Superhero games have been around for a long time before the PS2, but it felt like Sony’s second console was when developers really started to play around with the powers and abilities of the characters we’ve seen in movies, TV shows and comic books. With that in mind, we’re taking a look at the best PS2 superhero games that have ever been made.
10. X-Men 2: Wolverine’s Revenge
You’d be forgiven for thinking that X-Men 2: Wolverine’s Revenge was some kind of tie-in to the second X-Men film, especially considering that Hugh Jackman features prominently on the game’s box art and blurb. You’d be mistaken though, as Jackman had about as much to do with this game as we had to do with Nintendo making a “new” F-Zero game.
The character model in game looks a lot more reminiscent of the comic book wildman look that Wolverine is known for, while the graphics themselves are cel-shaded instead of realistic. Perhaps most bafflingly though, Mark Hamill, he of joking and brief Yakuzaing fame, but don’t try and tell him that, is the one who provides the voice of Wolverine. Patrick Stewart still voices Professor X though, weirdly. While critics weren’t all that kind to Wolverine’s Revenge on release, there’s still a fun stealth action game to be found here.
After rampaging through a facility with his new metal skeleton, Logan learns he’s been injected with a deadly virus. Skip forward a few years, the virus has skipped his healing factor, Wolvey only has 48 hours to live and he’s going to need to return to the Weapon X facility to hopefully find some kind of cure. While Wolverine can walk in all claws blazing, the player has the opportunity to use the character’s heightened senses and keen hunter instincts to play stealthily instead.
If you look at it in a certain way, you could say this is even a precursor to the Batman Arkham formula. If you’re looking at it in a ray-traced reflection in a puddle made of tar on a GTX 1060, but still. X-Men 2: Wolverine’s Revenge might not be the best game ever, but it lets you establish an economy with a wendigo in which soldier meat is currency, so it’s pretty neat nonsense that’s almost as good as how badly Gal Godot says English words.
9. Justice League Heroes
The DC Universe has never really had the most consistent run of form when it comes to their video game spin-offs. For every Batman Arkham game, Injustice or several LEGO DC games, there’s absolute stinkers like Superman 64, Aquaman: Battle For Atlantis and Catwoman. While the PS2 isn’t known as the console where DC games finally got good, that doesn’t mean you should discount titles like Justice League Heroes, which launched on the PS2 at the tailend of the console’s lifespan.
Don’t get us wrong, JLH isn’t exactly the most polished game, and Marvel’s offerings on the PS2 are generally just that little bit better, but if you’re looking for a game that celebrates the breadth of the DC Universe, including many of the characters and locations that don’t often get the spotlight, this is still worth checking out.
As the name implies, Justice League Heroes allows players to play as Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in teams of two per level, as the team tries to defeat an invasion by the villain Brainiac, along with the usual cavalcade of less important villains that need to be battered for certain levels. JLH plays out like a cross between an action RPG and a beat ‘em up, as players deal with waves of goons across multiple levels. Along the way, you’ll level up and unlock new abilities; a formula as old as time itself. Okay, maybe it’s not quite that old, but you get the point.
The superhero action RPG genre was fairly stacked on the PS2, and with JLH’s late release, it’s been overlooked as years have gone by, so consider this your sign to check it out, even if you have to get a little bit Kitty Pride on Earth-5311. Hey, speaking of.
8. X-Men Legends 2: Rise Of Apocalypse
Look, we don’t know what to tell you here. In a pre-MCU world, X-Men was Marvel’s hottest property just behind Spider-Man, meaning it felt like there was another X-Men game at least every six months. Chuck a playing card powered entirely by silly accents in the air at the pre-owned section in a gaming store at that time and the odds were good that it’d land on an X-Men game. You’d then promptly be kicked out of the store for making a name for yourself out here, but that’s a whole other thing.
Despite the deluge of X-Men games though, a good amount of them were a lot of fun, chief among them being the X-Men Legends games. Often considered an unofficial prequel (at least in terms of gameplay) to the Marvel: Ultimate Alliance games, X-Men Legends gave fans exactly what they wanted to see from their favorite cabal of mutants: team-ups.
A top-down action RPG, X-Men Legends allowed players to form teams of four to try and take down various villains and other ne’er-do-wells, leveling up and unlocking new powers along the way. While the first game only allowed the good guys to be playable, X-Men Legends 2: Rise Of Apocalypse saw both the X-Men and Magneto’s Brotherhood of Mutants teaming up temporarily as they try to deal with Apocalypse’s schemes. Both good guys and bad guys are playable, making for a more well-rounded and fun view of the X-Men world.
While the formula is a bit samey across the game’s five acts, X-Men Legends 2: Rise Of Apocalypse would ultimately lead to an even better comic book game series that deserves another installment. We’ll get to it in a bit, but for now: what was the name of the X-Men fighting game on PS2?
