Author: Adam

Another year, another wave of comic book films have hit the big screen! Although, many people have claimed that 2023 is the year where comic book movie fatigue has finally settled in for general audience, due to numerous flicks of this subgenre underperforming or flat out bombing at the box office. However, if the success of the likes of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and (fingers crossed) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem are any indication, I think it’s more that audiences are fed up with lackluster comic book films or ones that are just okay. If every single movie on this list were anywhere near as good as the top three on this list, I don’t think we would be complaining about the amount of comic book films released today, or at least crying over fatigue. At the end of the day, all it matters if the actual movie itself is good or not.

Now that this subgenre of movies have come to a close for the remainder of the year, let’s rank all the superhero or comic book related films to come out of 2023.

Also, just for fun, I decided to include the infamous fan film from this year, Spider-Man Lotus. Why? Because it’s a terrible film that was made by a bunch of racist idiots who legit thought they could make a better Spider-Man movie than the MCU and they deserved to be laughed at! It’s also far worse than any superhero movie that came from Hollywood, which is saying quite a bit.

Let’s not waste anymore time and let’s get on this list from worst to best!

10.) Spider-Man Lotus

Spider-Man: Lotus comes across as a film made by a fan with a very ill-conceived vision of what the character of Spider-Man stands for. It attempts to dive into the inner turmoil of Peter Parker and how he responds to losing those he cares about because of his duty as Spider-Man but the film fails to deliver a compelling narrative or a reason to get behind this version of Spider-Man, with Konop mistaking dourness and pro-faced seriousness for depth and nuance. What kills the whole picture is that Peter Parker is profoundly unlikable here, constantly lashing out as his friends and pushing them away in the hopes that will somehow ease the pain. It also doesn’t help that the pacing is slower than a sloth with a broken leg and the storytelling here is basically non-existent. Spider-Man: Lotus feels less like a love letter to Spider-Man and more of a neglect for him. There’s a reason why people like Jon Watts are the ones in charge of making these Spider-Man movies in Hollywood and people like Gavin J. Konop are not.

9.) Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

After ten years and 16 films deep, the DC Extended Universe comes to an end with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. While I’m sure there was a strong version of this movie that was presented during the production, it is anything but that when it comes to the finished product. The Lost Kingdom is a film that’s feels like it’s on autopilot throughout it’s entire runtime, hitting many of the same beats as the first movie but with no energy, passion, or heart to be found here. The jokes don’t work, the tone is inconsistent as hell, the editing is terrible and it’s embarrassing how the film was trying to do everything in it’s power to NOT have Amber Heard’s Mera on camera, only showing up when the plot absolutely demands her to show up. Aside from some fun buddy cop-like moments between Jason Momoa’s Aquaman and Patrick Wilson’s Orm along with some neat visuals, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is superhero cinematic burnout at it’s finest. You can tell this was a movie that Warner Bros was just desperate to get out of the way so they can finally move on to other things. Such a shame that a once promising cinematic universe had to go out with such a damn whimper, with not a single care from anyone else on the planet. Let’s hope James Gunn and Peter Safran is up to the task in the future because man, does DC (and superhero movies in general) not look good right now!

8.) Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania isn’t quite the worst movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe but it’s certainly knocking at that door. Despite the movie’s overall goal is to give everyone a clear direction as to where this next phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is going, it still has that feeling of inconsequentiality because of how little that will likely matter in the long run and how it barely progresses the characters and their stories here. It still hits the same beats you would expect from a Marvel movie but whether or not that will be enough to save the picture is entirely up to you. And if the box office results and fan/critical reception is anything to go by, it’s clearly not for most people. Jonathan Majors as Kang stands out well here (at least until Majors had to be an abusive idiot and destroy his career) but very little else does, especially the mind numbing CGI. It’s a film so lackluster that it was basically a wake-up call for Marvel Studios, forcing them to re-think their current direction and potentially even erase the Kang storyline entirely. Whether or not that will act as a necessary evil remains to be seen but for now, Quantumania may not be the worst thing ever but we know that Marvel and superheroes are capable of much better.

7.) The Flash

Even taking way the controversies surrounding the production of this mess, The Flash is still not a very good movie. Yes, Michael Keaton is just as awesome as Batman as he was in Tim Burton’s duology. Yes, Sashe Calle is perfect as Supergirl who is more than deserving of her own movie. That still doesn’t take away how terrible the CGI is here, how the fan service and cameos scattered throughout don’t amount to anything, how it can’t escape the whole feeling of obligation, and how this version of Barry Allen is still an incredibly annoying and unengaging character. It does everything it sets out to do and may even delight DC fans with the amount of Easter Eggs provided, but none of it is done as well as it could and leaves plenty to be desired. It just comes across as a movie that DC felt they were forced to make just so they can later get to the movies they actually want to make. While it does pave a way towards a more open future, I certainly hope that future doesn’t feel as phoned-in as The Flash does. Please bring back Sasha Calle for Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow!

6.) Shazam!: Fury of the Gods

While Shazam! Fury of the Gods certainly doesn’t break any new ground for the superhero sub-genre and doesn’t quite reach the heights of the first movie, it still makes for a solid albeit formulaic sequel. Director David F Sandberg is able to deliver the exact goods that he delivered in the original Shazam! had even if it’s not able to deliver much else that feels as fresh. It’s not groundbreaking by any means, but with a movie that is this lighthearted, fun, and just has it’s own warm tone to it, I really find it hard to be overly critical off. I can’t help but think that the negative reaction that this movie received is not so much of the quality of the movie itself but with the either the feeling of superhero fatigue or the studio politics behind the DC movies itself. And of course the controversy surrounding certain cast members offscreen such as Zachary Levi and (at the moment) Rachel Zegler doesn’t help either. Even so, put all the off camera drama aside and you find there’s actually quite a bit to like here, even if it’s not all great what’s on camera.

5.) The Marvels

Talk about a movie that came out at the worst possible time imaginable. Releasing during multiple strikes, franchise/superhero fatigue, and internet trolls being louder than ever, The Marvels is basically the one MCU movie that no one gave a chance to, not even Disney and Marvel themselves. Which sucks because when actually looking the movie on it’s own, it’s actually quite fun with some damn good action sequences, neat looking visuals, and three enjoyable female leads. Iman Vellani is precious as hell as Kamala Khan, Teyonah Parris is cool as Monica, and Brie Larson is able to shine much better her than any other films she’s been in as Captain Marvel, almost as if this is the character that Brie has been wanting to play since signing up for the role. It could have used a stronger villain in Dar-Benn, with more flesh out dynamics between her and the Marvels themselves and it’s certainly a film you can nitpick to death if you want to get technical about it but judging it as a straight up action movie, it’s entertaining with solid chemistry between the three leads. Much like Shazam!: Fury of the Gods, what would have been consider good enough five to ten years ago is simply not good enough anymore. If you skipped this movie in theaters because of the inconsistent quality of recent Marvel movies or other personal reasons, I’d say give this a chance once it comes out on Disney Plus and you might be surprised with it.

