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The most enjoyable and the most dispicable games starring those cape-wearing heroes

Superhero games have been a part of our world since the Atari days. Everyone has some kind of fondness for comic book heroes thanks to the fact that they've been around for so long. Putting these characters in their own games just made sense. Who wouldn't want to play as Superman or Batman? Through the years, there has been some standout games, but there has also been some real stinkers. In this retrospective, we'll look at the five best superhero games as well as the five worst. These games only include DC and Marvel characters just to make it more straight-forward in choosing. So games like Infamous or TMNT won't be on the lists. And with that, here we go!

The Best

5. Batman

NES, Sunsoft, 1990

Tim Burton's Batman movie was a big hit in 1989, but who would've thought that the game would be just as good? Sunsoft's Batman gives us a fun yet challenging action platformer as Batman runs, punches, jumps, and wall-jumps his way through intense levels. Also, it was a nice bonus that he could use his batarangs. But this game is especially awesome because of the ability to wall-jump, which is utilized very well throughout the game. 

4. The Incedible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction

Radical Entertainment, PS2/Xbox/GCN, 2005

Taking cues from Treyarch's Spider-Man 2, this game allows you to play as the Hulk in an open-world game. You are free to rampage across the city and destroy whatever you want. This game succeeded in making you feel like the Hulk. The missions were exhilarating and challenging, giving you specific objections. Along the way, Hulk fought against the army as well as his old foe Abomination. This is the high-point for any game starring the Hulk. 

3. Spider-Man 2

Treyarch, PS2/Xbox/GCN, 2004

Based on Sam Raimi's excellent second Spidey movie, this game actually let you step into the wall crawler's shoes. This was the first open-world Spider-Man game; you could go anywhere in NYC! Plus, the swinging mechanic was polished to make use of real physics (if there's not a building close by, Spidey can't swing). Just swinging around was a blast, plus the story and missions were fun as well. More than anything, this game actually made you feel like a superhero, and that's something to brag about. 

2. X-Men

Konami, Arcade, 1992

I can remember playing this game in the arcade as a kid. Talk about awesome! Konami's X-Men game let you play with up to six players, using six of the X-Men: Cyclops, Colossus, Wolverine, Storm, Nightcrawler, and Dazzler. These characters could fight and also use their mutant powers for huge special attacks. The gameplay was what Konami does best: fun beat 'em up action. Sure, the dialogue was really hokey, but the game has a whole lot of charm to go around, and stands out as the best X-Men game ever. 

1. Batman: Arkham City

Rocksteady Studios, PS3/Xbox 360/WIN/Wii U/Os X, 2011

Batman: Arkham Asylum was revolutionary when it was released, but Arkham City took everything to the next level. Now Batman could freely move around the city, looking for villains and hoodlums. The game puts your skills to the test with plenty of action and stealth sections. And don't expect a cakewalk; the game features an emphasis on the skillful use of gadgets when facing armed enemies (and there are plenty of bat-gadgets). But more than anything, the entire game is just engrossing, from story to characters to each new mission. You won't want to put the game down, and that's why it is the greatest superhero game ever. 

The Worst

5. Catwoman

Argonaut Games/EA Games, PS2/Xbox/GCN/GBA/WIN, 2004

Based on the terrible Catwoman movie starring Halle Barry, the game is not much better. In fact, it's on about the same level as the movie: boring, monotonous, and with terrible voice acting. It's also funny to mention the fact that Barry did not even voice the character for the game! The boring gameplay and lazy levels tell us that this game was a quick cash-in, landing on the same level of the movie. What a feat! 

4. Aquaman: Battle for Atlantis

Lucky Chicken Games, GCN/Xbox, 2003

This terrible Aquaman game is reminiscient of the atrocious Superman 64 game except it's underwater. As Aquaman, you can swim around a barren Atlantis, occasionally fight bad guys, and do stupid missions that are extremely boring. To make matters worse, the graphics are awful (the game would feel right at home on the N64). It seems that the developer didn't put much effort into this one, which is a shame since Aquaman doesn't have a decent stand-alone game. 

3. Silver Surfer

Software Creations, NES, 1990

When you see a screenshot of this game, it looks great; but playing it is another matter. The Silver Surfer is supposed to be a superhero, but in this game, he's absolutely pathetic. Touching anything at all will cause him to fall off his board; the next image is him huddling on his board in defeat. You'll see this image a lot due to the one-hit kill, which completely breaks the game. Unless you have endless patience, this one is not playable. 

2. The Uncanny X-Men

Unknown, NES, 1989

This infamous X-Men game is known for atrocious gameplay and frustrating action. You can choose between six characters, three can shoot projectiles and three cannot. Besides that, there is no difference between them! If you're not playing with a friend, the CPU will control a second character, but he won't be useful at all. The screen is constantly crowded with enemies, slowing down the game to a crawl. Plus the combat is boring and frustrating. Try having any fun at all with this game, I dare you!

1. Superman 64

Titus Software, N64, 1999

You probably knew that this would be number one. Superman 64 is infamous for being one of the worst games ever and certainly THE worst superhero game of all time. But why is that the case? Here are the reasons: (1) the story is really stupid, having Superman go into a "virtual reality" Metropolis. Why couldn't he be in REAL Metropolis? Due to this, the entire game is barren! (2) The point of the whole game is to fly through rings. No combat? No unique puzzles? Nope. Fly through rings. (3) The graphics are terrible, even for an N64 game, which is saying something. (4) The game is repetitive, boring, and broken. They couldn't even get the flying mechanic right! As a result, Superman 64 is the worst superhero game known to mankind, which is not super at all.