7. LEGO Batman
It’s a bit of a damning indictment on the state of DC games that, for the longest time, the best they had to offer was LEGO Batman. Sure, The Adventures Of Batman & Robin on the Genesis was an underrated whipper, but like we mentioned earlier, DC’s games often leaned more towards dud than gud.
Fortunately for Marvel’s rivals, the developers at Traveller’s Tales had perfected the couch co-op experience with their LEGO Star Wars games, and they wanted to apply that to the world of Batman. Clearly, the partnership has been incredibly successful, as we’ve seen two additional LEGO Batman games (which were basically just LEGO Justice League games if we’re being honest) and a villain focused spin-off appropriately titled LEGO DC Super-Villains, but it all started with LEGO Batman.
The first LEGO game to be based on an original story instead of retelling the events of a specific movie, LEGO Batman follows Batman, Robin, Batgirl and Nightwing as they try to round up a bunch of villains that have escaped from Arkham Asylum. Of course, they accomplish this in traditional LEGO game fashion, which means smashing every piece of furniture in the area in order to gain more studs and unlock all the bonus characters and goodies. In a neat twist, LEGO Batman even included an alternative, villain-focused campaign, where you control various villains as they try to enact their plans after escaping from Arkham.
It’s simplistic, and definitely aimed more at the kids than adults, but LEGO games have always displayed a genuine admiration for their source material and also I can play whatever I like, I’m a fully grown man, I definitely pay for my TV license.
6. Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
The X-Men Legends games walked so that Raven Software could run with the Marvel: Ultimate Alliance series. A kitchen sink follow-up, Ultimate Alliance followed the same four character action RPG formula as the X-Men Legends games, only this time it focused on the entire Marvel Universe instead of just Professor Xavier’s collection of super kids. They’re not like his Pokemon. He doesn’t put them in boxes.
With 23 of the most popular and recognizable characters from across Marvel comics joining together to stop the evil schemes of Doctor Doom, you’ll travel across Earth, Asgard and other corners of Marvel to try and save the universe. As you’d expect, characters level up as you play, unlocking new abilities to make them more effective at defeating the forces of evil.
What helped separate Marvel: Ultimate Alliance from the prior X-Men Legends games is that when forming teams of four, players would earn bonuses if they formed actual comic book accurate teams. Stick together heroes that are part of the Avengers, Defenders, X-Men, Fantastic Four or the Marvel Knights and your team will be that little bit stronger. Throw in a few additional outfits for each character, pulling from their comic book history, and you’ve got an action RPG experience fit for any Marvel lover.
Now, we’re just hoping beyond hope that Nintendo will allow Team Ninja to publish Ultimate Alliance 3 on other platforms, because that game seems to be falling into obscurity a little. Hell, we’ll even take Activision being able to relist the 2016 ports of Ultimate Alliance 1 & 2. But first, here’s the winner of the Ultimate Showdown of Destiny.
5. Ultimate Spider-Man
If there’s been a superhero or comic book character who had the best run of form when it comes to their tie-in video games, it’d have to be Spider-Man. Granted, not all of the games are great, especially if it’s before the PS1 era, but the quality certainly improved post-PS1.
The Jovial District Webchucker might be experiencing his gaming peak with the Insomniac series, but for a long time, Spider-Man’s PS2 offerings were unbeatable. It’s not pizza time just yet, so for now, let’s talk about Ultimate Spider-Man.
In the middle of Activision and Treyarch creating Spider-Man tie-ins for the Sam Raimi series of movies, the teams managed to release a standalone Spider-Man game of their own. Well, kind of. It was a tie-in to the Ultimate series of comics, but it was still a bit more of an original take than the movie tie-ins.
Set in the Ultimate dimension, complete with the edgy, cel-shaded art style, Ultimate Spider-Man follows the schism between Peter Parker and Eddie Brock, who’s bonded with the Venom symbiote. Following on from the Venom arc in the comics, both Spider-Man and Venom end up in the sights of one Bolivar Trask, with players able to control the two characters at various points in the story.
The gameplay offers the same open world exploration that Spider-Man 2 pioneered, though the combat, boss fights and web-swinging just aren’t quite as smooth or enjoyable as the brilliant Spider-Man 2. Even so, if you want an alternative take on an old school Spider-Man tale, Ultimate Spider-Man is still a genuinely fun game to play today. Here’s a game that you can actually only officially play today if you have a physical copy.
4. The Punisher
Look, we know what you’re thinking: The Punisher is not really a superhero game, it’s a one man rampage against the criminal underworld. You’d be right, of course.
While The Punisher is a comic book character, and The Punisher game for the PS2 does feature some superheroes in the form of Daredevil (kinda), Black Widow, Iron Man and Nick Fury, good old Frankie Castle himself isn’t a superhero in the slightest. The game reflects that heavily, as The Punisher uses his arsenal of guns and knives to reduce the local criminal population by a few thousand, instead of just roughing up the goons just a little and sending them off to jail. Again, this isn’t really a superhero game, so some of you might not agree with its placement on this list, but consider this: maybe if Batman waterboarded Joker with nails sometimes, he wouldn’t be such a pain in the arse.