4.) Blue Beetle

Blue Beetle is easily the best film that DC has released this year and even their very best one since The Batman. While lower expectations may have played a factor in that, it feels like the only film released this year to do the job it sets out to do exceptionally well. There’s no universe baggage or sequel setup to weight the whole thing down, there’s no painfully distracting reshoots and CGI of certain characters that will take you out of the movie, and there’s no drama with any cast member making unpleasant remarks and/or doing terrible things of the camera to distract you from the picture. All we have here is a very well made and enjoyable new superhero origin tale about a cool new superhero with everyone from the cast and crew doing their jobs as well as they possibly could have.  Jamie Reyes is a likeable and engaging protagonist, the dynamics with his family are great, the action is fun to sit through, and it has the kind of beating heart that not much superhero movies have nowadays. Also, it has the most badass granny in any movie ever! It may not be the best superhero movie ever made nor even the best one that has come out this year but it’s still a fun and refreshing comic book movie that has plenty of action, humor, and heart at it’s center for anyone to enjoy. If there is anyone out there that was on the fence of seeing Blue Beetle, I definitely recommend checking it out in theaters while you still can!

3.) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

Of all the feature films that have we have gotten so far involving the TMNT brand, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is probably the one to get the most things right since the original 1990 live-action film. The animation is top notch with learning the “right” lessons from Into the Spider-Verse, the characters are all well-utilized, defined, and bounce off each other perfectly, the story feels fresh yet faithful to the turtles lore with plenty of resonate themes that might connect with general audience, the score is absolutely killer and gives the film it’s own upbeat personality, the action is a lot of fun to sit through, and it’s able to exist in it’s own sandbox as being the kind of thing that can stand proudly on it’s own along with being among the best of what the Ninja Turtles have offered throughout their history. While I won’t go as far to say that it’s a perfect film in it’s own rights (there’s a bit too much pop culture references and “milking” jokes for my taste), it’s certainly a perfect TMNT film, one that will likely be the one to get a new generation into this successful running franchise. And if the next film and the new 2D series that’s in the works is as good as Mutant Mayhem, then this next wave of Ninja Turtles fans will have plenty to be spoiled by!

2.) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is able to successfully hit all the beats it needs to give fans and audiences a very satisfying ending to it’s trilogy of what is perhaps the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most surprising and consistently great franchise, along with showing how Marvel can still find ways to deliver quality entertainment, even when it might seem like they’ve reached their limits. It’s able to be funny, dark, sad, engaging, and deliver the highest and most personal stakes of all the three Guardians films that helps make it stand out as possibly the very best in trilogy. This also has some of the very best performances and emotional beats in anything Marvel related! I don’t know what the future holds for the MCU in terms of quality or what awaits for the team members that end up living to fight another day but in the case of this movie, I don’t really care. All Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 needed to do was deliver a conclusion that felt definite, right and satisfying all the same. And on those terms, it was no doubt able to deliver a famously huge third (Pun entirely intended!) I’m glad James Gunn was able to end his run with Marvel on a high note and leave me awaiting his future with DC. A fitting farewell to these lovable galatic a-holes!

1.) Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse shows that the Spider-Verse could in fact make lightning strike twice. Everyone involved with the making of this movie wanted to take everything to the next level without holding anything back and they are able to exceed greatly with a sequel that manages to be as good as Into the Spider-Verse and in some ways, even better. The animation might be the very best I’ve ever seen in any film, the entire cast is perfect with everyone feeling like they are absolutely in LOVE with their roles, Miles and Gwen are some of the most interesting, engaging, and layered protagonists in any comic book film, the themes and morals of the story still resonate and fits the core elements of Spider-Man perfectly, there’s plenty of well earned fan service throughout that never gets in the way of the main central storyline, and while it does end on an obvious cliffhanger, it will no doubt make anyone excited to see how they will wrap up the story in the third and final installment. For as much as there been talk about superhero movie fatigue nowadays, I’m willing to bet if the majority of modern superhero movies were anywhere near as good as these Spider-Verse movies are, we would not been having that conversation whatsoever and realize that the movie being good is what matters most at the end of the day. Across the Spider-Verse is the best comic book film of 2023, one of the best films of 2023, and might just be one of the most perfect sequels ever made! Bring on Beyond the Spider-Verse and PLEASE treat your animators right this time!

To cap off cinema in 2023, I decided to do something a bit different this year. Other than giving you my list of my top favorite movies of the year, I want to do something extra and give you a list of my favorite films of a certain genre, subgenre, or medium of 2023. This year, in the build up to my list of the best films of the year, I will also do an individual list of the best horror movies of 2023, best animated movies of 2023, and a ranking of all the superhero movies of 2023. This would be the perfect way to give certain films some love and recognition that I might not have gotten to in my main top list because it just missed the list. I plan on publishing one list every Sunday for the rest of the month, concluding with my list of the top overall films of 2023!

To start off this little marathon to end the year, let’s look over ten films in the horror genre that I believe are worth a watch! Keep in mind, this is NOT in number order and are only in the order of the time which it came out! The only exception to this is my very final pick, with what I believe was the best horror film of 2023!

Let’s not waste anymore time and get straight into it!

M3GAN

I don’t how I would judge M3GAN if this was a film to NOT come out in January, most often regarded as the toxic wasteland month for movies. Even so, regardless of what time and month it came out, there is a lot to like and recommend with M3GAN. There is a certain warmth and heart here with plenty of laughs, scares, thrills, and meaningful messaging involving A.I. and the way humans respond to it. Not to mention, the character of M3GAN herself makes for an instant horror movie icon, suiting greatly as this generation’s Chucky! It’s quite uneven and there are certain kills you will likely see coming from a mile away but for what it’s worth, M3GAN was a damn fun time and I’ll definitely watch a sequel if it gets made. This was a movie that not only kicked off this year’s horror movies on a high note but also this year’s films in general.

