It’s a natural progression when reading comic books that you want to be that hero, or at the least, to play as one. That’s why games are such an excellent medium, as they allow us to be in the center of many different fantasies. For instance, who didn’t fantasize about being Batman or Superman from DC comics, movies, and cartoons? And those are just two of the most prominent examples. With a huge roster of characters to pick from, DC is spoiled for choice, but the big two are still the most obvious picks.
What are the best DC comics games?
There have been dozens of games featuring DC comic characters released over the years, and in this guide, we will be counting down our picks for the top 10 best ones.
10. Mortal Kombat VS DC Universe
Platforms: Playstation 3, Xbox 360
Released: 2008
It was a strange time when all sorts of fighting game crossovers started popping up. Marvel vs. Capcom was a big one that started way back in the ‘90s, so everyone was pretty excited about NetherRealm’s ambitious rival that put the bloodiest fighting game up against the DC heroes. The game’s story explanation was flimsy at best, but the fighting portion of the game delivered in almost every aspect. It could be argued that they dropped the ball with the finishers, and there was a lot of room for improvement, but we loved how we could pit Scorpion versus Wonder Woman and see who comes out on top.
9. The Death and Return of Superman
Platforms: SNES, Sega Genesis
Released: 1994
Back when side-scrolling beat’em ups ruled the arcades and consoles, almost every franchise had an entry into the genre. Sunsoft’s Superman entry followed the famous storyline of the same name from the comics and represented a very faithful adaptation of the story. Fun fact: developers from the fledgling Blizzard Entertainment studio also worked on this title. The main draw is that, like in the comics, four Supermen rise up to defeat Doomsday, which allowed for a fun multiplayer experience. The game itself was intense, fun, and even brutal at times.
8. Batman: Telltale Series
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch, Android, iOS
Released: 2016
As one of the last games published by the Telltale Games studio, the Batman series had always felt like a bittersweet entry. It kind of works in its favor, as the game itself, is a melancholy and introspective experience. Leveraging the storytelling strengths of the Telltale format, the game is a point-and-click adventure that delves deep into the conflicting existence of Bruce Wayne and Batman. Without delving deeper into spoilers, let’s just say that, as usual, your choices matter in these games, and you will want to play through it a couple of times to see all of the endings that Batman has to go through.
7. Injustice: Gods Among Us
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PS Vita, Xbox 360, Wii U, Android, iOS
Released: 2013
NetherRealm Studio took the formula that started in MK vs. DC, scraped and refined it, and came out with a stand-alone DC fighting game with Injustice: Gods Among Us. This allowed them to indulge the game’s story elements to a much higher degree, coming out with a compelling story about grieving Superman being driven insane. The mechanics were kept simple, with effective combos and tight controls. Another neat feature was the eventual expansion of the DC roster and skin options through DLCs.
6. Lego Batman
Platform: PC, Playstation 2, Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii, iOS
Released: 2008
Even though future installments to the Lego Batman franchise are more polished and feature amazing voice-overs, the first game in the series deserves its spot due to how it innovated the Lego games that were in peril of becoming stale. There was a stronger emphasis on the narrative and gameplay aspects of the game. It pushed the boundaries of what a Lego game could do with its format and featured plenty of classic Batman moments for fans to enjoy.
5. The Adventures of Batman and Robin
Platform: SNES, Sega Genesis
Released: 1994
This classic video game is heavily based on the famous Batman: The Animated Series cartoon and perfectly replicated the atmosphere and art style of the show. You could freely swap between Batman and Robin, or better yet, play in co-op with a friend with both heroes on the screen. As a side-scrolling beat’em up title, there were plenty of ways to customize your loadouts through power-ups, and both characters had unique move sets. And the game pulled no punches — it was a challenging game to beat. So if you’re a fan of the genre, you owe it to yourself to give this hidden gem a go.
4. Batman: Arkham Asylum
Platform: PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, iOS
Released: 2009
Developed by Rocksteady, this award-winning title paved the way for future Arkham games featuring the Caped Crusader. It was dark, gritty, innovative, and atmospheric. Beyond that, fans will remember the amazing combat experience and mechanics this game has pioneered, which many other games have copied since then. It came at a time when Batman was shedding his more light-hearted stint to return to his dark, gothic roots, punctuated by impressive voice-acting performances.
3. The Wolf Among Us
Platform: PC, PS3/4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation Vita, Android, iOS
Released: 2013
Part of the DC comics division is called Vertigo — these are the more ‘mature-oriented’ comic series and graphic novels featuring some recognizable characters in darker stories and other originals. Such is the case with the Fables comics, which are a darker, more twisted take on the classic fairy tale characters. The Wolf Among Us is a Telltale game based on Fables, acting as a prequel story to the events from the comics. It’s one of the best games in their library with its gripping story, amazing characters, engaging mystery, and some of the best action that Telltale’s limited format can produce. If you like narrative-driven games, this is one of the best.
2. Injustice 2
Platform: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Android, iOS,
Released: 2017
The third times’ the charm, as they say. While their previous two games were very successful, NetherRealms studios didn’t rest on their laurels and instead took everything they’ve learned from their last two games and reiterated and improved for Injustice 2. The fighting mechanics are much better than before, rivaling some of the best fighting games on the market, while the cast of characters only got expanded further. The story still follows the alt-universe DC storyline, while the focus remains firmly on the fighting aspects. And speaking of characters, the game has even been expanded through DLCs with other guest appearances, which include even Mortal Kombat characters, Hellboy, Swamp Thing, and others.
1. Batman: Arkham City
Platform: PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii U, iOS
Released: 2011
Rocksteady Studios took everything that was great about Batman: Arkham Asylum, turned it up to eleven, and placed it in an open world. That’s pretty much Batman: Arkham City in a nutshell. No matter how much you progress in the game, the stakes are always getting higher, with villains such as the Joker, Riddler, Ra’s al Ghul, and others vying for Bats’ attention. And then there’s all of Gotham City to explore, in its full night-shrouded glory. Not only that, but just like its predecessor, it deservedly took home many awards, including both VGX and BAFTA.
