Great characters and unforgettable stories have been born from the minds of comic authors and scriptwriters. The most iconic protagonists have received several video game adaptations throughout the years and generations of consoles, with few installments more fortunate than others. With great power comes great responsibilities, and a high-sounding franchise does not necessarily result in a great game.
Even Marvel and DC Comics characters have witnessed not-so-great video game adaptations. Some series could have deserved multiple spots in this list, but only the best chapter has been selected. In this list, you will find a wide variety of game genres, ranging from fighting games that feature a great superhero cast to compelling, thrilling, and moving narrative experiences.
10 Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World: The Game
Scott Pilgrim is a cult comic published between 2004 and 2010. At its peak of popularity, it got a movie adaptation starring Michael Cera, directed by Edgar Wright, and a video game published by Ubisoft with a great soundtrack made by Anamanaguchi.
Originally released in 2010 on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game got a 10th-anniversary treatment and a porting with every DLC included in the package to the current generation of consoles and PC. The game is a colorful and delightful beat-'em-up you didn't know you wanted to play.
9 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge
The iconic anthropomorphic turtles named after some of the greatest artists of the Italian renaissance have entertained young and old. Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael have been protagonists of many enjoyable titles throughout video game history since the launch of the homonymous first arcade experience on the NES in 1989.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge, developed by Tribute Games and published by the critically-acclaimed Dotemu, is a great take on the franchise and does justice to the several great beat-'em-up games released in the past. This title is a gem of the genre, and the distinct playstyle, the gameplay experience, and the visuals are top-notch.
8 The Wolf Among Us
Bill Willingham is a well-known writer who created, Fables, one of the most famous comic book series of the 2000s, which won several Eisner Awards. Its main character, Big Bad Wolf, also known as Bigby, is the protagonist of The Wolf Among Us, a video game made by Telltale Games that acts as a prequel to the series.
This title, released in 2013, is one of the best products created by its software house and masterfully adapts into an interactive adventure, the themes, and the atmosphere of Fables. If you love fairy tales and folklore, you can't miss it.
7 Marvel's Midnight Suns
High-budget productions about superheroes, whether belonging to Marvel or DC Comics franchises, tend to be action-adventure titles or spectacular fighting games. Midnight Suns breaks the cycle and puts on the table the result of a splendid collaboration between Firaxis Games, the legendary studio founded by Sid Meier, and Marvel Games.
Marvel's Midnight Suns, which involves many well-known superheroes from several franchises, among which The Midnight Sons and The Avengers, is a role-playing game with tactical combat that resembles the iconic X-Com. Base management and conversations that influence character development further enrich the title.
6 Marvel Vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes
Marvel vs. Capcom is the quintessential crossover fighting game series that involves, in a tag-team-based combat system, many of the most renowned heroes from the Marvel comic book series and iconic characters from Capcom's most beloved game franchises.
Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes is regarded as one of the best fighting games of all time and boasts brilliant 2D graphics for the characters that clash in 3D backgrounds. The gameplay, which capitalizes on the previous installments' mechanics and features, is refined and still valid today.
5 Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy
Guardian of the Galaxy is the most charming franchise of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that brought tears to your eyes and a smile to your face. It received a decent episodic graphic adventure game made by Telltale Games in 2017, a few years after the first movie, and in 2021 the franchise got the video game adaptation in the way it deserved.
Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy is a great action-adventure game that embodies the essence of the franchise and boasts a spellbinding story that granted Eidos-Montréal the Best Narrative Award at The Games Award 2021.
4 Marvel's Spiderman
Spiderman is a pop icon and probably the most beloved and renowned superhero of all time. It received countless video game adaptations, but on PS4, under the skilled hands of Insomniac Games, it shined as never before. Marvel's Spiderman is a modern classic that will stand as a point of reference for any other superhero-themed action-adventure title.
The combat system raises the bar set by the Free-Flow trademarked by the Batman: Arkham franchise and features a brilliant story worthy of its comic books legacy. While not being that much of an innovation for the open-world genre, swinging across the buildings is an immersive and lovely experience.
3 Injustice 2
Injustice is a comic book franchise that serves as a prequel for the blockbuster fighting game series made by NetherRealm Studios. The game features an intriguing take on The Justice League stories and involves an unusual Superman stepping into the villain's shoes.
After a good but not exceptional first entry of the franchise, with the cross-gen chapter Injustice: Gods Among Us, NetherRealm performed a fantastic quality leap with the release of Injustice 2. The game features a compelling story narrated through beautiful cinematics and rock-solid and spectacular gameplay.
2 Telltale's The Walking Dead
The runner-up of this list is the masterpiece and highest point of the Telltale Games' production. The Walking Dead is a heart-touching graphic adventure game based on the critically-acclaimed franchise, which came from Robert Kirkman's mind, one of the most prolific writers in the modern comic book series' scene.
The game is considered one of the best games ever made and boasts the virtue of bringing back an entire game genre, the graphic adventure one, and modernizing it. Telltale made it suitable for a larger audience and more interactive with the quick-time-events and a story influenced by branching dialogues.
1 Batman: Arkham City
The Dark Knight rises proudly on the highest building of Gotham City and stands out on the best spot of this list. Batman: Arkham is a series that has greatly influenced and shaped the future of its genre. It represented a watershed in the video game industry that determined a before and an after Arkham.
Batman: Arkham City is the epitome of the homonymous franchise and narrates an incredible story in a grim and dark city. Boasting top-notch gameplay and amusing exploration in a game that, after more than ten years after its original release, Arkham City is still delightful today.