10 of the Best… Comic Book Games

Spider-Man (PS1, N64, Dreamcast, 2000)

It’s entirely arguable that Spider-Man 2 on PS2 and Gamecube is the better game, but this Spider-Man title paved the way for one of gaming’s most enjoyable comic book tie-ins. All the Spidey staples are here – wall crawling, web slinging and fighting a phenomenal cast of villains, including Venom, Doctor Octopus, Scorpion, Mysterio and most importantly, J. Jonah Jameson. The gameplay is brilliantly realised, particularly on the then-ageing PS1. Fighting enemies includes combos, special web moves and utilising some of the titular character’s agility. Even more fun are the sections in which you swing from building to building, often racing against time or chasing an enemy. The sensation of speed is created by a modified Tony Hawk engine and while later games would do the same thing better, the first time you really get to explore a 3D world as Spider-Man was a fantastic experience.

X-Men (Arcade, XBLA, PSN, 1992)

The arcade X-Men game was a fairly standard brawler for the time. It plays like Streets of Rage or Final Fight, but with the addition of a mutant power instead of, for example, Streets of Rage’s police call, there is a certain level of strategy involved. What makes the game great is firstly, the six-player mode. Up to six people can take control of Cyclops, Wolverine, Colossus, Dazzler, Nightcrawler and Storm. Each plays differently, though there’s inevitably a scramble to play as fan favourite, Wolverine. Secondly, while it is a fairly standard scrolling fighter, it stands up as well as any similar game from its era, playing extremely well. Add recognisable characters to that and you have a classic. Finally, the best thing about the game is the fantastic pieces of dialogue, clearly lost in translation from Japanese. “I am Magneto, Master of Magnet!” and “Welcome to Die!” are probably the funniest, and were left intact for the recent HD rerelease – rightly so, too.

Shadowman (N64, PS1, Dreamcast, PC, 1999)

One of the few comic book games based on more mature themes, Shadowman was one of the darker N64 games when it released in 1999. The plot focuses on Mike LeRoi, imbued with supernatural powers after a gang murdered his family. His mission in the game is to stop five serial killers intent on causing the apocalypse. The settings are grim and gothic, with fantastic lighting on the Dreamcast version which adds to the demonic atmosphere. In terms of gameplay, Shadowman is reminiscent of Tomb Raider or Soul Reaver. The focus is on exploration and combat and with a great lock-on feature lifted from Ocarina of Time, it works slightly better than the Tomb Raider games. The game can also be played in any order, and encourages experimentation in the style of Metroid. For a comic-book licence which could have been a simple series of run and gun levels the amount of effort expended is tremendous. It has occasional glitches, and a few flaws, but overall is one of; if not the best representations of more mature comic books to appear in gaming.

Marvel vs. Capcom 2 (Dreamcast, PS2, Xbox, Arcade, 2000)

For Marvel fans, this game is a dream come true. It would be pointless to list all the characters, such is their number, but almost every major Marvel character is featured, either as a playable fighter, or in a support role. The addition of some of the classic Capcom characters only adds to the fun. Fights play out like firework displays, often happening high above the ground as combos lift characters into the air and continue at altitude. The colours positively burst from the screen and the animated style of Capcom’s fighting games is perfect for Marvel’s cast of heroes and villains. The size and abilities of the characters are also fantastically realised, with larger characters like Hulk and Venom dominating the screen with their bulk, and smaller agile characters like Spider-Man zipping across the screen at incredible speed. Speed, in fact, is the crux of the game. The sheer pace which fights occur at is unbelievable, and while it can be a button masher’s paradise, there are enough variations in characters and moves that it can be mastered and enjoyed by the more hardcore fighting game fans.

Batman: Arkham Asylum (PS3, Xbox, PC, 2009)

There’s a lot to said for a game where you can wander off for hours just looking for secrets based on bizarre riddles. It must be a game which the developers threw themselves into, and loved every second of creating. Not a tie-in then. Arkham Asylum puts to bed the stereotype that licenced games can’t be good, it’s not only one of the best comic book games, but one of the best games of the current generation of consoles. Exploring Arkham island is an absolute joy, with Batman able to grapple, zipline and glide between areas, silently taking out enemies and hanging them from gargoyles, or using detective mode to track antagonists. There are just so many brilliant elements that the game never gets boring. It has perhaps the best fighting engine ever seen in a 3D adventure game, with combos based on timing and rhythm. So impressive are they, that a whole separate mode focuses entirely on combination perfection. The characters are well-acted and animated, with Mark Hamill’s Joker standing out in particular. There’s so much that’s brilliant about Arkham in fact, that there simply isn’t space to relay it all. Roll on Arkham City.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (XBLA, PSN, 2010)

