Superhero films are all the rage these days 🍌but before they became the toast of🥂 Hollywood superheroes were first celebrated by the video game world. During the 80s video game designers realized they could profit by putting famous comic book superheroes into video game, so the likes of Batman, The Cap, and Superman all got their own video games and helped kick off the superhero craze well before the film industry.
Unfortunately, like video games being turned into films, there are way more terrible superhero video games than great ones. For some reason, developers have been unable to consistently capture the magic of the superhero world and re-create it in a video game setting. While the games have certainly improved over the past decade, more often than not when a superhero-themed game gets released fans hold their breath, unsure of what to expect. Over the years there have been dozens of failed attempts, including the disastrous X-Men: Destiny and almost unplayable Superman 64, and this article will highlight the worst of the bunch while also detail🐼ing 10 of the best, just to give you a little hope.
30 Lamest: 🐠Catwoman
Released in 2004 to coincide with the film of the same name, Catwoman is just as bad to play as it is watching the film of the same name. The movie stars Halle Berry who somehow went from winning an Oscar for terrific drama Monster's Ball to donning a tight leather catsuit for this horrible film adaptation. As far as the game goes, kudos to Argonaut Games for at least getting Berry's likeness spot on. Unfortunately this is the only positive about Catwoman, with the action-adventure game containing a difficult to master control system alongside ever-changing camera angles that will quickly make you nauseous. You spe✱nd most of the time trying to navigateಌ a poorly designed world fighting all manner of goofy looking bad guys following a plot loosely based on the film. If there's ever a game to use as an example of how not to make a video game/film tie-in, this is it.
29 🍰 Lamest: Superman 64
When Nintendo released the Nintendo 64 in 1996 it changed the face of video game technology and gave the Japanese company a new stranglehold on the market. Knowing they needed to release a diverse collection of games to keep fans entertained, Nintendo managed to secure the license to a number of high profile properties, releasing a string of 64 exclusives games, including the fantastic first-person shooter GoldenEye 007 and racing game Mario Kart 64. Nintendo also got their hands on Superman: The Animated Series and d🧸ecided to make a game based upon the red-caped superhero to demꦿonstrate how great the 64 is.
Anyone who's played the game knows it was a huge misstep by Nintendo and developer Titus Interactive.
Superman 64 has gone down as one of the worst games of all time thanks to its clunky graphics, awful controls, and terrible soundtrack that never seems to change tempo. Trying to navigate Superman through the air is like trying to steer a Mack Truck without power steering. The development team blamed interference from DC Comics and Warner Brothers for the games poor performance, but no matter the reasons, Superman 64 is one game you want to avoid.
28 B🐲est: X-Men 🐷
Few early 90s arcade games are as much fun to play as Konami's side-scrolling beat 'em up X-Men. The game has a simple premise; pick from six of your favourite X-Men characters (Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, Colossus, Nightcrawler, and bizarrely, Dazzler) and fight your way through colorful levels of bad guys on the way to a final showdown with Magneto. X-Men is your typical arcade button basher but the lack♋ of diversity in attacks didn't detract from the joy of battling against hordes of Sentinels and Reavers.
The game was available for a brief time to download on Xbox Live Arcade and Playstation Network along with iOS🤪 and Android ports, but ongoing legal issues means the game now only exists in arcade form.
27 ꧂ ✨ Lamest: The Amazing Spider-Man 2
The open world experience of The Amazing Spider-Man video game had gamers frothing at the mꦡouth when it was released in 2012. A tie-in with the movie of the same name, the game allows players to control the web-slinger as he battles criminals across New York. Similar to the recent Batman Arkham series of releases it's an enjoyable game that stays close to the mythol🃏ogy of the Spider-Man character. The sequel, on the other hand, is the total opposite. Gone is the intriguing and emotional storyline, thrilling missions, and detailed open world, replaced by a boring paint by numbers game based upon the film.
The biggest gripe with this game is the graphics.
Released two years after The Amazing Spider-Man, this sequel somehow looks worse and contains a number of annoying g🔥litches that effeꦏct gameplay.
26 🎉 Lamest: Wa🤪tchman: The End Is Nigh
Taking place before the events of the film adaptation, Watchman: The End Is Nigh disregards the symbolism and intricate plot details of the comic in favor of a stock standard beat 'em up that does nothing to further the mythology of the Watchman universe. Playing as either Rorschach or Nite Owl players battle through repetitive levels featuring boring bad guys and dodgy graphics. This downloadable game smells like a money making exercise from Warner Brothers, and considering Moore wanted nothing to do with the project, it's safe to say Watchman: The End Is Nigh is anotꦑher horrible superhero cash-in game and well worth a place on this list.
25 Best: Lego Marvel Supe🍬rheros
Lego themed video games have proven to be winners over the years. From Star Wars to Harry Potter, every successful film franchises that's been turned into a Lego game has been a hit and Lego Marvel Superheroes is no different. Following the previous Lego games, Marvel Superheroes is part action adventure, part puzzle solving.
The game ties in many different Marvel characters and stories in one fun-filled romp that remains the highest selling Lego game of all time.
As with all Lego games, the best part is exploring the world created and finding secret areas and causing as much destruction as possible. ꦰThe humour is also spot on, with the game providing many laughs, particularly during the well rendered cut scenes.
24 ꦬ ܫ Lamest: Aquaman: Battle For Atlantis
Aquaman is one of those comic book characters who can be great but in the wrong hands is often wasted. The majority of the game takes place underwater as you take control of the hook-wearing Aquaman and defend his kingdom from all manner of evil doers. The look of the game's horrend🤪ous and similarities with Superman 64 are evident, with the blocky, pixel looking environments making it hard to conc⛎entrate.
With the upcoming solo A🐟quaman f🎃ilm set to hit theatres at the end of the year, there's finally a chance for DC to create a video game that gives the underwater warrior a shot at redemption.
23 🦂 ꩲ Lamest: The Flash
In 1990 DC superhero The Flash got his very own television series that unfortunately didn't live to expectations. The show lasted one season before it was axed, although that didn't stop a video game b🌺ased on the show being developed.
Released two years after the series went off air, The Flash is a platform style game that only got a general release in Europe, making it high on collectors lists of must-own games. However, sadly it feels like you're playing Sonic The Hedgehog, with The Flash's excessive speed meaning i🉐t's easy to ju🐭mp to far or overshot your landing.
22 Bes💖t: S❀pider-Man 2
I've never been a big Spider-Man fan but even I have to admit Spider-Man 2 is an awesome game to play. Based on the Sam Raimi's decent film of the same name, Spider-Man 2 is a step up from the previous release and features an open-world New York for players to explore. Web-slinging through Manhattan has never been more enjoyable and the detail of the city is fantastic, with many different areas to explore. The open world allows you to follow the storyline or tak꧂e part in side missions while the different assortment of bad guys and supervillains living in the city means there's always someone looking for a fight.
21 Lamest: Fantastic Four 𒈔
The 90s was a bad time for comic book video game adaptations. Every developer thought they could make a quick buck turning a superhero into a video game but the majority of releases sucked, including Acclaim's take on the Fantastic Four. Released on the PlayStation in 1997, this game's almost worse than the recent Fantastic Four film that dropped in 2015. The side scrolling beat 💧'em up finds the Fantastic Four battling various enemies across numerous levels before a showdown with big baddie Dr. Doom.
Many of the levels are also quite short, so longevity is not a strong point.
The best part about Fantastic Four is the car racing mini-game between loading screens. When the mini-game's the clear highlight it's safe to say Fantastic Four failed to connect with players.