DC’s relationship with the world of video games has at all times been a bit odd, with a robust concentrate on renowned characters reminiscent of Batman and Superman and little else for other big heroes and villains from their long history of astounding comic books. That being said, a few of the most effective DC games of all time dared to explore the brand’s wide canvas, and there’s a handful price highlighting.
After all, many DC video game releases have been nearly as harmful to the brand as kryptonite is to Superman. So, it was our sacred duty to wade through the middling and downright bad titles to return from the Phantom Zone with something price playing for greater than a number of minutes. That said, below is our list of the highest ten best DC games of all time and it features greater than a few surprises that may surely cause some discussion.
Need more Superman and Batman in your life? Then try our guide to the DC movies, ranked worst to best. And should you’re more of a Marvel diehard, you may explore our guide to the best Marvel games of all time and our rundown of the Marvel movies, ranked worst to best.
10. The Death and Return of Superman
- Platforms: Super NES, SEGA Genesis
- Developers: Blizzard Entertainment
In at number 10 we have now a little bit of an offbeat pick. After we take a look at retro DC video games, almost all the things is either Batman adaptations or middling takes on classic Superman. As a substitute, we recommend playing through The Death and Return of Superman first. As veteran comic book fans might need guessed, it’s based on the Death of Superman storyline, so it’s 100% a wild ride despite the hardware limitations of 1994.
No high-speed flying on this one, because it was a straightforward beat ‘em up within the vein of classics reminiscent of Streets of Rage. That won’t sound exciting for the Superman IP, however the result was slightly good, actually. And, after all, playing as lesser-known characters necessary to this storyline was a giant win back within the day. Even now, this game seems like one big anomaly price studying on the very least.
9. Superman: Shadow of Apokolips
- Platforms: PS2, GameCube
- Developer: Infogrames Sheffield House
This spot goes to a different neglected Superman title: 2002’s Shadow of Apokolips, which was limited to PS2 and GameCube. The cel-shaded graphics, which reflect the feel and appear of Superman: The Animated Series, are enticing enough on their very own, but in addition they got the whole Animated Series predominant voice forged back for a much-needed win after the disaster that was 1999’s Superman 64.
The overly simplistic episodic structure might turn some players off, but adapting the experience of being Superman into video games was never a simple task due to the hardware limitations, and Shadow of Apokolips did something quite interesting and within the vein of the Spider-Man titles from that very same era. Yes, it could’ve been higher, but the dimensions, gameplay, and presentation hit their targets with style.
8. Gotham City Impostors
- Platforms: PC, PS3, Xbox 360
- Developer: Monolith Productions
The second “wait what?” pick of our list is Gotham City Impostors, a now-defunct online free-to-play FPS (first person shooter) that ran for a number of years, starting in early 2012. It got here from Monolith Productions, who at the moment are preparing their return to the DC universe with an open-world Wonder Woman game. Mainly, it was Warner Bros. Games’ answer to Team Fortress 2 and other class-based shooters, and its charm and unique tackle the Batman IP made it price playing on and off.
Gotham City Impostors’ biggest problem was a lackluster marketing campaign and the shortage of some basic quality-of-life elements that might’ve helped it retain an audience for an extended time frame. Frankly, it was higher than many premium FPS that were hot on the time, but perhaps it was too weird for such a crowded market. We truthfully loved the concept of amateur Batman and Joker fanboys shooting one another within the face and using gadgets straight out of the Adam West T.V. series and the wackiest Batman comic books.
7. Lego DC Super-Villains
- Platforms: PC, macOS, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
- Developer: Traveller’s Tales
In the event you’ve burned through the Lego Batman titles (that are great, by the way in which), then Lego DC Super-Villains is the following stop we’d recommend. All of the fun from the opposite Lego games is here, but applied to DC’s villainous side. Thankfully, it’s not all concerning the Joker and Harley Quinn. Actually, Lego DC Super-Villains goes really wild with the lore and its strangest characters. There are many unlockable characters reminiscent of Scarecrow, Penguin, Ra’s al Ghul, Deadshot, Gorilla Grodd, and lots of more (270 characters actually, including all DLC packs).
A customized character depending on the player’s selection was also incorporated into the story, which deals with essentially the most famous villains of the DC universe reluctantly taking up the role of Earth’s protectors after the disappearance of the Justice League. Yup, that’s a fairly interesting premise by itself, and the sport itself doesn’t disappoint.
6. Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes
- Platforms: PC, macOS, iOS, Android, PS3/Vita, Xbox 360, Wii (U), Nintendo 3/DS
- Developer: Traveller’s Tales, TT Fusion
You possibly can rarely go incorrect with Lego video games, especially after they work with such fun properties, and Batman was no exception. There are three of those, but we expect the second entry is by far the strongest. Because the name suggests, more DC heroes and villains were introduced in the second, but the main focus remained on Gotham’s most famous.
