Top 10 Tuesday – Best Comic Based Games

10. Wolverine: Origins

Wolverine: Origins is another case of a game being missed because of its links to a seemingly average movie. However the game reflects how the movie should have been directed. With an 18 age restriction it holds nothing back, being a hack n slash of epic proportions. Taking Wolverine through the various levels and testing out his combat on unsuspecting enemies has never been more fun. The game doesn’t offer much in terms of puzzles, but then, can anyone really see Wolverine solving which brick should go where? Yeah, we thought so bub. It offers action, and tons of it, with a storyline that is a little mixed up at times, but doesn’t take away from those OH HELL YEAH moments.

9. TMNT 1989 Arcade Game

Correctomondo, those four hip turtles originate from the pages of comic books. With a number of games released based on the pizza loving combative turtles and their sensei Splinter, one of the best is the original 1989 Arcade version. Up to four players controlling  the heroes-in-a-half-shell as they took on Shredder, Krang and their numerous Foot er…footsoldiers in order to save the hapless reporter April O’ Neil… Despite its simplicity in terms of combat, it truly is a great game which holds up even now on Xbox Live Arcade.

8. Captain America: Super Soldier

Much of the ‘propaganda’ found throughout Captain America comics has made him unappealing to certain sections of the world. With the most recent comic run and live-action movie people are now seeing some of the depth to his character. Captain America: Super Soldier did an excellent job in taking this even further. Great, if simple, combat mechanics together with an intriguing storyline (different from the recent movie) made playing through the game an enjoyable experience and one that more people need to try.

7. Ultimate Spider-Man

Ultimate Spider-Man is based on the comic books of the same name, written by the magnificent Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley. The game is still the best of all games based on Peter Parker and his arachnid tendencies. The game presented some superb graphics and animation style for its time, had fantastic boss fights and was incredibly challenging to boot. Kicking symbiotes in the face has never been so rewarding.

6. Sam and Max: Hit the Road

That’s right, the world’s strangest police partnership started off as a comic. Finding themselves in a world of parody, Sam and Max solve crimes in the most humorous and bizarre way. This PC game is one of the iconic pieces of gaming history, and is often regarded as the best adventure game of all time.

5. Marvel Ultimate Alliance Series

The Marvel Ultimate Alliance games brought superhero fans’ dreams alive, with a huge roster of your favourite characters from the Marvel Universe. This beat-em up allows players to choose 4 characters at a time to move through some wonderfully visualised levels out of Marvel’s comic pages. MUA 1 was an enjoyable spectacle from start to finish, and while MUA 2 was fun, it did lose some of the RPG elements from the first game. Still, making a team of heroes has never been more gratifying.

4. X-Men Legends: Rise of Apocalypse

Before the MUA series, Activision released a similar games based on the world of the X-Men . Like the MUA games, players could choose four alternating characters to bash through levels and take on the forces of Apocalypse. Great levelling up and powers to unlock, together with a an interesting story, made this one of the best comic based games on the PS2.

3. Marvel vs. Capcom Series

MvC2 was one of those games that was always full at the arcades. With its huge selection of characters both from the Marvel and Capcom universe it gave players the chance to battle it out 2D fighter style. It also gives opportunity for an epileptic attack with fast, bright visuals, insane combos and a barrel of laughs. Ten years on Capcom released MvC3, followed by Ultimate, and the tradition has remained consistent. Again, lots of characters to choose from, not to mention some great background levels from the world of Thor, Captain America, Deadpool and many more. MvC is one hell of a game, assuming you can keep up.

2. Batman: Arkham Asylum

Following a spurt of disappointing comic based games Rocksteady made a bold move in releasing a darker, grittier game based on the Dark Knight’s adventures. What players got was an invigorating experience which gave players a great idea of what it was like to be The Batman. A solid storyline, incredibly fluid combat, and Riddler challenges provided players with not only the best comic game, but also one of the best action games of all time, until…

1. Batman: Arkham City

Surely, the best comic based game has to go to Rocksteady’s recently released Batman: Arkham City. This game took everything that was seemingly perfect in Arkham Asylum and turned it up another five notches. With a prison literally the size of city the feeling of actually being Batman on a playground filled with villains with no end was captured like never before. Gliding above the city lights, solving puzzles, and battling thugs makes Batman: Arkham City an unbelievable experience not to be missed.