That’s right, the 21st of September is the official day of celebration for the Dark Knight from DC Comics, and even after 80 years of crime-fighting hijinks he’s still out there, the hero we all need, but probably don’t deserve. What you DO deserve though is a list, yes a list, of the best Batman games to date, so that you can celebrate this fine day with us. Here are our picks for the top 10 Batman Games to date:
10. Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate
A PS Vita and 3DS game that was then made available on the PS3, 360 and PC, Arkham Origins Blackgate felt more like a Metroidvania type game more than a true Arkhamverse title. It gave us a nice insight into the time between Arkham Origins and Arkham Asylum but didn’t give players the same moody atmospheric feel that the other Arkham games had. It was also side-scrolling and just didn’t really feel like a proper Arkham game.
9. Batman Arkham VR
Bringing the Vigilante into VR for the first time, Arkham VR is, like many early VR titles, more of an experience as opposed to a full game. But that doesn’t mean it hasn’t earned its spot on this list. Visually impressive with an intriguing storyline to follow, DC figured out long before Iron Man VR was conceived, that this could be the best way to feel like a real superhero.
8. Injustice: Gods Among Us
Even though Injustice Gods Among Us centered more around the DC universe than Batman himself, the leader of the Justice League does get a considerable amount of screen time (Spoiler alert: seeing as his arch-nemesis, the Joker, is killed by Superman and all). The game’s story mode takes players on a roller coaster ride through alternate dimensions to a world where Superman is an evil dictator. It is a great story which just shows you what Batman will do in order to put things right. It’s also a very solid fighting game created by the developers behind Mortal Kombat.
7. Batman: Arkham Origins
The first Batman game that was canon to the Arkhamverse but not developed by Rocksteady, Batman Arkham Origins is a very solid game. Using a lot of the same game techniques that made Batman Arkham Asylum and Arkham City great. It even gave players the opportunity to explore Gotham, but in my opinion the game lacked something, maybe it was the iconic voice actors such as Hamill and Conroy. Maybe it was the fact that Gotham felt dead compared to Arkham City, maybe it was that the flow of the combat was disrupted compared to the others. Maybe it was that damnable Deathstroke fight. Whatever it was it just doesn’t compare to the Rocksteady Trilogy.
6. Injustice 2
Much like its predecessor Injustice: Gods Among Us, Injustice 2 carries on the story from where the previous game left off. Now with the option to also kit our Batman and a host of other characters with some quality gear and armour. This game lets you build the best Batman possible! Seriously, some of the looks you can give him are truly insane. The story is pretty awesome as well.
5. LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham
Possibly the best Batman LEGO game out there, Beyond Gotham was the pioneer to games such as LEGO Marvel Super Heroes giving players an open-world hub to explore and so many characters to choose from. Batman himself had a fair few character slots just to cover every type of Bat suit he owned (and I don’t think the game covered all of the Bat suits available). The game also pays a great homage to other Batmans such as Adam West’s ’60s version of the caped crusader.
4. Batman: The Telltale Series
TellTale games have done a great job with the Batman licence in Batman: The Telltale Series. In this episodic point and click game lays a good foundation for the TellTale universe, introducing us to Batman and other popular characters. In my option though the game will series will shine in Season 2 as we will be introduced to a lot more villains and also get the opportunity to ‘shape’ the Joker through our actions.
3. Batman: Arkham City
Building on the amazing Arkham Asylum, Arkham city made you truly feel like the Dark Knight. Players were able to navigate around an entire city coming up against some of Batman’s most notorious villains including, Ra’s Al Ghul, Mr Freeze, The Riddler and of course The Joker just to name a few. The open world game let you hunt down secrets, collectables and amazing side missions that brought out some of the best story lines from Batman’s past. Arkham City is truly an amazing game.
2. Batman: Arkham Knight
Letting players explore the whole of Gotham City this time around. Arkham Knight lets you drive the Batmobile, and also brought in the best bits from every Arkhamverse game released. Rocksteady knew that this was their final Batman game with Arkham Knight so they packed it to the brim. The story starts off simple but dives into a fantastic plot with plenty of twists and turns. The Riddler also gets some decent screen time as well.
1. Batman: Arkham Asylum
The first game in the Rocksteady Arkham trilogy really let people become the Batman. The key feature that made Arkham Asylum so good was it’s gameplay. It introduced a detective mode for players to truly hunt for clues, the combat system is still amazing and has inspired other games since, such as Shadow Of Mordor, and the ability to use a variety of bat gadgets to help you explore the Asylum was frankly amazing. The voice acting from Batman veterans Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy brought the game to life in ways we had only imagined could be accomplished. Though Rocksteady went on to make larger and more fan service filled Batman games, this one continues to inluence video games even today, which made Arkham Asylum the best Batman game ever on our list.
So there you have it, our best Batman games ranked. Do you agree? let us know in the comments below then head over to the Green Man Gaming Community pages and share your thoughts with all our gamers.
*This article was edited and updated from this original post
