Ten Superheroes Who Deserve Triple-A Games

In the world of video games, a Triple-A game is a game considered to be of high quality due to it having the highest possible budgets for development and marketing. 2018 has seen the release of some great Triple-A video games and has even more highly anticipated ones yet to be released. One of this year’s most successful Triple-A games (both critically and commercially) is Marvel’s Spider-Man for the PlayStation 4 Pro. The game has been praised for its stellar storytelling, smooth mechanics, and spot-on characterization of the titular Web Head.

On top of all that, this game is the highest selling Spider-Man video game of all time (there are 35 Spider-Man games), sold twice as many copies as God of War (the best now-second-best-reviewed game of 2018), and even won the Gamescom award for best PlayStation 4 (again, beating God of War, considered by many to be the best video game ever made). Some critics have even hailed it as the greatest superhero video game of all time, even when compared to the games of the seminal Batman: Arkham franchise. Marvel’s Spider-Man is taking the world of video games by storm, and it’s leading to a demand in more Triple-A games based on superheroes. In that spirit, this is a list of ten superheroes who deserve the Triple-A experience based on the popularity of the characters and the potential they have for making a fantastic video game.

1. Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman is more popular now than ever before. With her blockbuster movie appearances (being the best part of both Batman v Superman and Justice League along with her phenomenal solo movie) and G. Willow Wilson’s highly anticipated run on her comic title, a Triple-A video game starring the Amazon Princess would be the next logical step. It could be a game in the style of Uncharted where the player controls Princess Diana as she travels the globe, fighting enemies like Cheetah and Max Lord. Players could unlock new weapons, suits, and abilities as they fight the hate of the world of men with love. Other heroes like Artemis and Donna Troy could even appear in side missions, acting as support, similar to how characters like Robin and Nightwing helped Batman in Batman: Arkham Knight. It would be foolish of developers to not jump on this opportunity, much as it would be foolish to pass up this next entry…

2. Black Panther

Wakanda and it’s King are the hottest things right now, and for good reason. The 2018 film based on King T’Challa was a smash hit, breaking all kinds of records in its first two weeks as well as being an all-around fantastic movie. The success of the movie lead to a high demand for a proper Black Panther video game, even before the success of Marvel’s Spider-Man. A video game in the same style of Marvel’s Spider-Man and the Batman: Arkham games would suit Black Panther quite well, as T’Challa’s fighting style and use of gadgetry are almost identical to that of the Web Head and Dark Knight. Not to mention how beautiful Wakanda would look rendered on something like the Insomniac Engine or Unreal Engine 3.

3. Daredevil

A dark and gritty detective/action-adventure story set against the backdrop of Hell’s Kitchen starring the Man Without Fear? That’s a recipe for a game that would make all the money in the world. The proposed games in this article have been heavily compared to the Batman: Arkham series of games (and will continue to be) but that’s only because they are some of the best superhero games of all time, and in the opinion of many, some of the best video games in general. One of the reasons they’re so good is a key feature known as Detective Vision. It allows Batman to detect things that might not get noticed at first, like chemical residue or a faint noise. That mechanic would be right at home in a Daredevil video game, given his superhuman senses, which he uses in lieu of his blinded eyes. And his penchant for swinging across the rooftops of Hell’s Kitchen match that of Spider-Man’s. They’re so similar, in fact, that they could even reuse the mechanic from Marvel’s Spider-Man for a Daredevil game. And being a ninja, Daredevil is a master of multiple martial arts, much like Batman and Spider-Man, meaning the fighting styles wouldn’t be hard at all to tweak and transfer to a Daredevil game. It makes sense in so many ways that it would be a crime to NOT make a Daredevil video game.

4. Hellboy

While Hellboy is not, strictly speaking, a ‘superhero,’ he is an immensely popular comic book character whose appearance in 2017’s Injustice 2 sparked a real public desire for a video game centering around the paranormal investigator. A Hellboy game could be tricky, however, as the style of most popular superhero games don’t quite fit Hellboy’s M.O., per-say. Hellboy does fight quite often, and he does use gadgets and charms, and he could use his detective skills well in a video game, but a big, action-adventure-y ‘save the world by blowing things up’-type game just isn’t Hellboy. Since Hellboy is the star of a horror comic, it only makes sense for him to star in a horror video game. Horror games are incredibly popular, and a third-person game like Dead Space or The Evil Within would be a perfect template for a Hellboy game, as they have the perfect ratio of horror to action (the same could be said for honorable mention John Constantine, a DC Vertigo occult detective who isn’t a traditional superhero). Throw in some investigation similar to a Batman: Arkham game and this hypothetical game could be up for Game of the Year in the not-too-distant-future.

5. Superman

Superman in video games. This combination can strike fear in the hearts of many a comic book fan and gamer alike, seeing as how a half-way decent Superman video game does not exist. And not only are they not good, they’re downright awful. Terrible graphics, overly-complicated controls, boringly repetitive missions, and incredibly dumb stories, the only time a video game featuring Superman is good in when he’s not the main focus, such as the Injustice games. Some might say that making a good Superman video game would be a fool’s errand and shouldn’t even be thought about. However, since the rumors that Rocksteady Studios (of Batman: Arkham fame) is developing a Superman game using the same engine and mechanics of the Batman: Arkham games, people are getting more and more excited. Fans are thrilled at the idea of the people that made four amazing Batman games might be making a game about the Man of Steel, as they seem to know what they’re doing when it comes to DC Comics’ characters. While this whole situation should be met with a certain amount of skepticism, the prospect of a proper Superman game is quite exciting indeed.