Scream VI

Although, there probably isn’t a WORSE time to talk about this movie in a positive light after everything that has happened for the past few weeks regarding this franchise, Scream VI was about as good, if not better, than it’s 2022 predecessor and deserves recognition for it. The new cast equipped themselves admirably and don’t need the legacy characters themselves to carry it, the kills are still effective and satisfying, the returning cast are better utilized here than the last movie, and it does give you a brighter sense of the future that lies ahead for franchises that actually dare to move forward without their main face of the franchise. And even if this is the very last Scream movie now due to incompetent management from the higher ups at Spyglass, this would be a satisfying note to end on as it does bring proper closures to characters old and new. Justice to Melissa Barrera!

Renfield

I wasn’t the nicest camper to this when it came out, but it has slightly grown on me since it’s release. It’s far from the best version of itself and lacks the tonal control or brain in it’s head that M3GAN had but Renfield is still an enjoyable time overall! The humor and set pieces does it’s job when it arrives, Nicholas Hoult and Ben Schwartz are always welcome presences, and Nicolas Cage as Dracula is as much of a match made in heaven as you would expect. While it falls just shy of being an instant horror movie classic, Renfield is worth a watch for those that are in a massive horror fix or Halloween mood.

Evil Dead Rise

Who would’ve thought that 40 years after the original Evil Dead that the series would still have plenty of juice left in it? Evil Dead Rise is able to continue the franchise momentum in pushing itself forward to new territory while still sticking to the roots of what Evil Dead stands for. Here we see mum Ellie getting possessed by the spirits with her sister and children in the fight for their survivals! The characters themselves are engaging, the kills still deliver in fresh and exciting ways, and the creativity that the series is known for is still on display! Even if it’s not quite the very best movie in the franchise, Evil Dead Rise still succeeds greatly at reintroducing Evil Dead to a new generation. Five movies in and it doesn’t seem like Evil Dead is losing momentum anytime soon, making for perhaps the best (or at least most consistent) horror movie franchise out there!

The Last Voyage of the Demeter

Critics weren’t too kind to this one but I found himself being one of this film’s supporters. Taking a footnote in Dracula lore and exploring the hidden depths buried underneath it, The Last Voyage of the Demeter was able to deliver the exact kind of Dracula film that 2014’s Dracula Untold could not. The cast is all great with every member bringing their A game, the period setting is very well done and completely buyable, and the tension is build greatly throughout the entire movie, giving us enough of Dracula without him feeling overused or pushed to the side until the climax arrives. While it may not be quite the best horror film of the year, The Last Voyage of the Demeter might just be the most misunderstood horror film of the year. Go into it with a more open mind and you will find that there is a lot to like here than there is to hate!

No One Will Save You

If you want to talk about a sci-fi horror movie that will kick you ass in the best possible ways, No One Will Save You will do that straight and hardcore. This is a silent film that’s lets it’s tension and atmosphere do the talking while every other element is able to walk between those lines quite well. Carried heavily by a brilliant turn from Kaitlyn Dever and stellar direction from director Brian Duffield, No One Will Save You will get under you skin the right way and does it’s every best to leave a lasting impact on you, proving that alien and horror elements can work out well together when they are both done right. It’s certainly not the most conventional sci-fi horror movie out there and may be a bit too “different” for mainstream audience, but for those that welcome something different and scary, No One Will Save You will give you just that and even more.

Totally Killer

Playing like a more diet version of recent slasher flicks such as Happy Death Day and Freaky, Totally Killer is still able to find an identity of it’s own with new modern twists added, even if it does wear it’s inspirations on it’s sleeves. If you ever imagine a traditional slasher flick with a mix of Back to the Future and Groundhog Day thrown in a blender, this is basically what you get. Added by a breezy 105-minute runtime and a charismatic turn from Kiernan Shipka, this is a film that is able to poke fun at generations old and new along with providing an interesting spin on these typical slasher flicks and time travel films. I can’t deny you will see the influences of prior films for Totally Killer and won’t make a comparison or two to other films I mentioned but I also can’t deny that you will have an absolute blast with it all the same. It’s one of those films that doesn’t just work in spite of it’s inspirations but strictly BECAUSE of it’s inspirations.

Saw X

After the divisive reaction to Spiral, the Saw franchise decided to take things back to basics with a straight forward story with plenty of blood, kills, and gore thrown into the mix. The result is the simplistic but mostly entertaining ten installment with Saw X. Instead of trying to expand the lore and timeline even further, it instead returns to it’s traditional roots by putting the kills and scares first and everything else second. For those that appreciated the likes of Spiral for trying to blaze it’s own path forward with new ideas, they will likely find themselves disappointed with this newest Saw installment playing things rather safe. But for those that like their Saw films simple and straight to the point, Saw X will do you good.

Thanksgiving

Talk about a return to form for Eli Roth! Nothing like getting back in the groove than with a good, old-fashioned slasher dasher that happens to take place at Thanksgiving! This is a horror film that basically gives you everything on the cover and doesn’t try to trick you that it’s trying to be anything else. The jokes works, the kills are effective, the gore is present, and there’s is not a single moment that isn’t entertaining on a certain level. Thanksgiving is proof that not only does Eli Roth still have what it takes to deliver horror entertainment but he might have progressed and matured as a filmmaker, with a better hand of sticking to what he is best at without trying to be what he is not.

Best Horror Movie of 2013 goes too…..

Talk To Me

No horror film this year was able to impact me and hit me harder than Talk To Me. This is a thrilling and frightening tale about a group of friends led by Sophie Wilde’s Mia that uses an embalmed hand as a way to talk to the dead, taking the cast on a wild journey that makes them connect to spirits in ways they would never imagine. It’s able to take it’s genius horror premise and does just about everything you possibly can with it. The story is gripping, the set pieces are incredibly inventive, the scares are absolutely heart-racing, the tension is felt in every second of the runtime, and the visuals metaphors still live rent free in my head to this day. A24 is certainly not the most mainstream friendly studio out there but when they deliver, they deliver HARD! Talk To Me doesn’t just stand as my favorite horror film of the year but I wouldn’t be surprised if I was able to make room for it on my favorite films of the year period. Just superb entertainment all around!

Is it just me or has it been a hot minute since we last got a brand new Mario game? I’m not talking about spin-off sports games, remasters, added additions to remasters, or a sequel to the game that was basically a “create your own Mario game” Mario game. I’m talking about one that is suppose to act as the next big installment in the main series of games, one that is by design meant to push the series forward. The last game that fits those two definitions was 2017’s Super Mario Odyssey, which was basically the quintessential 3D Mario game that delivered the most perfect feeling 3D Mario game you could possibly imagine. Six years later, we know have Super Mario Bros. Wonder, which seems to want to act as the quintessential 2D Mario game, pushing the 2D games into bigger boundaries then any of the New Super Mario Bros games did (Still love you New Super Mario Bros Wii!). Oh, and it also happen to come out around a similar time that a new 2D Sonic game came out along with coming out the exact same day as a new Spider-Man game. After such a long wait for a brand new and original Mario game, does Super Mario Bros. Wonder deliver? No doubt about it but let’s find out why!

