The 6 Definitive Superhero Videogames

Transitioning superhero characters to the videogame realm has always been a "hit or miss" affair. From the days of 8-bit gaming the developers have tried their hands on making a game about the majestic mythologies and powers of the comicbook superhero. They advertised "You are (Insert name of well-know superhero here)" and mostly, unfortunately,  failed horribly. And let's face it guys, those were days of hugely limited graphics so what did you expect? These characters are larger than life and you really can't contain them in a game where their only options were to go from left to right. Well, now we're in the real "next-gen" era of videogames and the developers finally have the processing power to give us the definintive superhero experience and they're finally getting some traction in bringing us just that. 

6. The Punisher (2005)

Based on the movie yet deviates from the film's storyline and is actually a "sequel" of sorts, the game captures the essence of what The Punisher is all about, mainly killing every criminal you find in the most sadistic way possible. Thomas Jane's voice work added a whole lot to the atmosphere of the game. His brooding and unsympathetic delivery pretty much sums up Frank Castle's sociopathic mind. The action in the game itself is flawed and average but it's brutal and violent interrogation and execution segments surprisingly made for that which is either a good or bad depending on your personal view. Funny how a few gallons of blood can make everything seem better in a game. This game is perfect to feed your inner vigilante sociopath's urges, hell, the game even has tips on how to remove blood stains on your shirt!

Frank is not a very nice person.

  
5. Spiderman: Web of Shadows (2008)

After the abysmal cash cow that was the Spiderman 3 videogame, it seems as if Spiderman has finally ran out of nifty little tricks with his virtual web. Fortunately for Spidey, Web of Shadows gave it the much needed boost for it's already declining quality. The game wasn't hindered with being tied to a movie and so the developers have complete freedom on taking memorable stuff from the original source which is the comicbooks. With an amped up fighting engine and a branching storyline Spiderman has smoothly rebounded from it's slow fall from grace and is now swinging on the number 5 spot.

Who's gonna clean all that web? Spidey, you douche.

4. The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction (2005)

Another superhero videogame that was able to learn from it's movie-based redheaded sibling. It sticked to what the Hulk is , basically a giant green muscled behemoth with the brain of a 4 year old throwing massive tantrums and of course, tanks to the heavens. The game was also a free roaming action adventure slugfest. Heck, Ultimate Destruction perfectly described this game on it's own. Unfortunately, the 2008 game adaptation of the movie castrated Ultimate Destructions gameplay and mechanics and was just a hollow green shell of it's former self.

Another day in New York City.

3. X Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)

Yeah I know, the movie was a god-awful butchering of Wolverine's real origin story from the comics but thankfully we found a gold in the heap of trash. In what is a pretty rare instance in movie based videogames, this one was actually good. The game was a violent and gory beat 'em up that finally gave everyone's favorite Canadian mutant his videogame due. With real time damage seen on Wolverine's body, this game was very graphic indeed. A far cry from it's PG-13 bloodless movie counter-part. The game was a God of War rip-off, yes, but if you're gonna rip-off something better take from the best, right? And in this game, you as Wolverine can gleefully rip-off (sorry, can't resist) the spine of anyone stupid enough to stand in your way. A fantastic combination of gore and action.

Like slicing warm butter.

2. Marvel: Ultimate Alliance (2006)

Basically a fan boy's wet dream, this action RPG of epic proportions has you controlling the "who's who" of the Marvel Universe against it's most well know villains. With lots of downloadble content going for it right now, this is one of the must have games if you call yourself a true comicbook fan. And now with Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 on the horizon which has double the playable characters, Activision has figuratively speaking, given you a geekgasm.

GEEKGASM

1. Batman: Arkham Asylum (2009)

 
Now the reason I even made this blog, let me say this up front, THIS IS THE DEFINITIVE SUPERHERO VIDEOGAME. This game is a shoe in for game of the year with it's beautiful graphics, grimy and edgy atmosphere, top notch voice acting and tight gameplay. I can't even emphasise the sheer amazement I had when I popped this game in my Xbox 360 and played for 3 hours. Man, those 3 hours flew by, I tell ya. While it didn't have all the iconic villains from Batman's rogue's gallery in there, it left a lot of clues for a definite sequel in the future. You really have to search every nook and cranny of the games huge environment to appreciate the developers work. And trust me, they gave you lots of easter eggs in there for the fans and, of course, warrant the eventual sequel in the future. There are only few occasions that I get excited this much for a videogame sequel and Batman: Arkham Asylum earns every drop of that hype with what it showed me in this game. A true classic. The Dark Knight has dominated both the movie and videogame industry, not even Superman has done that and he's DC's flagship character.

Batman 101: How to wipe the smile off someone's face.