a Miles Morales sequel, a direct sequel in Spider-Man 2, and numerous DLC releases.

5) The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction

Creating a game based on the Incredible Hulk can be challenging. After all, he’s almost indestructible and gets stronger the angrier he gets, so how do you make that fun? Put the Jade Giant into a massive open world environment and let him destroy almost everything he wants. Granted, that’s not all there is to do in The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, as it features an excellent campaign storyline and a host of side missions to keep players busy. You can also upgrade the Hulk’s abilities, granting him new powers, so it’s a fun way to jump into Bruce Banner’s alter ego.

6) X-Men: Children Of The Atom

Capcom knows how to make good fighting games, and the company has been at it for decades. One of the best to come out in the early ’90s is easily X-Men: Children Of The Atom. The game was initially released in arcades but has since been ported to various systems. It’s Capcom’s first game using licensed characters from Marvel Comics, and it was made to capitalize on the success of X-Men: The Animated Series. It didn’t need to be associated because, on its own, it’s an excellent and entertaining game. Players follow the “Fatal Attractions” storyline from the comics and fight their way to Magneto, or players beat the snot out of one another using their favorite characters. One of its most notable innovations is a combo system, which is now common but was novel at the time.

7) Marvel Ultimate Alliance

Marvel Ultimate Alliance is the evolution of Activision’s X-Men Legends games. It follows the same format, but with tweaks and improvements. The game features a storyline that pits an extensive roster of available characters against Doctor Doom and the Masters of Evil. Players could choose from 38 characters, all of whom have four unique abilities. This allows combos to achieve specific goals, making it a lot of fun to hot-swap who the player controls as they progress through the game. There are two sequels, and while they’re all good games, the original is arguably the best.

8) X-Men: The Arcade Game

The 1992 X-Men arcade game, developed by Konami, is based on “X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men,” and it allows up to six players to play simultaneously. This was a huge deal back when the game was released, and it saw many quarters pass through its slots as groups of friends gathered around to play. The arcade cabinet was massive, and likely cost arcades a lot of cash. Still, it’s one of the top-earning games of its era, so they paid for themselves. Players could choose one of six characters: Cyclops, Colossus, Wolverine, Dazzler, Nightcrawler, and Storm, all of whom had their own abilities. The story is entertaining, the gameplay is more than mindless button-mashing, and it has high replay value.

9) Marvel Vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes

Capcom continued its winning streak of producing excellent games well into the 2000s with the release of Marvel Vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes. The game is a sequel to Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes, utilizing similar mechanics. It also improves and changes these to allow for three-on-three gameplay. Additionally, it introduced a character assist system, and the controls were easier to use. The game’s storyline and roster of characters are elevated, and its graphics are a step above its predecessors, making it the first in the franchise to feature 2.5D graphics. Every player has their favorite game from the franchise, but most seem to gravitate towards New Age of Heroes above the rest.

10) Injustice 2

The first Injustice game was an absolute smashing success, introducing a storyline surrounding a villainous Superman and Batman’s insurgency attempting to stop him. There are comics as well, and the game’s story is incredible. It also features some of the best graphics and cutscenes in any fighting game of the 2010s. The sequel continued the concept and refined it in every way possible. Injustice 2 introduced a loot-drop system that allows for character customization, and the game’s progression is similar to an RPG. It’s a master class in fighting game development, and fans are excited to see what comes next with Injustice 3.

Which of these comic book games do you love the most?? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

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