The 10 BEST PS2 Superhero Games
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VOICE OVER: Aaron Brown
WRITTEN BY: Aaron Brown
The PS2 had games that perfectly showcased Marvel and DC's strongest superheroes. For this list, we'll be looking at the games on Sony's second console that perfectly encapsulated some of our favorite heroes and taught us that with great power comes great responsibility. Our list of the best PS2 superhero games includes “Justice League: Heroes” (2006), “Marvel Ultimate Alliance” (2006), “The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction” (2005), “Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu” (2003), and more!
Script written by Aaron Brown
Welcome to MojoPlays and today we’re suiting up and feeling super as we look at the 10 best superhero games on the PS2. For this list, we’ll be looking at the games on Sony’s second console that perfectly encapsulated some of our favorite heroes and taught us that with great power comes great responsibility. What was your favorite heroic adventure on the PS2? Find your inner strength and let us know down in the comments.
Just because the movie was disappointing, doesn’t mean the game has to be. Largely following the same plot as the film, as the Wolverine, players are set loose to unleash their fury on anything and everything standing in their way. While some caveats had to be made to release the game on the PS2, largely in the graphical department, X-Men Origins: Wolverine on the PS2 remains mostly the same game as its next gen counterparts. Sadly, one of the main features of the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game, namely the amount of blood and gore, was severely toned down for the PS2 version, especially when it came to Logan’s healing factor. However, even despite these shortcomings, X-Men Origins: Wolverine remains one of the best solo outings for the famed X-Man, at least until Insomniac’s entry eventually releases.
Batman has certainly had no shortage of video games throughout his storied history and while most were either passable or downright abysmal before Rocksteady’s Arkham series, there still managed to be a couple worth fans’ time on the PS2. Taking place in the same universe as the animated series “The New Batman Adventures” and even including the cast from the show, players can take on new villain Sin Tzu solo as Batman or with a friend as part of the Bat-Fam. button mashing and beating up every thug and member of his rogues gallery standing between them and ending Sin Tzu evil schemes for Gotham. While the game wasn’t revolutionary, it was still a solid experience filled with callbacks for fans of the series, and although critics might have been mixed upon its release, Bat-Fans found a lot to love fighting their way through the crime riddled streets of Gotham.
No doubt overshadowed by Treyarch’s other web swinging tie-in, and based on one of the most popular modern adaptations of Spidey’s adventures, Ultimate Spider-Man is one of the best and also most overlooked of Spidey’s many video game outings. Treyarch’s use of cel-shading made the pages of the comic come to life and even managed to incorporate the panels of the comic into the game’s many cutscenes, letting the player feel like they were playing a story lifted straight from the pages of the popular graphic novel. This time around, players took control of not only Peter/Spidey but also Venom, attempting to stay ahead of Trask Industries trying to capture him. While the swinging might not have been as wide open as in Treyarch’s previous wall crawling adventure, Ultimate Spider-Man features a much more cohesive story as well as better combat and upgrades and numerous cameos from many fan favorite characters.
For as perfect a scenario as it is to team up with the Justice League to battle the many forces of evil, there aren’t as many group video game outings as you’d think, let alone any worth playing. Players have access to the full roster of the Justice League pairing up the likes of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash and others in either single player or co-op gameplay that sees them battle against the forces of Brainiac and Darkseid. The game might use the familiar beat ‘em up style gameplay but the various powers of each hero and the combinations players can create, as well as customization options for each hero, keep the repetitive action from getting dull along with a surprisingly stacked voice cast that keeps the story engrossing throughout.
If ever a superhero was a prime candidate for a 3rd person shooter, the Punisher was long overdue. Loosely based on the 2004 film, complete with Thomas Jane reprising his role of Frank Castle, albeit strangely without his chiseled good looks for some reason, the Punisher game became notorious for its interrogation scenes which allowed players to question suspects using various objects in the environment to encourage their cooperation and even almost earned the game the dreaded “Adults Only” rating. The game also incorporates other villains into the story such as Kingpin and Bullseye as well as an unexpected cameo from Nick Fury. The game received mixed reviews from critics, but fans were immediately enamored with the comic accurate portrayal of one of Marvel’s favorite anti-heroes. Even if you did fail the level for killing innocent civilians.
Superheroes duking it out in comics and video games is nothing new, but few have managed to capture the power and spirit of the crossover like Marvel vs Capcom 2. Using a tag team approach, players can load up their roster with any combination of fighters they desire and unleash their powers on the many fighters and characters from Capcom’s own extensive catalog. The game’s hand drawn graphical style made the game feel like every fan’s “vs fantasies” come to life and the battles would often devolve into frantic battles of each player unleashing their ultimate “Hyper Combo” attack and completely changing the outcome of a fight. Marvel vs Capcom 2 is widely considered not only one of the best superhero games but also one of the 2D best fighting games of all time and its roster of playable characters remains unrivaled even by its own sequel.