Plot:

Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Princess Daisy, and a handful of Toads and Yoshis are invited to Flower Kingdom, a kingdom that just so happens to be right next door to the Mushroom Kingdom. It’s there that they have been summoned by their ruler Prince Florian, to witness a brand new powerup known as the Wonder Flower, which act as great treasures of the Flower Kingdom that can warp reality. Of course, Bowser comes in to ruin the day and snags the Wonder Flower, using it’s power to merge with Prince Florian’s castle and turn himself into a giant flying fortress while capturing citizens of the Flower Kingdom. Mario and the gang agree to help Prince Florian with the trouble that Bowser has caused. It’s then that the Mario crew must make their way to another adventure where they must stop Bowser, rescue the citizens, and restore order to the land of the Flower Kingdom.

As you would expect, the plot of Super Mario Bros. Wonder is about as simple and straightforward as it gets for a Mario game. Aside from some characters old and new thrown in along with new people that Mario and his friends need to save, there is nothing to complex or layered about the story here. It’s mostly just an excuse to have the characters go through different worlds and bump into old and new foes for Mario and crew to fight. But as with any Mario game, that’s perfectly okay because as we all know, the main strength of Mario games come from the gameplay, powerups, and world building. All which Super Mario Bros. Wonder is able to greatly exceed at.

Gameplay:

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a 2D side-scrolling platform game. You get the ability to play as one of eight characters: Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Princess Daisy, Toad, Toadette, Nabbit and Yoshi. Similar to previous Mario games, your goal is to guide your character to the end of each level collecting coins, unlocking power-ups, avoiding enemies and transporting yourself through Warp Pipes.

The main new feature this time around is that each stage contains multiple collectibles that are known as the Wonder Seed. To collect a Wonder Seed, you would need to unlock the Wonder Flower. The Wonder Flower is a feature that transports you to another form of the level which triggers bizarre effects such as pipes coming to life, swarms of enemies spawning, and characters appearances and special abilities. The effects ends when you are able to capture a Wonder Seed, leave the area of effect, or time runs out.

However, the wonder seeds aren’t the only new additions that Super Mario Bros. Wonder offers. New power-ups include a fruit that can turn you into an elephant, a flower that allows you to create bubbles to catch enemies in, and a mushroom that gives you a drill hat that will allow you to dig into the ground or ceiling to evade enemies or overcome obstacles. These can be very useful and resourceful, especially when it comes to finding special items or different alternate paths to the goal.

One last new feature of the game includes the ability to equip badges. These are able to be unlocked throughout the game and give different advantages to help you proceed through each level. They are split into different categories: Action Badges, Boost Badges, and Expert Badges. Action Badges gives you an addition ability, Boost Badges gives you an additional passive ability, and Expert Badges gives you an advanced skill. Only one of these badges can be activated at a time per level. Even if you don’t care for these, they are mainly optional and can be turned off complete for higher difficulty.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder also have the option for local multiplayer which allows up to four players. It contains some online multiplayer functionality to where you can connect with your friends through the Switch. When playing through a level while playing online, other versions where up to three other players play through the exact same level can be present. When other online players are present nearby, defeated players become ghosts and are given a short period of time to revive themselves by flying to another player or a standee placed by another player. I haven’t remained that active on it but they are there for those that love to play Mario and Nintendo games with your friends and families. And as the very least, they are better than say…….whatever Sonic Superstars was with it’s multiplayer mode.

At it’s heart, Super Mario Bros. Wonder feels like the most logical progression for a 2D Mario game that you could make in the year of 2023. It’s able to take everything that worked about the original three Mario games and Super Mario World while mixing in the “new” elements of the New Super Mario Bros series to make something truly unique. While I don’t think it quite reaches the level of a satisfying culmination that Super Mario Odyssey provided, there is still plenty of here that will satisfy fans and gamers everywhere.

The roster of Mario characters has never been more wider for a main series Mario game then here. The expansions of all the Mario characters such as Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Toad, Yoshi, and even Nabbit is cool and will have everyone eager to play as every single one of them. Even if I find myself missing some other notable players here such as Wario, Waluigi, and Rosalina, there is no one that will claim that they didn’t get their full money’s worth when it comes to amount of playable characters that Wonder provides.

All characters mostly control the same and are quite smooth to play as, with each one having their own unique ability and look to all the power-ups they are able to unlock. Most of them can be customize in terms of what badges they have for each level, the special features you can unlock for it, and what standee they are looking to include. The most notable exception to this is with Yoshi and Nabbit, both acts as the most op characters of the bunch, as they require no-power ups, are practically invisible, and can only die by falling into a bottomless pit. These are the two characters you are best to use when you find yourself struggling hard on a level and just want to complete it to move on to the next age. Even so, they all play great and all control as good as they can.

There’s a ton that Super Mario Bros Wonder offers in terms of the levels that you will likely find yourself replaying each one until you are able to fully 100% it. The Wonder Seed in particular makes for a perfect new feature, adding a nice mix to the traditional gameplay while offering the player a chance to play as a Mario who’s quite trippy. It helps includes multiple different pathways to the goal and sometimes even find hidden ways to other parts of the game, most notably the special worlds. If you are someone that is looking to 100% each level of the game, you will likely find yourself having to beat the level in a couple of different ways in order to do that. It’s nice to see the Mario series continue to add special features to each game that adds to the replay value and experience rather than hinder it.

While Wonder does offer plenty of challenge and variety, there are times to where it perhaps offers too much of that. You are informed about the level of difficulty of each level with a star rating that appears before you enter each level. While it’s great to alert us ahead of time of what to expect in terms of difficulty, they do feel quite random with it’s difficulty spikes. There are times to where it will have just a one or two star level of difficulty only to have a level right next to it have the hardest difficulty imaginable. None of the levels are necessarily hard in an unfair way but there will be certain sections that will have you die repeatedly because you didn’t master each move at the exact right time which makes you wish you can just turn the difficulty setting on your own terms.

The difficulty levels comes at a maximum level with entering the special worlds, which are by design that hardest levels in the game. While I guess that’s rightfully so, these feel like they were made specifically for two specific characters, Yoshi and Nabbit. Since those two are easily the most op characters in the game, they are easily the best two characters to play as in these levels with the special world. If you desire to choose any other character for these levels, then good luck with that and that’s all I’ll say on that matter.

