Since the dawn of video games, there have been games based on superheroes.
The fantasy elements of comic books, movies, and cartoons lend themselves perfectly to
the escape video games can provide.
One might say it’s a match made in heaven.
So, on today’s episode of 5 Games, I present 5 retro games featuring, superheroes.
Batman: The Video Game was released for the original Game Boy back in 1990.
For the Dark Knight’s handheld debut, developer Sunsoft actually created a whole new game
more suited to the limitations of the hardware.
The game is a fairly straightforward side-scroller, and Batman’s main method of attack is actually
a gun, rather than his fists.
It isn’t true to the source material but it makes for a fine video game.
Scattered through the levels are various weapon power-ups, and downgrades, enhancing your
gun's performance and bullet capacity.
Like other early Game Boy games, our superhero is oddly proportioned and looks a bit short
and stubby but this only adds to the charm.
More odd is the jumping itself, which is extremely floaty with some wonky momentum.
However, once you get used to the unusual physics, you’ll find a solid action lurking
within.
Traveling through the movie-inspired set pieces is a lot of fun, and the game even adds in
some Batwing levels and a forced scrolling level before the final face off with the Joker.
Perhaps most memorable is the terrific soundtrack.
Sunsoft had a knack for 8-bit chiptunes and Batman: The Video Games for the Game Boy is
no exception, and for me, the highlight the entire game.
While not the best Batman video game ever, it does have a lot of polish and is overall,
quite enjoyable.
In many ways, Daredevil is Marvel’s Batman, only blind.
As far as I can tell, Encore’s Daredevil for the Game Boy Advance is the only video
game to ever star the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen.
Unfortunately, this is based on the 2003 film, which kind of wasn’t very good.
Daredevil itself is a generic side scrolling action game.
You take control of Matt Murdock and must work your way through the streets of New York
to take down the Kingpin.
Along the way, you’ll fight hordes of nameless bad guys using well-honed martial arts skills
as well as the trademark baton.
There are a few moments taking advantage of Daredevil’s unique senses as well, with
a visual queue letting you know something is near.
Press the shoulder button and you enter a sort of blind mode, with secret items revealed.
But if I’m honest, Daredevil on the Game Boy Advance, is not a good game.
While the running and jumping is responsive enough, the combat is just dreadful.
Enemies take far too many hits to go down, have far too much invincibility after you
knock them down which absolutely wrecks the flow when you have more than one enemy on
the screen at once.
Weak combat in a side scroller is a deal breaker, and the generic sound and bland graphics certainly
aren’t doing the game any favors.
Unless you are a diehard fan of Daredevil, don’t even bother.
Next on our list is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game for the NES.
With humble beginnings as a comic book in 1984, these four superheroes quickly gained
worldwide acclaim, and the 1990 live-action film is still exceptionally watchable to this
very day.
This 1990 beat-em-up for the NES is based on the successful cartoon series however.
After selecting one of the four heroes, you make your way through New York City on a quest
to take down the Shredder.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game is a pretty solid NES game with detailed
graphics, good animation, plenty of variety, and a rocking soundtrack, but the beat-em-up
mechanics are limited.
Basically, you have one normal attack, a jump kick, and a special move.
The special move does twice the damage as the normal, with no consequence, so this will
be your go-to move for a majority of the game.
Except for the bosses, which almost exclusively require perfect timing with the jump kick.
Like I said, it’s a bit limiting but doesn’t stop this from being a lot of fun.
The hit detection is mostly solid, and learning the different boss patterns gives you a bit
of 8-bit hard, where things seem impossible until you get the timing down.
If you’ve got an NES, and for some reason don’t already own Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
II: The Arcade Game, you should definitely, give it a shot.
Moving to the Sega portion of our program we have X-Men 2: Clone Wars for the Genesis.
Unlike the previous games mentioned, X-Men 2: Clone Wars is actually based on the comics,
which is kind of cool.
Also cool is how the game starts by dropping you right into a level with one of 6 random
heroes.
After beating the level, a proper title screen then appears.
X-Men 2 has a lot going for it, with 6 characters initially available.
These all control fairly similar, with similar attacks, but also have a lot of unique things
going as well.
Some characters have a double jump for example, and they all have unique mutant powers.
This allows you to attack stages differently as some characters are more mobile, and others
have better ranged attacks.
The graphics are also great, with detailed sprites, and a bright, yet gritty feel, reminiscent
of a 90’s comic book.
Unfortunately, something about the gameplay feels a bit off.
Enemy placement is the worst offender, and I found myself jumping into, or jumping onto,
enemies all too frequently.
It all feels a bit careless if I’m honest, and I’ve been struggling to get into this
game for a couple of years.
Still, there very well may be a good game lurking here if you’re willing to work past
the game’s flaws.
The responsive controls, smooth graphics, and ambient soundtrack are certainly appealing,
and may be enough to put this over the top for many.
Last, but certainly not least, is Batman Returns for the Sega Master System.
This was released in 1992, which of course means it never made it to North America as
the Master System had since expired.
And this is a shame, because Batman Returns is definitely one of the better Master System
games I’ve ever played.
This starts with the music, which is surprisingly deep and layered for a Master System game,
and with catchy melodies to boot.
This is followed-up with some excellent gameplay mechanics.
Batman’s weapon is his trademark batarang, allowing him to dispatch foes from afar. Power-ups
allow this to reach all the way across the screen, giving you incentive not to die, because
having a fully powered up batarang makes the bosses much more manageable.
Batman's other item is a grappling hook.
This allows Batman to grab power-ups above him, swing like Spider-Man, and make his way
through many vertical platforming elements.
The swinging isn’t the smoothest I’ve ever experienced, and dropping onto obstacles
will be a frequent occurrence when you’re getting acclimated, but it does give Batman
Returns its own unique feel.
If you’re in North America and looking for a reasonably priced Master System game to
import, Batman Returns is a great place to start.
So there you have it, 5 retro superhero games on 5 different classic game systems.
Now this is not a definitive list, and obviously not a best of, and there have been hundreds
of superhero games released over the past three decades, so be sure to leave a comment,
and let me know some of your favorites.