Superhero games have been on the rise in recent years, with massive hits likeRocksteady’sBatman Arkhamseriesand PlayStation exclusiveMarvel' Spider-Manleading the charge. The technology is better than ever before to craft gaming experiences that faithfully simulate what it would be like to be many of the high flying characters found within the pages of comic books from Marvel, DC, Dark Horse and others.
Of course, long before this modern surge in comic book games, there were older efforts that did an admirable job at adapting the source material to the video game medium. From jade giants to friendly neighborhood wall crawlers, many of these releases were well-received at the time, but may be starting to show some age in both the graphical and gameplay departments. Considering thatvideo game remakes are all the rageright now, there are a handful of classic superhero games that deserve to receive a similar treatment.
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The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction
The one thing that a player would understandably expect from a game based on Marvel’s green goliath would be to be given the ability to smash everything in sight, and thankfully, this title did just that. Perfectly living up to its subtitle,The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destructionwas a stellar showcase for interactive environments and destruction physics at the time. In fact, much of the on-screen carnage and gameplay mechanics paved the way for developerRadical Entertainment’sPrototype, another similar open-world action game.
Quite simply, the main gameplay loop and formula for the game nails a trueHulkexperience, and doesn’t need to be tweaked all that much. If modern developers are scratching heads trying to figure out how to makea newHulkgame, players would surely accept an updated version of this classic title in its place.
The Punisher
Video games and shooting stuff with big guns go together like bread and butter, soThe Punisher is perfect for video games. Armed with big weapons and a mean attitude, Frank Castle’s life is dedicated to bringing down all the criminal scumbags of the world, something which the 2004 release on the PlayStation 2 and original Xbox, simply titledThe Punisher, perfectly captured.
Even more remarkable was that this game was a movie tie-in, a mix often infamous for resulting in cheap, cash-in products.The Punisherwas anything but subpar, featuring solid third person gunplay, brutal finishing moves, and a fun storyline that actually tied itself intothe larger Marvel universeas a whole, with cameos from Black Widow and Nick Fury.
X-Men (Arcade Game)
One genre that continues to live on as gaming generations pass by is the beat ‘em up, due to its simple yet flashy action, resulting in often being listed amongthe best multiplayer games. Developed by Konami back in the early 90’s,X-Menwas a big arcade hit that has been ported to other devices over the years, but a proper re-release is long overdue for this excellent adventure starring Marvel’s merry band of mutants.
If a fellow 90’s Konami beat ‘em up can return back withTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled, then surely the gaming landscape has room for anX-Mencomeback. If anything, a remaster for this arcade classic can help promote when theX-Men inevitably join the Marvel cinematic universe.
The Darkness 1 & 2
For those who prefer a darker narrative and more hard hitting gameplay,The Darknessand its sequel rank among some of the mostunderrated first person shootersfrom the seventh console generation, superhero-related or otherwise. The storyline and set pieces are a perfect blend of old noir thrillers and gothic supernatural fantasies, providing a great mixture of more outlandish escapism with a dash of gritty realism.
The gunplay is simple yet satisfying, and controlling the The Darkness’ many paranormal powers should feel like second nature to fans of theabilities seen in the Bioshock series. A third installment was never put into development, but hopefully a HD remaster of the first two games would be enough to generate interest in this dark but unabashedly fun series of comic-based shooters.
Spider-Man
The wall crawler is without a doubt one of the most popular superheroes of all time, which makes it all the more fitting that his first outing on the PlayStation helped ushercomic book gaming into the 3D generation. Drawing heavily from the comics lore, the storyline inSpider-Manfelt like a day in the life of the web slinger, having to tangle with a series of deadly villains and twists around every turn.
Although Insomniac’s new series of Spider-Man games have undoubtedly perfected the gameplay experience for this Marvel superhero, this classic title still has its place with plenty of charm and action packed levels. A simple visual upgrade, with some added goodies in a remaster could be a nice holdover for Spidey fans until the sequel toMarvel’s Spider-Manswings onto the PlayStation 5.
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