When it comes to the boss fights, they are mostly your typical Mario bosses. They don’t amount to much more than just dodging the attacks from the bosses themselves and jump on them at least three or four times without dying to beat them. I get that bosses aren’t the biggest feature in Super Mario Bros. Wonder but it’s kinda of a shame that it doesn’t even attempt to be as half as creative or memorable as the bosses in say Super Mario Odyssey. It basically follows the same methods that the majority of 2D or 2.5D Mario games have without trying to change anything about them whatsoever. They are fun in the moment but that’s about it.

The gameplay of Super Mario Bros. Wonder is able to succeed greatly in the same ways that most Mario games do, providing a fully fleshed out gameplay experience that offers tons of memorable levels, fun power-ups, and plenty of fan favorite characters to play as. Even when the game gets hard, it never gets too hard that you will find yourself wanting to rage quit. If anything, you will be more and more motivate to complete each level and has many as you can before it’s time to put the Switch down for the day. If you were to ask me what would be a Mario game that acts as the most worthy successor to Super Mario World in the year of 2023, Super Mario Bros. Wonder is basically what you get. And I could not be happier to say that!

Graphics:

The graphics are about as beautiful as you can imagine for a game on the Nintendo Switch. While not necessarily as groundbreaking or on the level of say The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, this may just be the most beautiful looking Mario game to date. All the colors mix incredibly well with the art designs, the backgrounds of each level and hub world look so good that you will want a wallpaper out of it, the characters look great and have perfectly fluid animation, and the game runs as good and smooth as you would expect for a next gen Mario game. What you see in terms of the graphics for Super Mario Bros. Wonder is basically what you get! It’s just a delight to look at! Can only imagine how good the next 3D Mario game is gonna look on the Switch?

Sound:

The music, as with most Mario games, is fantastic! There are plenty of tracks that are instant classic and will have plenty of fans wanting to listen to them in their own spare time. What makes it even more unique that past Mario games is the way there are certain levels or challenges that will have their own vocal tracks that play a factor into the levels themselves. The background characters and enemies will react at around the same moments that there is a certain beat that plays. It’s hard to describe how exactly this works but it’s able to do in a way that adds to the gameplay experience rather than take away from it.

Nintendo legend Koji Kondo returned to do the score, along with Shiho Fujii, Sayako Doi, and Chisaki Shimazu, and all of their finger prints is all over the soundtrack. This is the kind of series where the score basically acts as the heart and soul of the series and that is once again showcased brilliantly all throughout Super Mario Bros. Wonder! It’s hard to imagine how Mario himself would be if it weren’t for the geniuses behind the incredible scores for these games.

If I had one grip in terms of the music is that there are certain levels where it plays the same track over and over again that you start to become numb to it.. It’s still really good but some tracks are just used way too often and will likely have you sick by the time you have listened to it again for the fourth or fifth time..

When it comes to the voice work, it’s no secret that this is the first Mario game since the character started speaking to not have Charlie Martinet as the voice of either Mario or Luigi respectively. His successor to take over the mantle for both beloved characters is Kevin Afghanti. And unless I’m mistaking, the other characters seem to have different voices then prior Mario games as well, giving me the mindset that the voice cast had been changed for future Mario games.

While you can certainly tell these are different voices, it’s never too far out of the ballpark where they sound like they are playing completely different characters. Mario still sounds like Mario, Luigi still sounds like Luigi, Peach still sounds like Peach, Daisy still sounds like Daisy, Yoshi still sounds like Yoshi, Toad still sounds like Toad, and Bowser still sounds like Bowser. I’m sure they are all going to take time to get use to for some but I think they all sound fine and are about as good of a replacement for these characters as you can get. If you don’t like that, well….at least we won’t have to hear Chris Pratt as Mario and Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong every game now.

The game does offer the most voice work a Mario game has had since at least Sunshine, mostly due to many of the background characters, mostly the flowers, spouting out a random line of dialogue throughout the level or sometimes will give you some advice on what to do to get to the next part of the level. Although I’ve never been someone that has demanded for more voice work in my Mario game, it’s a pretty neat feature and shows that Nintendo aren’t too afraid of adding more voice acting to their games.

Overall:

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is another superb and quality Mario game, making for perhaps the plumber’s finest 2D outing since Super Mario World. It’s able to expand on it’s level design and power ups further than any prior 2D Mario game while acting as one that can stand perfectly on it’s own two feet. The levels are fast paced and fun, all characters are a delight to play as, the music is amazing, the graphics are beautiful, the new voice cast does a fine job, and the Wonder Flower power-up stands out as one of the best and most unique power-ups in any Mario game. Even the difficulty spikes to certain levels/challenges along with the often repetitive level themes that constantly plays throughout isn’t enough to bring this game down in any way.

I don’t know why it took Nintendo this long to put out a new and fresh 2D Mario game or just a new Mario game in general but it was absolutely worth the wait. Between Metroid Prime: Remastered, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Pikmin 4, and now Super Mario Bros. Wonder, not only as 2023 has been easily the best year ever for Nintendo Switch but possibly even the best gaming library for any Nintendo console they have ever released. So much so, that they can hold off on a new console for a few more years and just focus on releasing more quality games on the Switch such as these!

Now, just give me Super Mario Odyssey 2 and I can fully die happy! Even I can’t live to see that, I can at least say I had Super Mario Bros. Wonder which will make me die not only happy but trippy!

In recent memory, I’ve noticed a trend to where films, shows, and games that was originally regarded as bad or weak has now being sealed with a badge of reappraisal. Whether that reappraisal is genuine or just done for the sake of attention and “sticking” to whatever is popular to hate at the moment, that seems to be a common trope nowadays.

The Star Wars prequels were looked down upon when they came out but now have seen its fair amount of reappraisal in recent years. The fourth and fifth season of Spongebob were torn apart and seen as the beginning of the show’s end but now is seen by some as the last glimmer of the “best” days for the sponge. And heck, I’m now seeing reappraisal to that godawful Fantastic Four movie that found it’s way to theaters in 2015 as more info about the newest film with Marvel’s first family is in the works. As the old saying goes, one person’s trash is another person’s treasure.