Scott Pilgrim is full of references to classic gaming, so it’s only right that the Scott Pilgrim game be a throwback to a simpler time. The graphics are incredibly detailed, in 16/8 bit style and full of graphical flourishes. The sounds are again, classic, and the soundtrack is simply incredible – it’s provided by chiptune band Anamanaguchi, and is one of the best things about the game, helping it move along at blistering pace as the punches start flying. Weapons can be picked up and thrown at the often bizarre enemies. Each of the levels features a final battle with one of heroine Ramona Flowers’ evil exes, the same plot as the movie. Up to four players can join the fun, and it’s far better with others, same as most games of this type. The game retains the humour and appeal of the comics well, combined with a unique look, a nostalgic appeal and brilliant music, this is a massive amount of fun to play.

The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction (PS2, Gamecube, Xbox, 2005)

Hulk isn’t the most subtle of characters, so developers have often tried to shoehorn in more slow sections to Hulk games. The Hulk movie tie-in featured awful stealth sections which killed off any fun players could have had as the grumpy green giant. Radical Entertainment saw what was good about their first game featuring Hulk and built this game around that. Thank goodness they did. Ultimate Destruction is just that, a feast of smashing, bashing and mauling. It’s not totally mindless however, there are unlockable upgrades to aid Hulk in his battles, and objects are usable after being destroyed, as weapons and shields. Best of all, the game plays out in a large open-world, full of things to smash. It’s the perfect Hulk game, just mindless enough to fit the character and be immense fun, but not completely pointless, there is a game here. It may be somewhat limited, but the same thrill of just driving like a lunatic in GTA is here in Hulk’s ability to go anywhere and destroy anything. It’s not deep, it’s not subtle, and that fits a Hulk game just right.

XIII (PS2, Xbox, Gamecube, 2003)

No game has captured the visual element of comic books quite as effectively as XIII. Based on a Belgian comic book, the game follows an amnesiac with impressive self-defense and weapon skills and a tattoo of the Roman numeral XIII who is wanted for assassinating the US president. This sets the scene for one of the more unique first-person shooters in recent memory. The graphics are cel-shaded, which achieves a cartoonish, comic style look, perfectly suited to the subject material. In addition, when certain sounds are heard, they are visually represented on screen, in comic book style. BAM or BOOM! appear on screen when guns are fired or something explodes. The game is a fun, though simple shooter, but the graphics more than make up for this. It looks absolutely incredible, and still does thanks to the impressive visual style. The voice cast is also surprisingly impressive, David Duchovny playing XIII with rapper Eve and the ever-popular Adam West in supporting roles, the production values are impressive across the board. The plot is full of twists and keeps the action moving along nicely. It may suffer a little from being style over substance, but it remains an enjoyable game, and the style really is quite impressive.

Sam and Max Hit the Road (PC, 1993)

It’s probably better known as a game, but Sam and Max did in fact begin life as comic book duo, solving crimes in their own inimitable irreverent way. The game is one of the best graphic adventures ever made, and there’s some stiff competition. It’s also one of the funniest games released, with diminutive rabbit Max making bizarre observations as Sam attempts to use his ever so slightly warped sense of justice to right wrongs. The humour is the catalyst for a wonderful game, which is as enjoyable when you make mistakes as it is when you’re successful. Hearing what the characters say next means making various unusual attempts to solve puzzles is a must – and often these elaborate solutions prove correct. The interplay between Sam and Max is brilliantly realised, their dialogue at a level rarely matched in videogames and coupled with some fiendish puzzles and a worldview which isn’t quite… normal, Sam and Max is an absolute gem – so much so that it recently got a series of episodic sequels, thirteen years after ‘Hit the Road’ was released for DOS.

The Adventures of Batman and Robin (SNES, 1994)

Konami had a habit of making great games for the 8 and 16 bit consoles, so it was a treat for Batman fans to see that they had the rights to the excellent early 90’s animated series. Not to be confused with the inferior Sega developed Mega Drive version, the SNES edition was a platformer with style in abundance. Featuring a plethora of enemies and locations from the show, as well as its memorable music, the game had gorgeous visuals. Large, solid sprites with excellent attention to detail did battle against a huge variety of backgrounds, all looking astonishingly close to the source material’s appearance. The gameplay is a simple enough platforming brawler, but there are some classic bat-gadgets available, including the ubiquitous grappling hook. It’s rather tough also, providing the kind of challenge that might lead to controllers thrown across rooms at times, but this is far from a bad thing, the sense of achievement upon completing a level is immense, and each new stage is a reward in itself, such is the visual appeal of the game.