While gamers have been able to control their favorite superheroes on the small screen for years, it’s really only in the last couple of decades that next-generation consoles and developers have been able to truly bring these comic characters to digital life, with the last decade especially featuring some of the best superhero games fans have ever seen.
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As fans wait patiently for new entries in Rocksteady’s DC Universe – namely Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League in 2022 – or Sony’s hit Spider-Man franchise that will be releasing additional Miles Morales based gameplay, it’s important to look back at the last decade to really see the growth of superhero games over the last decade, as ranked by Metacritic review scores.
10 The Darkness II (2010) – 80
While Jackie Estacado/The Darkness likely wouldn’t be the first to call himself a superhero, he was originally a comic book character before 2K Games adapted the character for the first-person shooter The Darkness in 2007.
Digital Extremes developed the sequel in 2011 which improved on the first game’s mechanics while giving players the chance to control more of the demonic abilities and Darklings at Jackie’s disposal, making for a much more enjoyable and user-friendly game than the first.
9 InFAMOUS: Second Son (2014) – 80
A new Conduit named Delsin Rowe appeared in InFAMOUS: Second Son, which takes place a couple of years after the events of the first couple of games when an organization has been put together to capture and enslave powered individuals like Rowe.
While Cole MacGrath was an electric-based Conduit with a variety of different energy abilities, Rowe was able to switch between powers after encountering other Conduits, adding to the gameplay while the excellent story explored Rowe and his Akomish Tribe’s struggles in the fictionalized Seattle under the evil organization.
8 LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes (2012) – 81
There have been a number of successful LEGO games featuring popular franchises like Star Wars and Indiana Jones, though 2008 saw the release of LEGO Batman which kicked off a new wave of comic book-based LEGO adaptations.
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LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes expanded on the first game by adding up to 75 playable characters that included non-Gotham City heroes like Superman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern in a co-operative open-world game that quickly became a fan-favorite and led to another sequel and a spin-off.
7 LEGO Marvel Super Heroes (2013) – 83
DC wasn’t the only company to get in on the LEGO action, as Marvel soon joined in with the incredibly popular LEGO Marvel Super Heroes in 2013, developed by Traveler’s Tales and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes brought together a huge collection of Marvel characters against Doctor Doom, Loki, and another large selection of villains in the best-selling LEGO game ever, which led to a sequel and an Avengers-based spin-off.
6 South Park: The Fractured But Whole (2017) – 84
The popular Comedy Central series South Park is no stranger to the video game world, and 2017 it saw the release of the highly anticipated sequel to the fantasy-based South Park: The Stick of Truth. But this time, it dove into the superhero characters of the series.
South Park: The Fractured But Whole is a role-playing game like its predecessor, though it refined the combat gameplay and doubled down on the hilarious story that followed the New Kid as he finds his place among groups of original costumed characters while they save the town from a conspiratorial crime wave.
5 Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds (2011) – 85
The long-lasting and incredibly popular Marvel vs. Capcom series released the fifth game in the series in 2011, which updated the classic fighting series with new 3D character models and a number of additional playable characters from the Avengers, X-Men, and more.
The third sequel also featured gameplay enhancements that were designed to make it easier for new players to pick up with a simplified control scheme. Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 was released a few years later with an expanded roster of characters and new enhancements on the original game.
4 Batman: Arkham Knight (2015) – 87
Rocksteady Studios released the final chapter in the hit Arkham series in 2015 with Batman: Arkham Knight, which promised for the first time that players could now actually “Be the Batman” thanks to the addition of a driveable Batmobile.
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The game also featured the biggest open-world setting yet as players were able to explore all of Gotham City, instead of the Asylum or blocked off prison city from the previous games. The game featured a comic-inspired story that further developed the characters and storyline launched years earlier with Arkham Asylum.
3 Marvel’s Spider-Man (2018) – 87
Insomniac Games and Sony released the best game to feature Marvel’s web-slinging wonder with 2018’s Marvel’s Spider-Man, which took the classic characters and ran with them in an original story that created its own continuity.
Marvel’s Spider-Man evolved some of the combat and gadget mechanics that were first perfected in the Arkham Asylum series while giving fans a ton of collectibles, costumes, and DLC that all led to this version of Spider-Man’s appearance in the comics as well as a sequel game focusing on young Miles Morales.
2 Injustice 2 (2017) – 89
While 2009’s Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe didn’t quite make the top 10 of the Best Games of the 2000s, NetherRealm Studios took the fighting game franchise and ran with it with the release of the DC-focused Injustice: Gods Among Us in 2013.
2017’s Injustice 2 doubled down on what worked from the first game while adding a new Gear System that allowed players to progress their characters with new costume pieces and abilities as they worked through a powerful story set in a dark possible future DC timeline.
1 Batman: Arkham City (2011) – 96
While Arkham Knight showcased the evolution of the game series and console technology, it was 2011’s Batman: Arkham City that stands out among its own franchise and other superhero games as one of the best comic book games ever created.
Arkham City took the fan-favorite Arkham Asylum and perfected the combat system, but it didn’t stop there. It also increased Batman’s arsenal of gadgets and allowed the character to fly free above the imprisoned city while fighting against some of his greatest villains alongside his greatest allies.
NEXT: 5 Reasons Why We Want Injustice 3 Next (& 5 Why We Want Mortal Kombat 12)
