Comic books are a beautiful thing. They’re colourful and amusing and are a gateway into a life of reading, which everyone knows is good for the brain but is something no one really wants to do. Flipping through the pages of The Fantastic Four or Captain America really gives the reader a rush as they witness acts of superhuman abilities, both mental and physical, and dream of a world where they can fly and lift cars. When the world of video games began expanding and evolving, alongside comic books and their fan base, nerds around the world hoped for a glimpse of being able to play as their favorite hero and, for once, fly around the city instead of just witnessing it happening beyond their control. Both gaming and comic books have come a long way since the early days of Captain America’s Hitler hunts and pixelated pong games, and the two have combined into something really special. Many superhero action games are sadly made horribly because with the comic book world being a major supplier of modern movies, game developers know they can sell a half-assed game simply on the name alone and that’s just plain wrong.
Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage
There is absolutely nothing better than a good old fashioned ‘90s beat-em-up game. Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage was based off the comic book mini series of the same name. The fourteen part mini series played host to a selection of comic book characters that continued to increase as the story unfolded. The game saw some of these characters and did miss certain parts of the story itself but the option to play as the heroic Spider-Man or the villainous Venom is really what piqued the curiosity of gamers young and old. Either character followed their own specific storyline, which gave the game a lot of replay value and the overall length of the game was respectable for its genre. This is what the next Spider-Man game should be…what ever happened to the beat-em-up?
Marvel Ultimate Alliance
Marvel Ultimate Alliance was an idea that spawned from the widely popular “X-Men Legends” game that centered on the ability to choose your characters; to make a team of heroes you want, regardless of whether they would ever actually fight together in the comics. You could play as the fantastic four, your favorite selection of X-Men, or whatever four character combination you could think of. Ultimate Alliance later spawned a sequel which gave a much richer roster of heroes and villains, yet lacked the real special something that it’s predecessor gave us all.
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Batman: Arkham Asylum recently showed game developers what could be done with the decades of comic book material they had at their disposal for so long. Arkham Asylum brought one of DC’s darkest characters into one of DC’s darkest places. Batman is in the very Asylum he has brought so many villains to in the past…and the Joker is running the show, letting every one of the Asylum’s inhabitants free to do as they please. The game featured a great storyline and some really stunning graphics as well as a new style of fighting that gave players loads of satisfaction from landing that slow-mo kick to the face of the thug behind you.
X-Men: Arcade
When arcades in the ‘90s finally received this X-Men beat-em-up game, kids lined up to pour their parents’ savings into the machines. The game featured all our favorite X-Men heroes and villains, allowing the player freedom to play as Wolverine, Cyclops, Colossus, Dazzler, Storm, and Nightcrawler. Each character had their own special mutant power that could completely rip through most everything on the screen.
TMNT: Turtles in Time
TMNT was THE game that every kid had played at least once back in the day. Many, like myself, have spent years playing through this amazing beat-em-up and still play it to this day, simply for the rush of memories of a simpler time. A time when virtual reality wasn’t the first thing people think of when you say games and where video games were played until the early hours of the morning and not made into “family night” in the living room after supper. Also — “My toe! My toe! My toe!”
DC Universe Online
DC Universe Online made a huge splash when it was released last year, becoming one of the fastest selling games of all time. The reason is because they took the idea of an MMO and used the world of DC Comics as its theme. Being able to make your own hero or villain and team up with the legends we all grew up with is all the reason gamers needed to pick the $70 game up and gladly pay the $15 monthly fee. DCU’s number of players has decreased of late, most likely due to a lack of fresh content which really starts to make players think twice about the $15 they’re forking out each month. The game is now free to play with the option of paying for extras which will pull many gamers back to Gotham City of Metropolis for some more superhero mayhem.
Captain America and The Avengers
What’s better than a beat-em-up starring the Uncanny X-Men? How about a beat-em-up starring a super group unlike any other: The Avengers. Captain America and the Avengers is the ultimate comic book beat-em-up. The X-Men were composed of characters who were all mutants; some cool, some…not so much, but the Avengers are the very best of the best. The most recognized faces of Marvel Comics: Captain America, Iron Man, Hawkeye, and The Vision. Seriously, there’s not too much more you could possibly ask for.
Marvel vs. Capcom 2
Marvel vs. Capcom brought together two completely different worlds and put them against each other in brutal combat. The idea was genius and has since been used several times; being able to have a match as Iron Man against Mega Man or The Hulk against Zangief…it was heaven. The first Marvel vs. Capcom laid the foundation for its sequel, which is the most memorable of the franchise. It can never truly be recreated by modern sequels but many gamers are still more than happy that they’re trying.
The Death and Return of Superman
The Death and Return of Superman is probably the most epic and memorable story arc in the history of comics. Readers will forever remember the day DC Comics killed off the world’s greatest hero: Superman. This game captured the story of Superman’s bloody battle with the Krypton monster; Doomsday, Superman’s ultimate demise, the emergence of new heroes claiming to be Superman, and the epic return of our favorite hero. The game allowed players to play as Superman, Steel, The Cyborg, The Eradicator, and Superboy. All five Supermen in one epic ‘90s title. Epic.
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe
The most recent game to use the idea of two separate worlds coming together to battle was Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. It was a smart idea. Mortal Kombat has had a strong following since the dawn of the arcade days and DC Comics has been around even longer and is becoming increasingly popular as time goes on. Who didn’t want to have Superman and Sub Zero duke it out? It fared pretty well and even had a story to tie together the fusion of these two very different universes.