As the scourge of New York’s criminal underworld, The Punisher pits Castle against the Gnucci crime family, the Russian Mob and the Yakuza. No, not that Yakuza. Anyway, Castle’s crusade against the unjust takes him across New York, shooting up zoos, funeral homes, bars, drug dens, and even Stark Tower at one point. While the gunplay is solid, with punchy weapons and the always hilarious ragdoll physics, it’s the interrogations and executions that make The Punisher a truly memorable game. While we can’t really show you any of them for fear of losing any sort of revenue, it’s one of the best examples of gameplay remaining true to a comic book character that we’ve seen.
Sure, that’s easy to do when The Punisher’s main character trait is “kill”, but you get what we’re talking about.
3. Marvel Vs Capcom 2
We might be stretching the limits of the “superhero game” brief with this one, considering one half of Marvel Vs Capcom 2 has nothing to do with comic books or superheroes, but we’re “gonna take you for a ride” anyway.
One of the most beloved fighting games ever made, Marvel Vs Capcom 2 felt like a natural culmination of the growing relationship between both companies stemming back to the 90s. Capcom were Marvel’s go-to when it came to creating arcade classics, including a few X-Men fighting games and a beat ‘em up starring The Punisher. Basically, every single game in the Marvel Vs Capcom Fighting Collection re-release.
Capcom and Marvel eventually started to properly crossover, leading to the MVC series which inspired an entire generation to get into fighting games, so we’d be remiss to not mention the most beloved MVC game in a best of superhero games list. You’ve got Iron Man, Venom and Magneto fighting Ryu, Jill Valentine and Captain Commando; what’s not to love?
The 3v3 fighting game to end all, Marvel Vs Capcom 2’s pace can only be described as blistering, with characters and moves flying in from all directions as players execute incredible combos and techniques. Don’t get us wrong, this isn’t the easiest fighting game in the world to play these days, but those willing to put the time in to learn characters and synergies will find a deep and rewarding game fueled by player expression.
This might not be about superheroes saving the day or anything like that, but if you want to see beloved superheroes showcasing their abilities while listening to one of the best soundtracks in gaming, MVC2 is an all-time great.
2. The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction
As far as we’re concerned, Radical Entertainment can sit alongside Bizarre Creations, Clover Studio, Pandemic Studios and Free Radical Design on our list of developers that were taken from us far too soon.
While the value of those other developers might be a lot more immediate, Radical were actually critical in the development of the open world superhero genre thanks to their work on The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction. Radical might have fumbled with their previous Hulk PS2 game, which was a tie-in to the Ang Lee directed film that decided the world needed some Bruce Banner stealth sections, but The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction focused purely on the best parts about being the Hulk. Do we need to spell it out to you? The clue is literally in the name of the game.
The game opens with Bruce Banner having a big old incredible sulk about the fact he keeps turning into a giant green rage monster, which is only compounding by the arrival of General Ross and Emil Blonsky. One accidental gamma exposure later, and now Banner has to deal with both Hulkbuster mech suits and the emergence of Abomination. While the game itself is fairly simplistic, amounting to “go there, smash that” for the majority of the run time, Hulk is incredibly fun to control, with Radical doing an excellent job of accentuating the big lad’s power and agility.
Throw in a range of ridiculous challenge missions, including “how far can you punt a soldier off a skyscraper?” or “golf, but Hulk sized”, and The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction remains one of the best superhero games ever made.
1. Spider-Man 2
Admit it, you’ve got the pizza mission music stuck in your head already.
Back during a time when most movie tie-in games were considered to be a pile of wank, Spider-Man 2 dared to be different, offering some genuine innovation in the world of games about the Webhead himself. Pretty much all Spider-Man games before this point were linear beat ‘em up that offered nothing in the way of dynamic web-swinging physics, so Treyarch putting their whole effort into making Spider-Man 2 the best Spider-Man game ever made was certainly noticed by gamers across the world. Compared to the previous game’s web swinging, which just allowed Parker to web swing off of clouds, Spider-Man 2’s web swinging was completely revolutionary, helping make Spider-Man 2 feel like more than just a cheap movie cash-in.
The game itself roughly followed the plot of the movie, with Peter Parker trying and failing to find a good work/life/”friendly neighborhood” balance in his life, only for Doc Ock to appear and start running amok. Throw in a few side stories and additional villains to pad the game out, including some brilliant yet challenging sections versus Mysterio, and it’s no surprise that Spider-Man 2 has managed to be an enduring classic all these years later. The narration from the iconic Bruce Campbell is just the icing on the cake, honestly.
For years, Spider-Man 2 sat at the pinnacle of not only Spider-Man games, but superhero games in general, and while Arkham basically changed the face and gaming and Insomniac have achieved new heights, Spider-Man 2 is still incredible to play today. A HD port of this and Ultimate Spider-Man would be great, thanks.
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