10 Superhero Games With The BEST Combat

10 Superhero Games With the Best Combat

Welcome to MojoPlays and today we’re looking at superhero games with the best combat. We didn’t limit ourselves to any specific genre; as long as you play superheroes fighting other people, it was considered.

“Marvel’s Midnight Suns” (2022)

Some players immediately became disinterested in “Midnight Suns” when they found out it was a tactical strategy game. But just because it doesn’t feature the fast-paced mayhem you’d expect in a traditional superhero title, you’re mistaken if you think the combat isn’t great. You play as an original character known as the Hunter, taking three Marvel heroes with you into each fight, of which there is a nicely varied roster. Each character also has a small deck of cards that have different effects. So, there’s a lot of variety and customization that comes with each encounter. It’s an incredibly fun set of tools to strategize with, courtesy of Firaxis Games, a renowned strategy developer.

“Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2” (2009)

The best of Marvel’s dungeon crawlers, “Ultimate Alliance 2” made subtle, but noteworthy changes to the games that came before it. On the surface, it seems like a simple isometric beat ‘em up. But each character has a varied moveset that you upgrade as you play through the story. Plus, with so many characters to unlock, both popular and obscure, there are a lot of power-sets to try and perfect. This reaches peak levels of superheroic awesome with the newly introduced fusion powers. Each character has a special team-up ability with every other character, which are ridiculously fun to unleash on unsuspecting hordes of minions. Naturally, “Ultimate Alliance 2” is at its best when playing with friends.

“Injustice: Gods Among Us” (2013)

Having perfected their recipe of over-the-top fighters in “Mortal Kombat,” NetherRealm Studios made tremendous use of the DC license with “Injustice.” The alternate history story was a lot of fun to experience, but the combat was just as fine-tuned. Every hero and villain was given the necessary love and care to make them a worthy choice to take into a fight. Personally, I mained the faster characters like Batgirl, Catwoman, and Wonder Woman; god, those ladies can throw hands. Regardless of who you choose, it’s such a blast pairing these larger-than-life characters against each other across iconic locales. And it served as an excellent foundation for a sequel that was pretty solid as well.

“Viewtiful Joe” (2003)

One of the few wholly original superhero games we’ll talk about today, the zany creativity of “Viewtiful Joe” is sorely missed. For those who never got to experience it, you play as an action movie buff, sucked into the world of movies where he gains his own set of superhero abilities. It blends the familiar style of action platformers with Joe’s unique powers, all based around elements found in movies like slow motion or a zoom in that enhances his strength. There was so much imagination packed into this game, and not just within its combat. But it was a joy to go around, beating up goons through abilities that were, simply put, stylish as hell.

“Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy” (2021)

Another game some players were seemingly turned away by, you really missed out if you didn’t try it for yourself. Yes, you only play as Star-Lord. But you also unlock different abilities for the other Guardians as you progress, and you issue commands to them in combat. There’s a slight, yet satisfying element of strategy blended in with the action. And it isn’t as if Star-Lord is unfun to play as. There are a lot of other things that make this game great; the story, humor, and performances chief among them. But we also savored every encounter, able to sic our companions on enemies. Also, those Team Huddle moments? Boosting your attacks and fighting to kick-ass rock is pure gaming bliss.

“Marvel Rivals” (2024)

Some call it an “Overwatch” clone, but that doesn’t change the fact that “Marvel Rivals” is a damn good time. Since the game launched in late 2024, NetEase has proven its dedication to testing and refining the roster through new characters, as well as updates to both individual movesets and team-up abilities. And even though the line-up has been growing to gargantuan size, everyone is surprisingly varied when it comes to strengths and weaknesses. There’s a lot of variety when it comes to building your team and experimenting with different hero and villain combinations. Whether you play casually or competitively, “Marvel Rivals” offers a ridiculously addictive experience that’s honestly hard to put down.

“inFamous 2” (2011)

Each “inFamous” game is worthy of your time. But when it comes to picking which one has the best combat, we find the second entry hard to beat. As Cole MacGrath, you have a variety of electric abilities to unleash on the world around you. And while it leads to some stellar traversal mechanics, it more importantly makes you feel like a god in a fight. As you grow stronger, you find your limits being ever expanded to the point where you eagerly await every single encounter. It doesn’t hurt that, depending on your decisions, you eventually get either fire or ice powers to also use against your foes. With the amount of sheer destruction you can cause, this game is truly a power trip.

“Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes” (2000)

Still one of the greatest fighting games of all time, “Marvel vs. Capcom 2” gives you an expansive cast of characters to clash against. And while only half of it is Marvel, the power levels of the Capcom side make it clear they may as well be considered superheroes too. Most fighting games have yet to reach the same level of smooth, swift ferocity on display here. Every character has the capability of letting out a powerful blast or devastating combo. And since these are 3v3 fights, there’s an impressive level of balance that’s just masquerading as chaos. It’s the quintessential easy to pick up, tough to master fighting game. And even if your opponent stomps you into the ground, you’re still in for a fun time.

“Batman: Arkham City” (2011)

Being a strong evolution of what came in “Arkham Asylum,” and not featuring the over-reliance of tank combat in “Arkham Knight,” “Arkham City” is the perfect sweet spot of the series. Batman’s combat prowess and gadgets are so well-designed that it brings out a certain level of enthusiasm whenever you spot a group of goons. It makes you want to master every action and reaction that each possible fight can hold. It makes you want to delve into every corner, experience all the game has to offer, just you can beat the snot out of everything that crosses your path. That’s not to mention some of the best boss fights in video game history, let alone those featuring superheroes.

“Marvel’s Spider-Man 2” (2023)

Does this game have some story and writing issues? Sure, but that’s not really what we’re judging here. Insomniac has taken the foundation it built with the 2018 original and improved on it in several ways. And as we can attest, two spiders are better than one. Peter is just as fluid and brutal to wield in this game as ever, even more so when you reach the point of the story with his symbiote suit. The invisibility and electricity of Miles offers a nice level of variety. But they both make you feel overpowered in the best ways possible. Whether you’re taking on groups of criminals or one of Spidey’s rogues, combat in this game always makes us feel triumphant.

Is there a superhero game with great combat that we left off? Be sure to share your thoughts in the comments, and we’ll see you next time!