Although both Marvel Ultimate Alliance and Justice League Heroes were released within months of each other in 2006, the Justice League just couldn’t compete with the absolutely stacked roster Ultimate Alliance offered players. Featuring 22 playable characters from X-Men to Avengers and everything in between, Ultimate Alliance allowed players to build their own team of four to tackle objectives and players were even rewarded with bonuses for recreating famous team ups such as the Fantastic Four or the X-Men. Coupled with a plot that saw the many heroes taking on some of the most dangerous and recognizable villains in Marvel’s extensive library, every hero’s powers were perfectly recreated and with up to four playable characters on a team, Marvel Ultimate Alliance remains one of the best cooperative experiences on the PS2.
Prior to Insomniac taking a swing at the wallcrawler in 2018, THIS was the pinnacle of Spider-Man games and every subsequent open world Spidey game owes their web swinging mechanics to the movie tie-in for Spider-Man 2. Utilizing a system that forced the webs to actually attach to a surface (what a novel concept, we know) web swinging felt better than ever as players zipped around a full open New York to their heart's content. While Spider-Man 2 mostly followed the plot of the film, it expanded on the narrative by also introducing other fan favorite villains and characters such as Mysterio and Black Cat. Players were given an enormous playground in which to live out their Spidey dreams, with no shortage of optional objectives and random events to keep a Spider-Man busy, gamers made the most out of their newfound powers and we promise always used them responsibly.
Traveller’s Tales are masters of taking a property that doesn’t seem to fit into the Lego-verse and turning it into one of the best adaptations of the property. Long before Lego Batman made his debut on the big screen, players were exploring the crafted world of Gotham and throwing punches while building many of Batman’s famous gadgets out of Lego bricks. Players can traverse Gotham solo or with a member of the Bat-Fam and even many of the villains as Batman attempts to thwart the plans of his greatest foes while the villains try to stay one step ahead of the world’s greatest detective. Along with the trademark humor fans had come to expect from the Lego games, The Lego Batman game is also notable as it’s Traveler’s Tales' very first original story not based on an existing adaptation.
The ultimate power fantasy for the most powerful Avenger, Hulk Ultimate Destruction lived up to its title by letting Hulk SMASH! Everything standing in Hulk’s way, be it buildings, cars, tanks, helicopters, or innocent bystanders, were no match for Hulk’s unbridled destruction and some debris such as cars or buses could even be used by the Hulk to further his destructive tendencies. With Thunderbolt Ross, the military as well as Abomination all hot on the Hulk’s trail, Ultimate Destruction becomes more than a tagline as the Hulk leaps and bounds from one environment to the next leaving nothing but catastrophe in his wake. Featuring a level of destruction still impressive even by today’s standards, players could completely level an area down to rubble if they wanted to, unleashing their own rage all while trying to stay one step ahead of the whole world hunting them down.
Welcome to MojoPlays and today we’re suiting up and feeling super as we look at the 10 best superhero games on the PS2. For this list, we’ll be looking at the games on Sony’s second console that perfectly encapsulated some of our favorite heroes and taught us that with great power comes great responsibility. What was your favorite heroic adventure on the PS2? Find your inner strength and let us know down in the comments.
“X-Men Origins: Wolverine” (2009)
Just because the movie was disappointing, doesn’t mean the game has to be. Largely following the same plot as the film, as the Wolverine, players are set loose to unleash their fury on anything and everything standing in their way. While some caveats had to be made to release the game on the PS2, largely in the graphical department, X-Men Origins: Wolverine on the PS2 remains mostly the same game as its next gen counterparts. Sadly, one of the main features of the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game, namely the amount of blood and gore, was severely toned down for the PS2 version, especially when it came to Logan’s healing factor. However, even despite these shortcomings, X-Men Origins: Wolverine remains one of the best solo outings for the famed X-Man, at least until Insomniac’s entry eventually releases.
“Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu” (2003)
Batman has certainly had no shortage of video games throughout his storied history and while most were either passable or downright abysmal before Rocksteady’s Arkham series, there still managed to be a couple worth fans’ time on the PS2. Taking place in the same universe as the animated series “The New Batman Adventures” and even including the cast from the show, players can take on new villain Sin Tzu solo as Batman or with a friend as part of the Bat-Fam. button mashing and beating up every thug and member of his rogues gallery standing between them and ending Sin Tzu evil schemes for Gotham. While the game wasn’t revolutionary, it was still a solid experience filled with callbacks for fans of the series, and although critics might have been mixed upon its release, Bat-Fans found a lot to love fighting their way through the crime riddled streets of Gotham.
“Ultimate Spider-Man” (2005)
No doubt overshadowed by Treyarch’s other web swinging tie-in, and based on one of the most popular modern adaptations of Spidey’s adventures, Ultimate Spider-Man is one of the best and also most overlooked of Spidey’s many video game outings. Treyarch’s use of cel-shading made the pages of the comic come to life and even managed to incorporate the panels of the comic into the game’s many cutscenes, letting the player feel like they were playing a story lifted straight from the pages of the popular graphic novel. This time around, players took control of not only Peter/Spidey but also Venom, attempting to stay ahead of Trask Industries trying to capture him. While the swinging might not have been as wide open as in Treyarch’s previous wall crawling adventure, Ultimate Spider-Man features a much more cohesive story as well as better combat and upgrades and numerous cameos from many fan favorite characters.
