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 thesecomiccharacters to digital life, with the last decade especially featuring some of the best superhero games fans have ever seen.
RELATED:10 Best Superhero Games Of The 2000s (According To Metacritic)
As fans wait patiently for new entries in Rocksteady’s DC Universe - namelySuicide Squad: Kill The Justice Leaguein 2022 - or Sony’s hitSpider-Manfranchise that will be releasing additionalMiles Moralesbased 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 byMetacriticreview scores.
10The 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 before2K Gamesadapted the character for the first-person shooterThe Darknessin 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.
9InFAMOUS: Second Son (2014) - 80
A new Conduit named Delsin Rowe appeared inInFAMOUS: 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.
8LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes (2012) - 81
There have been a number of successfulLEGOgames featuring popular franchises likeStar WarsandIndiana Jones, though 2008 saw the release ofLEGO Batmanwhich kicked off a new wave ofcomic book-based LEGO adaptations.
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LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroesexpanded on the first game by adding up to 75 playable characters that included non-Gotham City heroes likeSuperman,Wonder Woman, andGreen Lanternin a co-operative open-world game that quickly became a fan-favorite and led to another sequel and a spin-off.
7LEGO Marvel Super Heroes (2013) - 83
DCwasn’t the only company to get in on the LEGO action, asMarvelsoon joined in with the incredibly popularLEGO Marvel Super Heroesin 2013, developed by Traveler’s Tales and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.
LEGO Marvel Super Heroesbrought 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.
6South Park: The Fractured But Whole (2017) - 84
The popular Comedy Central seriesSouth Parkis no stranger to the video game world, and 2017 it saw the release of the highly anticipated sequel to the fantasy-basedSouth Park: The Stick of Truth.But this time, it dove into the superhero characters of the series.
South Park: The Fractured But Wholeis 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.
5Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds (2011) - 85
The long-lasting and incredibly popularMarvel vs. Capcomseries 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 3was released a few years later with an expanded roster of characters and new enhancements on the original game.
4Batman: Arkham Knight (2015) - 87
Rocksteady Studios released the final chapterin the hitArkhamseries in 2015 withBatman: Arkham Knight, which promised for the first time that players could now actually “Be theBatman” 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 withArkham Asylum.
3Marvel’s Spider-Man (2018) - 87
Insomniac Games and Sony released the best game to feature Marvel’s web-slinging wonder with 2018’sMarvel’s Spider-Man,which took the classic characters and ran with them in an original story that created its own continuity.
Marvel’s Spider-Manevolved some of the combat and gadget mechanicsthat were first perfected in theArkham Asylumseries 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 youngMiles Morales.
2Injustice 2 (2017) - 89
While 2009’sMortal Kombat vs. DC Universedidn’t quite make the top 10 of the Best Games of the 2000s, NetherRealm Studios took thefighting game franchiseand ran with it with the release of the DC-focusedInjustice: Gods Among Usin 2013.
2017’sInjustice 2doubled 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.
1Batman: Arkham City (2011) - 96
WhileArkham Knightshowcased the evolution of the game seriesand console technology, it was 2011’sBatman: Arkham Citythat stands out among its own franchise andother superhero gamesas one of the best comic book games ever created.
Arkham Citytook the fan-favoriteArkham Asylumand 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)
