When it comes to superhero video games, Batman is king. His games encapsulate the perfect amount of adventure, action and mystery. unfortunately, other heroes like Superman and Spider-Man haven’t had as well of a time in the game world.
It’s time developers should utilize the strengths of some other heroes that could work well in a game.
5) Green Arrow
If any hero could be a spiritual successor to Batman in the Batman: Arkham games, Green Arrow could. DCs version of Robin Hood, Green Arrow is a vigilante whose weapon of choice is a bow and arrow. Not your traditional bow and arrow though, since each arrow has their own special ability.
A Green Arrow game could have the Oliver Queen, the Arrow’s daytime identity, cross paths with some sort of menacing plot against Starling City forcing him to dawn the green hood. The gameplay mechanics would be similar to the Arkham games except now you’d level up the Green Arrow’s armor, bow and different trick arrows.
It wouldn’t have to be a carbon copy of the Batman games but, since he’s a similar type of hero, it could follow some of the same beats making for an action game that solidifies the hero’s name past the CW television show Arrow.
4) The Flash
Imagine an open world game that’s literally the entire world. The Flash, DCs speedster, can run nearly at the speed of light. Earthquake in Japan? Flash is there in a heart beat. Hurricane in Florida? Flash is there ten seconds later.
Since Barry Allen is the fastest man alive, a game featuring him would have to have the action of a Batman game and the speed of a Sonic game. It could take place in multiple locations all over the world and The Flash could run to them all, stopping villains and other disasters.
Once he’s stationary the fighting could be similar to the recent Spider-Man games, with quick action and take downs.
3) Shazam
Remember that Rockstar game Bully? Remember how cool it was to be a kid and free roam around a giant school? Now, imagine you had super powers.
Billy Batson is a young kid who gets blessed with the powers of several Gods and, when he shouts SHAZAM, he magically grows into an adult and has powers that rival Superman. Mixing a Superman style game with a game like Bully is a recipe for success.
There could be multiple points where Billy is in elementary school and suddenly a monster attacks the town, forcing you to think of an excuse to leave the classroom and go fight evil. With today’s dark, gritty and somewhat depressing games, a Shazam game showcasing the charm of a young kid who’s also a super hero would be refreshing.
2) The Question
Remember that Rockstar game L.A. Noir? Remember how cool it was to solve crimes, tail suspects and uncover mysteries? Now mix that with a DC hero.
The Question, the DC universe’s conspiracy theorist, is more of a Sherlock Holmes than a Batman. He is extremely determined to uncover any mystery he puts his mind to, so why not make a game that’s all about him unraveling a devious plot?
Making a game about The Question that’s more brains than brawn would have the mechanics of Heavy Rain and plop it into Batman Arkham world.
1) Wonder Woman
Lara Croft is the video game worlds’ own Wonder Woman. She’s proven over and over that female leads are just as powerful and heroic as male leads.
The Tomb Raider reboot of 2013 threw her back in the spotlight as a mountain climbing ass kicker. So, if any other female hero should have her own adventure it should be Wonder Woman. Growing up on the exotic island of Themyscira, Wonder Woman grew up in a harsh environment of battle and molded herself into the warrior of the comics we have today.
A game focusing on her trials and tribulations as a girl to a princess warrior would be a great mixture of the Tomb Raider style adventure and Batman Arkham combat. Wonder Woman is growing in popularity, with the new Batman v. Superman movie and upcoming Wonder Woman movie, now would be the right time to make such a game.
What’s great about these heroes is that they’d all be a different genre of game. Green Arrow would be more action, The Question would be more detective and mystery while Wonder Woman would be more adventure. With movie studios starting to take chances on lesser known properties, game developers should take a hint.