While I have no problem with previously hated products being seen more positively many years down the road, what really grinds my gears is that a lot of it comes across as fake, phony, and just trying to be a contrarian. It doesn’t so much come across as earnest but more of being done just for the sake of jumping on bandwagons. When it comes to the Sonic franchise, while there have been number of entries that certainly fits what I just talked about, I don’t think there’s been a game in the series that meets that mark perfectly than Sonic Unleashed. However, in this case, the reappraisal for the game which I’m about to talk about does feel more real and earnest than any examples I just mentioned.

Sonic Unleashed came out back in November 2008. It was the first major Sonic game in the series to come out after the critically panned Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), regarded as one of the biggest disasters in gaming history. Despite having a handful of successful titles on handheld devices such as Sonic Advance and Sonic Rush, many considered the franchise as good as dead around this time because of the amount of lackluster home console titles that was released in the mid 2000s such as Shadow the Hedgehog, the previously mentioned Sonic (2006), and Sonic and the Secret Rings. However, when the first bit of gameplay for the next upcoming title, Sonic Unleashed, was shown, it gave a good sense of the franchise returning back to it’s roots. With the amount of footage shown of Sonic running around at the speed of sound in broad daylight, it gave the impression that Unleashed would offer an incredible level of speed for Sonic that he hasn’t had before, offering a fresh sense of fast-paced platforming. While the game ended up being a commercial hit, it received a very polarizing response from critics and fans alike.

There are many reasons as to why Unleashed was as divisive as it was when it came out back in 2008. It was coming off the high heel of Sonic 06, a game that shattered the remaining good will that the franchise still had up to that point, it was at that point where professional critics was basically in full “2D Sonic=Good, 3D Sonic=Bad” mode, and of course there was the inclusion of the controversial gameplay style that was the Werehog.

While the daytime stages with Sonic were met with high praise, the nighttime stages with the Werehog were panned across the board, being compared unfavorably to games such as God of War and Prince of Persia. While there were a couple other factors that contributed to the game’s mixed reviews such as the inclusion of hub worlds and the required metal collecting, the Werehog was the main factor of the gameplay that made Unleashed so incredibly infamous.

When it comes to the response from fans, it’s quite complicated. While there were plenty of those that took issues with similar problems that critics has, most notably the Werehog, there were those that were singing this game’s praises back when it came out in 2008. Whether that was for the Wii/PS2 version or 360/PS3 version, Sonic Unleashed has had it’s own group of fans from the very beginning and has only grown since it’s release 15 years later.

It’s gotten to the point that there are those that regarded it as their favorite Sonic game and even the last legit great one, even in the wakes of other fan favorite and commercial successes such as Colors, Generations, Mania, and Frontiers. While I don’t quite agree with any of those statements made, I can think of a good reason or two that those people have come to those opinions.

When it comes to my own experience of Unleashed, I first played the game on my PlayStation 2 around the holidays of 2008. I played through that game numerous times and was always able to find enjoyment in it. I found myself being thrilled during Sonic’s daytime stages/missions and was able to find some entertainment in the nighttime section as well with the Werehog. There were definitely things that did bug me about the game such as there being WAY too many Werehog levels in the second half of the game along with being forced to collect extra lives at the Gaia temples instead of just y’know collecting 100 rings (Seriously, Dino’s! WTF!) but I still thoroughly enjoyed it overall.

When it comes to the HD port, my feelings were complicated. During my first playthrough, I found myself satisfied but also immensely frustrated at the game. I thought the Werehog stages were way too long, the hub worlds themselves to be way too tedious, some of the level designs to be quite bulls*it, and the amount of medal collecting you are forced to do was beyond ridiculous. While there were definitely fun parts about the game, the frustrating parts of the game were beyond awful. However, for whatever reason, I found myself wanting to play through the game again and it somehow was IMMENSIELY better the second time around.

Once I figured out how the game “works”, how the designs of each levels were operated, and where the majority of medals I needed to collect where, I found myself liking and even loving Sonic Unleashed the more I played through the game. While some of the flaws I mentioned were still present, it didn’t hinder my enjoyment in the slightest. It all just felt so satisfying to play through the game once again, going along with an adventure with Sonic and Chip as the two attempt to put the entire planet back together.

I loved running as fast as I could with Sonic and being able to master the hell out of the level design, I enjoyed exploring the hub worlds and getting to know the people involved in each town I visited, I liked going out of my way to playing side missions and searching for unlockable items, I embraced the day and night cycle that the game itself provided, I found myself engaged in the story and laughing quite a bit at some of the cutscenes, and once I was able to properly upgrade my skill set, increasing Sonic’s power, and unlocking dozen of awesome moves, I even find myself enjoying the Werehog stages this time around and was able to beat them much quicker than before. Even the medal collecting, which I still believe is a big flaw with the game, isn’t as bad once you keep an eye out and know the proper time to collect all of them. To put it simply, once I was able to “figure out” the game, Sonic Unleashed became a much more rewarding experience for me.

As the years have gone on, I’ve noticed that more and more people seem to share the same opinion on Sonic Unleashed as I do. While there are still those that hate it, there are plenty of others that have no problem of admitting their love and fondness for the game whenever they get the chance. Certain folks have been scratching their heads as to why that is and why there are those that regard Unleashed as one of the best Sonic games. While I’m sure many people have their reasons, the main answer I got is what I just mentioned in the last paragraph, Unleashed is a game that rewards the player once they are able to get the hang of everything.

Regardless of one’s opinion on Unleashed, they can’t deny the amount of content, variety, and replay value that the game itself provides. The kind of content, variety, and replay value that most Sonic games since then have lacked until arguably Frontiers. It’s not a game you can beat in a mere three to four hours with a story that feels paper thin/non-existent like Colors or Generations. It’s a game that 100% tries to make you go on a complete journey with Sonic and his friends along with providing enough gameplay styles and designs to give the player their full money’s worth. Whether you are playing to get through the main campaign or to 100% the whole thing, Unleashed offers plenty to do for the players to make it’s 60 dollar price tag worth it. While there were plenty of reviewers that viewed that as a major con, to plenty of fans, that is a major pro.

Perhaps that was why Unleashed got such a split reaction when it came out and it’s been received more favorably as time passes. Because a number of critics and players couldn’t “get” into the game on their first playthrough, it was dismissed upon it’s release. However, because enough time has passed and more and more fans revisit the game while being able to finally “get” the game, Unleashed has been able to gain the cult following it has in recent memory. While it’s always important for games to make for a good first impression, Unleashed proves that if you give a game a second chance, you can be rewarded for it.

