Marvel vs DC: Who has the better games?

Marvel and DC have the catalog of the greatest superhero games of all time under their banner. Not only they have made a big name for themselves, in the movie and TV industry, but they have also been present in the video game industry since the early 90s. They have collaborated with companies like Insomniac Games and Rocksteady Studios to create titles that have been deemed some of the best superhero titles of all time. However, not all projects have achieved the expected recognition, with some games falling short of expectations.

While both comic book companies have their masterpieces and failures, it's difficult to decide which company has better titles to play. In this article, we will look at some of the best and most disappointing titles under both Marvel and DC to try and see which company makes better video games.

Note: This article is subjective and solely reflects the writer's opinions.

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Marvel games that are considered masterpieces and failures

Marvel has been responsible for some great superhero titles such as:

Spider-Man is the definitive way to feel like the web crawler (Image via Insomniac Games)

• Marvel's Spider-Man: Insomniac Games created one of the best Spider-Man titles of all time by introducing realistic swinging mechanics, a diverse open world, and deep combat mechanics.
• Guardians of the Galaxy: This title featured a deep narrative that allowed the players to connect with other guardians, by making tough choices and by fighting as a team against the evil Raker and his minions.
• X-Men Origins Wolverine: Also known as a definitive Wolverine experience, this title showed the brutal side of Logan, by letting players hack and slash enemies and shedding their blood across various levels inspired by the movie.
• Marvel: Ultime Alliance: This title on the PlayStation 2 allowed players to team up against evils and fight by choosing their favorite characters such as Iron Man, Hulk, and Captain America.

These Marvel titles were disappointing:

Marvel's Avengers was a horrible AAA title (Image via Crystal Dynamics, Marvel Entertainment)

• Marvel's Avengers: With its lackluster story and flawed live service model, the title failed to capture the interest of the gaming community, which was ruined further by repetitive and uninspired gameplay.
• Iron Man: This title was released for the PlayStation 2 and was not received well by the fans because of the outdated graphics, the control scheme, and the voice acting, which felt forced and boring at times.
• Thor: God of Thunder: This movie tie-in title failed to capture the interest of Marvel fans by featuring generic enemies and unappealing graphics on the PlayStation 3, which was ruined further by a repetitive gameplay loop.

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DC Games that are considered masterpieces and failures

DC has helped create some great titles:

Batman Arkham City is the best Batman game of all time (Image via Rocksteady Studios)

• Batman: Arkham City: This is known as the best Batman title of all time as it featured a great storyline about Joker and a combat system that evolved over the previous game.
• Injustice 2: It featured a huge roster of DC characters in a highly polished fighting game on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, which was on the level of Mortal Kombat titles in terms of quality and gameplay.
• Batman Akhram Asylum: This title featured perfect freeflow combat, which was perfected in the future entries, along with a dark storyline about Joker taking control over Arkham Asylum.

These are the most disappointing DC games:

This game should have been a live service at all (Image via Rocksteady Studios)

• Batman Arkham Knight: The third installment in the franchise received criticism for its predictable plot and the batmobile segments ruined the pacing of the game.
• Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League: The predictable storyline and the looter shooter gameplay mechanics were not up to the mark, considering it was a live service title.
• Catwoman: Released during the PlayStation 2 era, this title failed to meet expectations as a movie tie-in game. It was criticized for clumsy controls, poor graphics, and boring-level designs.

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Conclusion

The competition is very close but if we look at the impact of these games on the video game industry, we can say that the Arkham trilogy is more iconic than any Marvel game so far. This means that DC titles are better than Marvel's, even though the company has failed recently with games like Suicide Squad and Gotham Knight.

Even when we look at less successful titles from DC, games like Arkham Knight are still more fun compared to the least impressive games on Marvel's list, making DC the clear winner.