Comic books have been around since before the Second World War. Not only have they captivated audiences around the world for over seventy five years but they continue to strive forward in other media too. What started of as three-strip stories in newspapers every Saturday has seen a resurgence thanks to other mediums such as blockbuster movies, and video games that allow you to take control of your favorite costumed hero’s.
At PlayStation Universe we are huge comic book fans. In this first part of best and worst Comic Book video games we examine the best and worst that Marvel Comics has to offer.
The Punisher (PS2, Xbox, PC)
Frank Castle may not have the best track record at the movies; being portrayed by four different actors also doesn’t help. Surprisingly though, The Punisher has had a pretty good track record when it comes to video games. The Punisher, released in 2005, saw Thomas Jane reprising his role as Frank Castle in a third-person action shooter. The game was praised for its accurate depiction of the comic book version of the character. The game’s ultraviolet execution moves sparked controversy, earning the game an Adults-only rating. This forced developer Volition (Saints Row) to edit the scenes into black and white just to score a Mature rating.
The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction (PS2, Xbox, GameCube)
When playing as the Hulk you want to feel like The Hulk. Feeling like The Hulk means destroying everything in your path and Ultimate Destruction allows me to do just that. Thrown into an open world The Hulk was able to run at incredible speed, leap over skyscrapers, and grab and hurl tanks at your enemies. If there was anything you thought The Hulk can do, he can do it in Ultimate Destruction. The feeling of satisfaction catching a helicopter missile and throwing it back at them was immense.
Marvel Vs. Capcom Franchise (PSX, PS2, PS Vita, Xbox, Xbox 360, PSN, XBLA)
Capcom has been known to set the benchmark for fighting games so when it announced it was creating a fighting game that put its biggest franchise characters against Marvel Comics heavy hitters it certainly raised a lot of eyebrows. But Capcom – like it had done with previous fighting games – proved to everyone that this was a match made in heaven. With fast and furious combat reaching tournament heights, and sales reaching over 7 million to date, this is one franchise fans shouldn’t miss.
X-Men: Legends (PS2, Xbox, N-Gage, GameCube)
The X-Men is easily the most popular Marvel franchise. With so many characters the best way to utilize them was to make an action-role playing game. Much like Diablo the game allowed up to four X-Men in your party that can be switched out and controlled by either AI or up to four other players, allowing for four player couch co-op. It featured a great story with plenty of lore and history from the X-Men franchise. Its sequel Rise of Apocalypse featured a different graphics style and a more robust system with double the characters than the original.
Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage (SNES, Sega Genesis, Mega Drive)
Its always nice to revisit some of our favorite classic titles. Maximum Carnage allowed you to play as either Spider-Man or Venom, or both in co-op, to take to the streets of New York City to hunt down Carnage. The game featured your standard beat ’em up action but also allowed you to use your special web slinging skills and projectiles. It was definitely a standout title in the crowded genre at the time.
These are just some of our favorite Marvel Comics video games. Ler us know your favorites in the comments below.