Perhaps the biggest factor that should be taken into the reappraisal for Unleashed was how important that game was for the franchises’ future. It was after this game which SEGA and Sonic Team took the elements that the majority of fans and critics praised with the daytime stages with Sonic and build upon that formula even further. There was no more Werehogs or giant hub worlds, it was just Sonic doing was he does best, running around as fast as he can with platforming and exploration thrown into the mix. It’s then we got Sonic Colors and Sonic Generations, two of the best reviewed and received 3D Sonic games to date! To put it simply, Unleashed walked so Colors and Generations can run! If that’s not worth giving credit where it’s due, then I don’t know what is.

Speaking as someone that’s getting sick to death of the “reappraisal” time we are living in, I’m more than okay with Sonic Unleashed receiving that treatment. It’s a game that has plenty of great elements to it that is easier to appreciate now than ever before. From the amazing graphics (that still hold up INCREDIBLY well today) to the engaging story to the incredibly fun stages to the fantastic soundtrack to the enormous amount of replay value, there’s a lot to recommend Sonic Unleashed for. Even if I can’t promise you’ll be fond of the Werehog, hub worlds, or metal collecting, they are still there for those that like a little more variety in their Sonic games.

I think most would agree that Sonic Unleashed was a very important game for the series and basically helped give it a second leash on life. Yes, Sonic Team would eventually kill all that good will and momentum in the future with the likes of Lost World and Forces and then later regain it (somewhat) with Frontiers with a new set of gameplay entirely. However, 15 years ago, it felt appropriate and proved that Sonic still had some life to him when it comes to the main installments. While it’s importance might not have been felt back in 2008, it is certainly solidified now if the cult following has anything to say about.

To quote Marty McFly from Back to the Future: I guess you guys aren’t ready for that, yet. But your kids are gonna love it.

And I’m sure Sonic Unleashed was EXACTLY what he was referring to without a shadow of a doubt!

After several months to a few years of build up, it’s now officially been confirmed. The Athletics will move from Oakland to Las Vegas as soon as 2028. The team is expected to play in the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum for at least one more year, then will move to their minor league ballpark in Las Vegas itself from 2025 to 2027 due to the former stadium leash expiring. After that, Las Vegas will officially have it’s very first professional baseball team.

This was a move that had been expected for some time now. Anyone that knows the politics and business side of baseball could realize how much contempt that A’s owner John Fisher had for the city of Oakland and it’s fanbase. The team has had one of the lowest payrolls in baseball for the better part of a decade, they refuses to go out and spend money on big players, and would always trade away their top star players the moment that arbitration becomes a major factor. And heck, they even refuse to pay for stadium employees to at least keep the stadium clean. All of those things and more is what led to the Athletics being one of the worst professional baseball teams of all time last year and the reason they are being forced out of Oakland as soon as possible.

As a fan of baseball and sports, I can’t tell you how much this move sickens me. Not only because John Fisher has proven how little he cares about putting together a quality product on the field but that he’s being REWARDED for it by the rest of the league. It’s disgusting how cheap owners are still being allowed to purposely tank teams and crank out awful teams intentionally just for the sake of lighting their own pockets. What makes it even more disgusting is that everyone in baseball KNOWS this and still refuses to do anything to stop this all from happening. If that goes to show how little the league cares about the quality of it’s own product, then I don’t know what does.

I may not be an Athletics fan but I can certainly relate to the fans of Oakland. This all goes back to another a-hole sports owner in Stan Kroenke (I cringe when I so much as type this man’s name out) when the Rams were in St. Louis. Similar to what Fisher has done with the A’s in Oakland, Kroenke went into full tank mode with the Rams on purpose during the team’s final years in St. Louis. He cranked out awful teams year in and year out, tried to put the blame on the fans for not supporting the team when he was purposely not trying to win, shown his true colors when he had his eyes on moving the Rams back to LA for the sake of funding a new stadium, and got his wish completely in 2016 by convincing the NFL to move the Rams out of St. Louis based on a lie. To add more salt to the wound, the moment he got out of Missouri, he did everything in his power to make the Rams in Los Angeles a winning team once again, eventually leading to a Super Bowl appearance in 2019 and a Super Bowl victory in 2022. If most of that sounds familiar, that’s because that’s basically what John Fisher has done with his own ballclub. While I may not be someone that can predict the future, it would be a surprise to absolutely NOBODY if Fisher finds himself more motivated to win once the Athletics move to Las Vegas completely.

The city of Oakland has had their fair share of heartbreaks in recent years over losing their professional sports teams to other cities across America. There was the Warriors that they lost in 2019 when that team moved back to San Francisco, there was the Raiders which they lost less than a year later in 2020 when that team moved to Las Vegas, and now just three years later, there is the Athletics which they will also lose to Las Vegas. That makes for three professional sports teams lost in just five years. If there is not a city in America that has suffered the most in regards to losing their own sports teams, then I don’t know what that is because Oakland certainly fits the mold when it comes to that.

It would be something if there was at least a notable attempt from the owner or the league itself to stop this move from happening but that was clearly not the case here. Oakland itself was basically betrayed by both their own owner and major league baseball itself. The motives from John Fisher were as clear as daylight these past few years and everyone could see the writing on the walls but yet nothing happened to prevent any of this. Just like how it’s still hard for me to this day to want to watch NFL football because of the way they treated my former team, I would be hard pressed if Oakland fans won’t be bother to even turn on a single MLB game anytime soon because of everything that has happened.

There has been increasing discussions as to why baseball is not as much of a popular watch as it once was. Even with the new rule changes this year that helped increase ticket sales, it still has suffered from consistently low TV ratings, especially in regards to this year’s World Series between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Texas Rangers, which was the least viewed World Series in MLB history. Everyone has their own theory but I believe the biggest answer is simply because of how little most teams care about winning nowadays. As each season goes by and more and more teams are being allowed into the playoffs, it’s become increasingly clear that more and more teams are trying very little to put out the best possible team they can. Because if basically any team can get into the playoffs now, what’s the point of even trying to be competitive when just being at least five or six games above .500 can guarantee a playoff spot. This leads to lesser payrolls, more poorly constructed rosters, and owners that are basically rewarded for putting half ass products out there rather than being punished for it. All of that and more is what makes room for disaster teams such as last year’s Athletics and more.

Regardless of what team you root for in baseball, I think every baseball fan can agree that this is not how we want our teams to go out and have owners who clearly don’t care. All 30 teams in baseball deserve a chance at putting together a great team every year. And it should be the main goal of the owner to do everything in their power to put together a great team either now or for the foreseeable future. Anything besides that is completely unacceptable. Every owner in sports should have limits and restraints that forces them to do what they can to deliver the best possible team they can for the fanbase of the team they owned. Anything less than that is unacceptable. If they refuse to, they should be punished for it. Either by the means of fines or being forced to sell their team to someone who actually cares. That should be clear and simple yet it isn’t. And the fact that situations such as this is still allowed goes to show how no team is ever safe in sports from being forced out and anyone could lose their team if their owner and league cares very little about them.