There’s a heavy emphasis on exploration and puzzle solving, which makes it top-of-the-line Lego games for casual, chill play (not that any of them are stressful). Furthermore, it was the primary Lego game by Traveller’s Tales to feature spoken dialogue and an open world, something that may later spread to other Lego adaptations of massive IPs.
5. Batman: The Enemy Inside
- Platforms: PC, macOS, iOS, Android, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
- Developer: Telltale Games
The Enemy Inside was Telltale Games’ second go on the Batman IP after a primary season that was just okay. Their signature point-and-click storytelling reached the heights the developer is thought for with a bolder sequel that introduced the Joker in an unexpected way.
Very similar to its predecessor, Batman: The Enemy Inside isn’t a great fit for players in search of relentless motion, but most comic book readers and fans of point-and-click adventure games with a great dose of detective work should love this one. It’s infrequently that Batman is allowed to essentially shine because the world’s best detective, and this story’s twists and turns are well price experiencing either alone or with some online friends (the “crowd play” feature is unbelievable).
4. DC Universe Online
- Platforms: PC, PS3/4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
- Developer: Dimensional Ink Games
DC Universe Online has been a captivating MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) phenomenon for greater than 10 years now. Like many other games of the identical genre, it fell flat on its face at launch and shifted to a free-to-play model shortly afterwards, something that impacted its early post-launch development plans. Nevertheless, it quickly regained its footing and has stayed healthy and alive to this present day.
In DC Universe Online, players create original characters based on traditional superhero and supervillain archetypes before going out into the world and interacting with several iconic heroes and villains. The core game presents Brainiac as the large bad, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The world is principally a public space, but raid instances and endgame activities common to the genre are abundant as well. Seasonal events and optional packs of missions and storylines have been often added to the sport through the years too, so there’s loads of DC goodness to chew on with this one.
3. The Wolf Amongst Us
- Platforms: PC, macOS, iOS, Android, PS3/4/Vita, Xbox 360/One
- Developer: Telltale Games
Many lists of the most effective DC games don’t even consider The Wolf Amongst Us, but Vertigo belongs to DC Comics, so this adaptation of Bill Willingham’s Fable comic book series 100% qualifies as a DC game. And, once more, Telltale Games delivered a giant hit filled with twists and a game that’s perfectly approachable by anyone, fan of the source material or not.
The Wolf Amongst Us has been thought to be one in every of Telltale’s finest titles since its debut in 2013, and we’re finally getting a sequel (opens in latest tab) this 12 months if there are not any further delays. The story follows Bigby Wolf, the sheriff of Fabletown, a clandestine community in Eighties Recent York City that houses many characters from fairy tales and folklore. He must investigate a series of grisly murders that might threaten everything of Fabletown. Without spoiling anything, the ending of the primary episode alone will hook you in.
2. Injustice: Gods Amongst Us
- Platforms: PC, iOS, Android, PS3/4/Vita, Xbox 360, Wii U
- Developer: NetherRealm Studios
After the frustration that was Mortal Kombat vs. DC (2008), Injustice felt like the right modern fighting game tackle DC’s biggest IPs. Injustice took the essentials from Mortal Kombat’s DNA, but NetherRealm was smart enough to make it outgrow their signature game series and permit it to change into its own thing.
The powers of every superhero and villain are perfectly represented; the battles feel huge and dynamic despite the strict 2D gameplay. Plus, the story is so good that it shaped much of DC Comics’ output in the next years.
Injustice 2, which arrived a number of years later and packs way more impressive tech, felt a bit uninspired and missed the mark with its story campaign. Yet, DC fans will certainly appreciate the deeper cuts into the lore and its more ambitious roster of characters.
1. Batman: Arkham series
- Platforms: PC, macOS, PS3/4, Xbox 360/One, Wii U
- Developers: Rocksteady Studios, WB Games Montréal, Splash Damage
It’s hard to disclaim the Batman: Arkham series is the best DC can offer in the case of gaming. From the production values to the general game design and ambition of every entry, the 4 “Arkhamverse” entries soar above the competition and will even be considered the most effective games based on a comic book book IP ever – there’s definitely enough greatness in them to make a compelling case. Fans of the series will even be delighted to listen to that there will probably be one other game added to the series in 2024 (hopefully) titled Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.
Even should you’re not a giant action-adventure game fanatic, we highly recommend not skipping these. The atmosphere and presentation alone are unbelievable, however the writing and moment-to-moment gameplay (combat, stealth, and way more) are excellent as well. Each game hits the bottom running and doesn’t decelerate until the credits roll. In the event you do get into them, please don’t skip WB Games Montréal’s Arkham Origins, which has been terribly underrated for a few years and packs the tightest script of all of them.