6. Doctor Strange

The Sorcerer Supreme’s popularity is rising. His movie appearances paired with the phenomenal comic runs from both Donny Cates and Mark Waid have been working hard to make Doctor Strange one of Marvel’s premier characters. A Triple-A game would be a great way to bolster his popularity even more. Comic book writer Bryan Hill pointed out on Twitter, when asked which comic book character(s) deserve a video game, that Strange (and the next entry on this list) would make a great video game protagonist due to being able to learn new powers, skills, and abilities while not being boring at the start of the game. Plus, the variety of enemies Strange could fight would be vast and diverse, and could range from various demons, spirits, vampires, Mindless Ones, and on and on. The locations Strange could visit would look breath taking rendered on an engine like Unreal 3, such as the Dream Dimension or the Dark Dimension. Strange could use such amazing spells and artifacts from the comics. The Crimson Bands of Cyttorak, The Seven Rings of Raggadorr, The Wand of Watoomb, and so on. Doctor Strange has a diverse set of powers, enemies, and locales that make him an obvious choice for a Triple-A game.

7. Ghost Rider

In the same tweet when he pointed out how great a Doctor Strange game would be, Bryan Hill made the same case for Ghost Rider, citing the exciting base power set, the room for growth with a skill tree, the variety of enemies to fight, and the way in which Ghost Rider would travel an open world game. They only thing left to figure out is which Ghost Rider to use as the main protagonist. There are three main Ghost Riders who have stared in their own book, Johnny Blaze, Danny Ketch, and Robbie Reyes. Danny Ketch is the least popular Ghost Rider, so much so that not many people remember that he was a character at all. So that leaves Johnny Blaze and Robbie Reyes. Even though Blaze is the first Ghost Rider, Robbie Reyes would be a great fit for a video game. Seeing as how he recently appeared in the exciting season four of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.E.I.L.D. and his inclusion on the main Avengers team in Jason Aaron and Ed McGuiness’ current comic run, Robbie is becoming the most popular Ghost Rider with each passing day. Not to mention, his Hell Charger is super cool and would be even cooler to drive around in a video game.

8. Red Sonja

She is the deadliest fighter of the Hyborian Age and she needs a video game. Created as a supporting character for Conan the Barbarian, Red Sonja is a sword-for-hire with a loose moral code, and that could serve her quite well in a video game. Sonja is a capable hand-to-hand combatant as well as an ancient weapons expert, using swords, axes, and bows in combat beautifully, and she fights mercenaries, demons, and dragons every day. Sonja would be perfect for a Witcher 3 style game: a massive third person open-world game with RPG elements and over 150 side quests to keep a player busy for quite a while. Fans would love a Red Sonja game where she travels the lands, helping common folk, picking a side between two warring kingdoms, fighting monsters, and maybe running into other Robert E. Howard/Roy Thomas creations. The possibilities for a Red Sonja game are almost endless.

9. Silver Surfer

Riding his silver surf board, traversing the cosmos, and trying his hardest to atone for his sins, Norrin Radd is the Silver Surfer. A Silver Surfer video game could be everything No Man’s Sky isn’t. An open-world game (or open-universe) where Norrin protects various worlds from destruction, whether at the hand of a warmongering people (such as the Kree) or the world-devourer Galactus, whom Norrin used to find worlds for him to feast on. The base power/skill set is already impressive, and the powers he could tap into by exploring the Power Cosmic would make for quite a fun gaming experience. A Silver Surfer game could also allow the player to really get lost in the cosmic corner of the Marvel Universe, running into various other species and exploring exotic locations. A story about Norrin racing against time to save his home-world of Zenn-La from his former master whilst trying to preserve life in the galaxy could be an amazing experience. Not to mention, other cosmic characters could appear, either as allies or enemies. The Guardians of the Galaxy could help Norrin on his quest or the Nova Corps could be trying to bring him in for his crimes. But the real star would be the graphics. A game showcasing the full beauty of the Marvel Cosmos would need to be rendered on the Insomniac Engine or Unreal 3 to really be appreciated for what it is.

10. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

While the TMNT have dominated comics, television, movies, merchandise, and live musical performances, they once dominated video games as well. The Turtles starred in various popular arcade games, such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and its sequel, Turtles in Time. Unfortunately, though, they have had multiple less-than-good games released as recently as 2016, with the disappointing Mutants in Manhattan. And though they appeared as guest characters in the well-received DC Comics fighting game Injustice 2, they haven’t starred in a well-received game of their own for quite some time. However, the Turtles are due for a full-on Triple-A experience. They need to be properly rendered on the Insomniac or Unreal 3 engines. They need a well-written story about defending New York City from the likes of the Shredder, Baxter Stockman, Krang, Bebop, and Rocksteady, and so on. They need impressive action beats that showcase their ninjutsu skills and stealth moments that highlight their sneaky ninja skills. A studio needs to fully support a development team with all the resources they need at their disposal to bring fans the definitive Ninja Turtle gamin experience. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles deserve another great game.