“Justice League: Heroes” (2006)
For as perfect a scenario as it is to team up with the Justice League to battle the many forces of evil, there aren’t as many group video game outings as you’d think, let alone any worth playing. Players have access to the full roster of the Justice League pairing up the likes of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash and others in either single player or co-op gameplay that sees them battle against the forces of Brainiac and Darkseid. The game might use the familiar beat ‘em up style gameplay but the various powers of each hero and the combinations players can create, as well as customization options for each hero, keep the repetitive action from getting dull along with a surprisingly stacked voice cast that keeps the story engrossing throughout.
“The Punisher” (2005)
If ever a superhero was a prime candidate for a 3rd person shooter, the Punisher was long overdue. Loosely based on the 2004 film, complete with Thomas Jane reprising his role of Frank Castle, albeit strangely without his chiseled good looks for some reason, the Punisher game became notorious for its interrogation scenes which allowed players to question suspects using various objects in the environment to encourage their cooperation and even almost earned the game the dreaded “Adults Only” rating. The game also incorporates other villains into the story such as Kingpin and Bullseye as well as an unexpected cameo from Nick Fury. The game received mixed reviews from critics, but fans were immediately enamored with the comic accurate portrayal of one of Marvel’s favorite anti-heroes. Even if you did fail the level for killing innocent civilians.
“Marvel vs Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes” (2000)
Superheroes duking it out in comics and video games is nothing new, but few have managed to capture the power and spirit of the crossover like Marvel vs Capcom 2. Using a tag team approach, players can load up their roster with any combination of fighters they desire and unleash their powers on the many fighters and characters from Capcom’s own extensive catalog. The game’s hand drawn graphical style made the game feel like every fan’s “vs fantasies” come to life and the battles would often devolve into frantic battles of each player unleashing their ultimate “Hyper Combo” attack and completely changing the outcome of a fight. Marvel vs Capcom 2 is widely considered not only one of the best superhero games but also one of the 2D best fighting games of all time and its roster of playable characters remains unrivaled even by its own sequel.
“Marvel Ultimate Alliance” (2006)
Although both Marvel Ultimate Alliance and Justice League Heroes were released within months of each other in 2006, the Justice League just couldn’t compete with the absolutely stacked roster Ultimate Alliance offered players. Featuring 22 playable characters from X-Men to Avengers and everything in between, Ultimate Alliance allowed players to build their own team of four to tackle objectives and players were even rewarded with bonuses for recreating famous team ups such as the Fantastic Four or the X-Men. Coupled with a plot that saw the many heroes taking on some of the most dangerous and recognizable villains in Marvel’s extensive library, every hero’s powers were perfectly recreated and with up to four playable characters on a team, Marvel Ultimate Alliance remains one of the best cooperative experiences on the PS2.
“Spider-Man 2” (2004)
Prior to Insomniac taking a swing at the wallcrawler in 2018, THIS was the pinnacle of Spider-Man games and every subsequent open world Spidey game owes their web swinging mechanics to the movie tie-in for Spider-Man 2. Utilizing a system that forced the webs to actually attach to a surface (what a novel concept, we know) web swinging felt better than ever as players zipped around a full open New York to their heart's content. While Spider-Man 2 mostly followed the plot of the film, it expanded on the narrative by also introducing other fan favorite villains and characters such as Mysterio and Black Cat. Players were given an enormous playground in which to live out their Spidey dreams, with no shortage of optional objectives and random events to keep a Spider-Man busy, gamers made the most out of their newfound powers and we promise always used them responsibly.
“Lego Batman: The Videogame” (2008)
Traveller’s Tales are masters of taking a property that doesn’t seem to fit into the Lego-verse and turning it into one of the best adaptations of the property. Long before Lego Batman made his debut on the big screen, players were exploring the crafted world of Gotham and throwing punches while building many of Batman’s famous gadgets out of Lego bricks. Players can traverse Gotham solo or with a member of the Bat-Fam and even many of the villains as Batman attempts to thwart the plans of his greatest foes while the villains try to stay one step ahead of the world’s greatest detective. Along with the trademark humor fans had come to expect from the Lego games, The Lego Batman game is also notable as it’s Traveler’s Tales' very first original story not based on an existing adaptation.
“The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction” (2005)
The ultimate power fantasy for the most powerful Avenger, Hulk Ultimate Destruction lived up to its title by letting Hulk SMASH! Everything standing in Hulk’s way, be it buildings, cars, tanks, helicopters, or innocent bystanders, were no match for Hulk’s unbridled destruction and some debris such as cars or buses could even be used by the Hulk to further his destructive tendencies. With Thunderbolt Ross, the military as well as Abomination all hot on the Hulk’s trail, Ultimate Destruction becomes more than a tagline as the Hulk leaps and bounds from one environment to the next leaving nothing but catastrophe in his wake. Featuring a level of destruction still impressive even by today’s standards, players could completely level an area down to rubble if they wanted to, unleashing their own rage all while trying to stay one step ahead of the whole world hunting them down.
