Blog

They say the first step is admitting it. So here goes, readers…I have an addiction! An addiction to superhero fighting games! It’s an addiction that has been well fed over the last few years, and I couldn’t be a happier junkie. Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe sent me off the wagon for a while, then Marvel vs. Capcom 3 put me at rock bottom last year, and with the announcement of a new Young Justice fighting game due next year and Facebook’s Avengers Alliance right around the corner (no official launch date yet, but sure to release in time for the Avengers movie), I haven’t jonesed this hard since the late 90s.

I’ve spun off into a bit of a superhero fighter binge, and I want to put the word out on some quality product for any first time users.

Justice League Task Force

Publisher: Acclaim
Developer: Sunsoft
Platforms: SEGA Genesis, SNES
Released: 1995

Two words: Mullet Superman! That’s enough to sell me on any game, but fistacuffing against the lord of Apokolips, Darkseid, is a fun incentive, as well. The in-game combat doesn’t have all the depth of a Capcom fighter that hardcore fighting game experts crave, but it’s still fast paced arcade action with a DC Comics angle. And the opening cutscene still gives me a little tingle on the back of my neck. Oh, and make sure to pick this one up for the SEGA Genesis. The SNES version is a lot slower with lesser graphics.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters

Publisher: Konami
Developer: Komani
Platforms: SEGA Genesis, Super Nintendo, NES
Released: 1993 (Genesis, SNES), 1994 (NES)

Unlike Justice League Task Force, TMNT: TF actually strives for a Street Fighter feel, but doesn’t quite capture the magic Capcom did. On the Super Nintendo side, the presentation could actually pass for a TMNT moded Street Fighter II, but again, these games’ console counterparts don’t exactly match up. I honestly can’t speak much for the SEGA version of Tournament Fighters, because to this day I’ve yet to move past the third fight in the campaign. It’s a pretty intensely tough game.

Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects

Publisher: EA
Developer: Nihilistic Software
Platforms: Xbox, PlayStation 2, Game Cube
Released: Sept. 20, 2005

Well, this game is mostly a fighting game. EA and Nihilistic went in with some really great intentions, combining a third-person action adventure with over the top arena combat, but it didn’t come to the fruition that Marvel and fighting game fans would have appreciated more. Personally, I was more annoyed with how uninteresting the opposing group, the Imperfects, were. A straight Marvel saturation would have been better perceived in my opinion.

X-Men: Children of the Atom

Publishers: Capcom, Acclaim
Developers: Capcom, Ruturbo (SEGA Saturn), Prob Entertainment (PSOne, PC)
Platforms: Arcade, SEGA Saturn, PlayStation, PC
Released: 1994 (Arcade), 1995 (Saturn), 1997 (PC), 1998 (PSOne)

Oh what a beautiful thing Capcom and Marvel’s relationship has been. Children of the Atom alone is why I have my SEGA Saturn hooked up to its own TV in my living room. It’s all the Capcom fighting greatness you could ask for, and it’s 100% X-Men. Children of the Atom is a shining example of mid-90s arcade fighting.

Whatever your poison of choice may be, any of these games are worthy of giving you a quick fix of fighting superheroes until we get our fresh does with Avengers in the coming months and with Young Justice next year. Until then, I’ll be trying my best to ward off the shakes.

What’s your favorite superhero fighting game?

For more of The Comics Console, click here!

Andrew Hurst
andrewhurst@comicattack.net