No, you’re not going to find Red Dead Redemption, or Halo: Reach, or Call of Duty: Black Ops on this list. For a long time comic books have had a terrible reputation with video games, but with the comic book medium growing more and more popular, the game industry has begun taking video game adaptations of comic books more seriously. We saw proof of that with last year’s Batman: Arkham Asylum, and this year we were treated to even more great games starring our favorite comic book characters, though we still got the usual disasters and embarrassments we expected. But even a bad game never stopped a die hard fan from living out adventures in the shoes of his or her favorite comic book character. This is a celebration of the comic book and video game relationship. This is the best and worst comic book games of 2010.
Best left forgotten…
Iron Man 2 the movie is probably one of my top favorite movies from 2010, and the game is probably one of my biggest wastes of time this year. Even Matt Fraction putting the story together for this game couldn’t make it worth a damn. The developers just plain failed at this game with everything from basic gameplay, graphics, and the biggest sin of all, no co-op. I mean, the idea of the game was to be able to play as Iron Man or War Machine…why not both with a friend? It gets me frustrated thinking about it. We’re all used to games based off movies being not-so-great, but this game is just terrible.
There really just wasn’t anything special about this game. Big AvP fans may have found something to enjoy about it, I’m sure, especially the prop Face Hugger that came with the Hunter Edition, but the game is just a mediocre and flawed shooter that wasn’t worth the asking price.
Kick-Ass
If you’re just looking for a simple game to kill an afternoon, and you have an extra $14.99 to spare, and you loved Kick-Ass…no, this game still isn’t worth it. Maybe if you’re dying for a game on your iPhone, then maybe, but this game just sucks.
Batman: The Brave and the Bold: The Video Game
This game will likely fall into obscurity, if it hasn’t already. Not because it’s a bad game, just because there’s nothing special about it. It did its job appealing to young children and fans of the animated series it’s based off of, and it’s a decent 2-D side scrolling beat ’em up, but it’s not a game you really care to play through twice.
Expanding the experience….
As both the video game and comic book industry grow, in addition to seeing more and better video games based on comic books, we’re also seeing more and better comic books based on video games. Just this year we saw a new Resident Evil series, and the first Kane and Lynch, Rachet and Clank, and Assassins Creed series, and a few other major game titles spawning new comics that stood out in unique ways.
Mass Effect is arguably one of the best sci-fi epics ever to grace a video game, and the story and characters have had almost no trouble transitioning into a comic book. This book is likely to be more appreciated by those who have played the games and are looking to expand their Mass Effect experience, but anyone who loves sci-fi and space exploration theater can’t go wrong with this title.
God of War is a great video game with a really cool story. It would seem logical that a cool character like Kratos, and the dark interpretation of Olympus and the Gods would translate well into the comic book medium, but sometimes logic fails us. The God of War mini-series from Wildstorm was a nice attempt, but not even superstar writer Marv Wolfman could make this title very interesting.
When you think of a great zombie comic book, the first one to come to mind is probably The Walking Dead, and we haven’t seen too many more zombie comics that could match that level of art and story telling. Even the Resident Evil comics aren’t considered too great, especially when compared to The Walking Dead, but surprisingly, Left 4 Dead: The Sacrifice comes as close as any other series we’ve seen as being one of the great zombie comics of the year. And the best part is that it’s absolutely free!
For the true fans….
Batman: Arkham Asylum: Game of the Year Edition
Arkham Asylum was the best comic book video game of last year, and, basically, of all time. The Game of the Year Edition is still the same great game as last year, but with a few additions. The most important change to this version is the 3-D upgrade. Yes, Arkham Asylum is one of the first games to ever take on the three dimensional fad, and it is an interesting gimmick, but a gimmick is all it really is. The 3-D isn’t Avatar quality, it’s more like Creature From the Black Lagoon quality, but that’s not all that’s new here. Arkham Asylum GOTYE also has all available DLC for the game included, which, however, means very little to those who already own the game. If you haven’t yet picked up Arkham Asylum, this is the ideal version of the game, but not for the 3-D, just for the added content.
It’s the arcade classic revived! X-Men nerds like me will love playing through this game with friends and online, and new X-Men fans might find it to be a hoot…if nothing else. NOSTALGIC. ‘Nuff Said.
Transformers: War for Cybertron
War for Cybertron was expected by many to be the “Batman: Arkham Asylum” of 2010, and while it fell very short of that expectation, the game is still fun, and basically a Transformers fan’s wet dream. Over all, the game suffered from a short campaign, and some bugs and glitches, but supported fantastic online gameplay. And with no ties to anything Micheal Bay related, aside from Peter Cullen returning as Optimus Prime, the game will definitely give the children of the 1980s the badass Autobots and Decepticons they’ve been waiting for, but non-fans won’t want to invest much cash into this title.
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions
Shattered Dimensions was our annual Spider-Man game from Activision, and, thankfully, they changed their old format from the empty sandbox New York City, and repetitive and redundant missions, to a more classic stage-by-stage beat ’em up. But the best part of this game, and a Spider-Man fan’s dream-come-true, is being able to play as the Spider-Man of four worlds. Classic 616 Spider-Man, 2099 Spider-Man, Ultimate Spider-Man, and Noir Spider-Man. Even though the gameplay was a bit too linear and repetitive at times, the voice acting from actors who formally portrayed Web Head in past animated shows, and the huge number of unlockable costumes definitely makes up for the small flaws.
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game
Scott Pilgrim is one of those video games that treats its source material with the utmost respect, while still being a great, fun game. If you’ve ever read the Scott Pilgrim series, then you know the story and action plays out just like a video game, and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World makes the comic come to life better than any other comic book video game this year. Even though Scott Pilgrim can’t compete with Red Dead Redemption or Halo: Reach as far as best pure video game, it’s absolutely one of the best games based off a comic book, and one of the highest quality games you could download to your Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3.
What’s next?
I honestly didn’t think 2010 was going to be as big as it has been, and the most exciting part is that 2011 is already looking to be even bigger. In just a few months we can look forward to DC Universe Online, Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds, and a new Mass Effect comic series. We’ll see Captain America: Super Soldier, Thor: God of Thunder, and Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters in the summer, all based off their respective films, Lego Star Wars III: Clone Wars, and X-Men: Destiny in the fall, and, in my opinion, the most anticipated comic book video game of next year, Batman: Arkham City. And that’s just everything that’s been confirmed. 2011 is bound to be filled with surprises, and fantasies made realities. I can’t wait! What comic book games are you most excited about next year?
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Andrew Hurst
andrewhurst@comicattack.net
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I watch my son play Batman: AA, and its fascinating. Also, he has Spidey :SD for his DSi, and it looks great as well.
I totally agree about the Transformers: WFC game! It was fun but I found myself playing online more than anything. No problems with the look of the game and the huge amount of G1 references and characters that populated the game.
Aliens vs. Predator could have been much better than it was, though again the online play made it a bit more bearable. But it was definitely for the die hard fans of the series that appreciated the little references scattered in the game.
Scott Pilgrim is just plain old school fun! Period.
Left 4 Dead: Sacrifice was a GREAT game to comic transition!