These DC games are the very best to bring the franchise’s heroes to the world of gaming.
Video games based on DC Comics' most popular characters have been around since the Atari 2600. There's no shortage of fantastic heroes and villains, as well as classic stories, to bring to life with each new generation.
It's been a hit-and-miss relationship between the comics and games though, with some games, like Superman 64, being infamously considered some of the worst of all time. Some have shined amidst the rest, however, and are worth being praised as some of the best DC games of all time. Games that future developers can only hope to recreate in terms of scale and adventure. Here are the best.
When the announcement for Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe first came out, heads were immediately turning. It's an ambitious and strange concept for a game from years before the Injustice franchise was even a thought.
It isn't a game without its flaws, which is what lands it on the bottom of this list. But MK vs. DCU deserves its credit for revitalizing Mortal Kombat in the public eye at a time when its relevance had waned significantly. And there are some legitimately fun and gory cinematic moments to be had to boot.
For any kids who grew up in the '00s, talking about the Teen Titans show or the video game for PS2, Gamecube, and the original Xbox is both nostalgic and euphoric. It's an action beat 'em up that lets you switch between the five Titans as they fight their way through a fourth-wall-breaking video game world.
It has all the action and humor you'd expect from Teen Titans. It's nothing groundbreaking, and has certain dated aspects that are to be expected with many games from the mid-00s, but for Teen Titans fans it's got all the fast-paced fighting and heart necessary to make for a great experience.
The Flash hasn't been lucky enough to get many games despite being one of the most popular heroes DC has on their roster. The 1991 game for Sega Master System is a hidden gem that shouldn't be ignored for retro gamers or Flash fans.
The game manages a fast pace remarkably well for something running on a system as old as the Master System. On top of that it has an infectious and energetic soundtrack and a number of interesting levels to keep fans interested for the games' entire run.
Superman sadly doesn't have many quality video game titles under his name. See the previously mentioned and notoriously awful Superman 64.
In contrast, Superman: Shadow Of Apokolips from 2002 is definitely the best Superman game, and is exactly what Superman games should have been all along. This game truly feels pulled straight out of the '90s Superman cartoon it's based on. It has the smooth flight mechanics and feats of strength and heroism you would have expected out of every Superman game thus far. But this is the game to do it best. Now there needs to be a Superman game in the 2020s to up the ante.
While Marvel Ultimate Alliance and X-Men Legends have provided great superhero team-up experiences for Marvel fans, DC fans never really got any games for the biggest team on the roster. Until Justice League Heroes that is.
To an extent, it's just the DC version of Ultimate Alliance, with some minor changes to keep it from looking like a one-to-one copy. Regardless, this style of game just works for big superhero team-ups. There aren't many other games out there that let you play as Justice League classics like Martian Manhunter, Black Canary, or even Zatanna Zatara.
Generally speaking, you know what you're going to get with Lego games. And that's not a bad thing. These games have been consistent fun for years now, and Traveler's Tales knows how to use their formula effectively.
Both the Lego Batman and Lego DC Super-Villains game contain the humor, fan-fare, and enjoyable Lego gameplay that you're certainly familiar with if you've played a Lego game before. And yet, even if you've played every Lego game a dozen times, you know you can always get some entertainment out of coming back to it.
DC Universe Online has gone through its ups and downs in development since release in 2011. But right now the game is in a great place, and is the best around for anyone interested in something that balances the classic MMO formula with the heroes and villains of the DC Universe.
It has a vast universe spanning many of DC's best locales, and the character creation system has the diversity necessary to let you invent exactly the hero (Or villain) you've always had lingering around in your head.
For the longest time, licensed games were the bane of video game media. Nobody really knows why there needed to be a video game for every movie that came out from the '80s up until the '10s, but the vast majority of them were pitifully bad.
Batman for NES stands out among those licensed games as one of the best to ever do it. Based on the 1989 Michael Keaton Batman film, this is a game for Batman fans who want that challenging experience the NES brings with every title.
Video game stories are seldom synonymous with quality. Even in great video games, the story is often something players just tolerate. The story in Injustice isn't just a good video game story, it's great enough that it spawned its own successful comic universe.
A video game story influencing the source material it's based on is unheard of. On top of that, the fighting here is some of the best ever done by NetherRealm Studios. This game is what Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe wanted to be, and now debates among fighting game fans rage over which is better.
What is there to say about Batman: Arkham City that hasn't already been said? The Arkham tetralogy is to Batman video games what Nolan's trilogy is to Batman films. Unreplaceable.
Arkham city expands everything from its already fantastic predecessor Arkham Asylum, and perfects it in a way that swept players and critics alike in 2011. It would be a miracle if another DC came along with as much grit, spirit, genuinely terrifying moments, and narrative ability again. And until that day, Arkham City will undisputedly sit atop this list.
NetEase called it a bug, but others called it a feature.
Saz is a freelance writer, musician, and nomad. He writes about games here and about horror and travel elsewhere. When he’s not writing he can be found composing songs and trying to make it to every country in the world.
