Summary
One of the best ways to experience being asuperherois through video games that allow players full control of their favorite spandex-wearing crime fighters across an open world. Such games provide freedom for players to go a mile or more in the shoes of their favorite superhero and see what it would be like if they possessed the power of flight, super strength, mystical or arcane prowess, and everything in between.
From quick-witted, web-swinging crime fighters, to vigilantes who strike fear into the hearts of wrongdoers, the following open-world games offer players the best taste of having such power at their disposal.
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2follows up on the fun and zany adventures of well-known Marvel characters such as Spider-Man, the Avengers, and the Guardians of the Galaxy as they travel through space and time across various Marvel Universes to stop Kang from destroying all realities.
The game is a semi-open world, since each Universe is vast, vibrant, and has various puzzle sections that up to four players can explore and solve. For more competitive players, a four-player Super Hero battle mode is available for some fun free-for-all brawl with friends.
InPrototype, players take control of Alex Mercer, an amnesiac who possesses shapeshifting powers that let him create symbiotic constructs like blades, claws, spikes, and tendrils to take out targets. He also can consume people to regain health and transform into them to sneak into bases before wreaking havoc and mayhem.
Story-wise, Alex is out to uncover his past while trying to quell the outbreak of the Blacklight virus from infecting the general populace. Amid this, Alex also needs to deal with two factions: the US Marine Corps and Blackwatch, who consider Alex as a threat that needs to be contained or eliminated.
TheInfamousgamesprovided a unique mechanic in superhero games when they introduced a morality system that affected the main characters’ powers and tendencies to either a good or bad side, depending on players’ choices.Infamous: Second Sonhas players control Delsin Rowe, a graffiti artist who is also a Conduit who possesses the ability to absorb the powers of fellow Conduits that he touches.
Delsin battles the Department of Unified Protection, as they deem Conduits to be bioterrorists.Infamous: Second Sonhas two endings, and depending on whether Delsin has good or bad karma, players can either see their version of Delsin become a hero or a villain.
7The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction
Metacritic Rating: 84
The Incredible Hulk has beena part of various gamesin different genres, but Radical Entertainment’sThe Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destructionplaces the Green Giant in an open world where he can smash through and blow up anything that stands in his way.
As The Hulk, players can rampage through military bases and cities, destroying tanks, robots, and other hindrances foolish enough to try and stop the devastation. Hulk’s moves showcase how much power he possesses, and the battles with Abomination feel like a straight-up kaiju match due to the utter destruction players can inflict.
Miles Morales was introduced inMarvel’s Spider-Man, and Insomniac Gameswanted a spin-off titlethat explored his character inMarvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales. Players are treated to a short yet gripping story about Miles and the trials and tribulations of growing up in Harlem and balancing his social life with his Puertorican heritage on top of being a superhero-in-training.
The game gives Miles the same traversal and web-swinging prowess as the firstSpider-Mantitle, but also grants Miles his own unique set of powers, such as the ability to turn invisible and incapacitate bad guys with his Venom Blast.
As the fourth title in theSaints Rowfranchise,Saints Row 4ramps up the silliness and fun withits open-world settingthat players can explore and cause as much mayhem and destruction as they please. Upping the fun factor is its zany story, where the player, who is the leader of the Saints gang, is elected as President of the United States and gains superpowers.
For players who want to see how crazy the story gets, they have to complete the main and side missions where they will find out about alien invasions, time travel, and tons of nerd culture references and Easter eggs strewn across the game’s open world.
The fourth installment of theArkhamgames, and the third entry made by Rocksteady,Batman: Arkham Knightis the sequel ofBatman: Arkham City,where the Caped Crusader takes on the mysterious Arkham Knight, who pops out of nowhere and plans to take control of Gotham City with his army of heavily-armed militia.
Players get to explore Gotham City, which has significantly increased in size, by gliding, grapple-hooking across buildings, and driving around with the Batmobile, taking out bad guys along the way.Arkham Knightcontinues the series’ exemplary combat system and further fleshes out more compelling stories from Batman’s rogues gallery.
Insomniac Games’ first foray into the superhero genre,Marvel’s Spider-Manadds to the web-head’s list of amazing games. This title has a self-contained narrative that centers around Peter Parker who is a couple of years into his web-slinging ways. He moonlights as a research assistant to pay the seemingly never-ending bills, whilekeeping New York safefrom crime as Spidey at night, and trying to maintain his relationship with Mary Jane Watson and Aunt May in between. This balancing act, however, takes a turn for the worse when a new threat emerges to wreak havoc in the city.
Marvel’s Spider-Manis widely regarded as one of the best superhero games in the waning years of the PS4, and eventually, its remastered version was released on the PS5 and PC as well.
Following the success of their twoSpider-Mangames, Insomniac Games releasedMarvel’s Spider-Man 2,the official sequel to their firstSpider-Mangame. Set ten months after Miles Morales’ game,Spider-Man 2sees players control Peter Parker and Miles as they combat a multitude of supervillains in the Lizard, Kraven, and Venom.
Players get to seamlessly switch between Miles and Peter in the open world, and they have the whole ofNew York, including Queens and Harlem, to exploreand deal with various bad guys and superpowered enemies.Spider-Man 2further showcases the power of the PlayStation 5 as it has low load times when fast-traveling, and its action set pieces are truly a marvel to experience as both Peter and Miles.
Following the success ofBatman: Arkham Asylum, the next logical step was to bring its ground-breaking gameplay into a bigger space, andBatman: Arkham Citydelivers. After deeming the eponymous asylum and Blackgate Penitentiary ill-suited to house Gotham’s most dangerous criminals, the powers that be enacted to transform Gotham City’s slums into the titular Arkham City.
Navigating Arkham City immerses players to theconstant dangers Batman deals withlike never before. Criminals are everywhere, and it’s up to Batman to deliver his brand of justice. The game retains its crisp combat, stellar traversal mechanics, and engaging storyline and subplots that have players zipping around rooftops and alleyways to find clues and thwart the nefarious schemes of Batman’s notable villains.