Regardless, the Athletics will be moving from Oakland to Las Vegas as soon as 2028, with them moving on to their AAA ballpark in Las Vegas from 2025 to 2027. To the A’s fans in Oakland that have shown their love and support for your team throughout their history, I’m so sorry and I wouldn’t blame you if you can never find it in your heart to forgive Major League Baseball for what they have allowed to happen. It just sucks!

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 has finally arrived to owners of PlayStation 5 all over the world! Because of that, I want to celebrate the release by going over what I consider to be the top 10 best superhero games of all time.

For as much as licensed games have gotten a bad reputation, I would argue that most of them tend to shine the best in superhero form. These always seems to be the kind of license games that has the most work and effort put into it. Not every one of them is a winner of course but there is plenty to love when it comes to superhero games when they are done right. Since Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is a superhero game that seems to get it all right from the majority that have played it so far, let’s see how that game along with others are ranked among the very best superhero games!

One disclaimer, I decided to make it a rule to where I will only choose up to THREE games that stars the same character. That’s not to say if that same character is playable in another game that I won’t include it but I will go no further than three games that has that one character front and center. Now that’s out of the way, let’s start off with some honorable mentions.

Honorable Mentions:

• Spider-Man: Miles Morales

While I don’t think Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales is quite as good as it’s predecessor or successor, it still is able to succeed on it’s own merits by being an fun and compelling adventure for it’s own title character, proving he is more than worthy of being his own Spider-Man. If the length wasn’t so brief and the main antagonist was fleshed out more, this might have made it’s way to the main top 10. Even so, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales is a great game and another worthy addition to what is perhaps the best Spider-Man medium out there.

• X-Men: Origins Wolverine (Uncaged Edition)

Yes, X-Men: Origins Wolverine the MOVIE that came out in 2009 was terrible without a shadow of the doubt. However, X-Men Origins Wolverine the GAME was actually pretty damn good. It features some of the absolute best and bloodiest Wolverine action in video game history with such a “I don’t give a F” mindset that you can help but admire how ridiculously over-the-top it is. You can criticize the weak story and the feeling of repetitiveness throughout but if you sit back, relax, and don’t take so seriously, there’s plenty of fun to be had here. Wolverine literally takes down a chopper with his bare claws!

• Lego Marvel Superheroes

If there is at least one Lego superhero game to choose from, look no further than Lego Marvel Superheroes. It’s a big and super enjoyable adventure full of spoofs, laughs, and a window into some of the best Marvel comic stories that can be enjoyed by anyone of any age. With a roster of over 100 superheroes to choose from along with local and online co-op, Lego Marvel Superheroes are these Lego games at their absolute best.

• Ultimate Spider-Man

After delivering what was, at the time, the king of Spider-Man games with Spider-Man 2, Treyarch was able to follow that up with yet another great Spider-Man game just one year later with 2005’s Ultimate Spider-Man. Based off the rebooted comic series of the same name, this sees the relationship of Peter Parker and Eddie Brock at it’s most personal as the two were once great best friends. Even with it’s admittedly dated graphics and voice work, there’s still a lot to love about Ultimate Spider-Man. The gameplay and story is some of the very best in all of the games and the addition of Venom is just the perfect icing on the cake. This game truly feels like well. the Ultimate Spider-Man game (Pun entirely intended!).

• Batman: Arkham Knight

Do I think Arkham Knight is as good as Asylum or City? Not quite but I do feel there are plenty of instances where it comes pretty darn close. Had it perhaps tone down on the Batmobile and maybe handle the Arkham Knight a bit differently, it might have been on par if not better than those too. Even so, I strongly believe the positives of Arkham Knight far out way the negatives and it’s able to end the Rocksteady run of Batman on a strong note.

Now, here’s the main top ten!

10.) Deadpool

The critics were harsh on this one when it came out. While many praised the fourth-wall breaking humor and the meta-filled plot, major criticisms was filled at the gameplay being too dull and repetitive, being compared unfavorably to the Batman: Arkham series. However, speaking as someone who is a big fan of the character, I found Deadpool to be every bit as fun as the Batman: Arkham games. Yes, the gameplay itself is simple and straight forward but it never grew that tiring to me because of how fun and creative the combat was along with containing plenty of amusing quips and laughs throughout that really pulls it through. Nolan North is perfect as the character of Deadpool and I enjoyed all the callbacks, Easter eggs, and references to all the other Marvel properties. It’s not high art by any means but for those who are in need of a good Deadpool fix, this game should do you nicely.

9.) Spider-Man 2

If you wanna talk about a movie game that’s able to meet the quality of the feature film it’s based on, look no further than Spider-Man 2. While the first movie game was pretty good, this one was able to blow that game out of the water. You have controls that feel smoother, combat that is more inventive, inclusion of other main villains not from the movies that is more organic, web swinging that is more satisfying, and even an actual open world for Spider-Man to play around in this time. And even more amusing quips from Bruce Campbell and Tobey Maguire than ever before. I could nitpick certain aspects of the side missions and story (Like why does Doc Ock blame Spider-Man for his wife’s death? There’s like no reason for him to do so!) but Spider-Man 2 just gets it all right. Much like the movie it’s based on, it takes everything that didn’t work about the original and not only improves it but expands upon it in very satisfying ways. Even if it’s not quite the best Spider-Man game anymore, it might just be the most important one made.

8.) Infamous: Second Son

This is the only one on the list to be based off of any DC or Marvel property. However, Infamous: Second Son still remains one of the more unique superhero games out there because it seems to understand why superheroes and games involving them can work. We see main protagonist Delsin Row growing and developing to being a super powerful being of his own in a open world adventure that’s delightfully big and free to explore. The visuals are stunning, the powerset is super fun to build up, it has a nice sense of speed and levitation, and Delsin Row himself is an engaging protagonist to follow. It may not be a household name on par with Spider-Man or Batman but Infamous: Second Son is definitely worth playing for those that like a good superhero game.

7.) Guardians of the Galaxy

The second time was the charm when it came to Square Enix’s run on Marvel games with 2021 release of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. This is just a great action game with a very strong storyline and every member of the Guardians team getting their moment to shine. Just like the GotG films itself, it succeeds due to having it’s own uniqueness, charm, and lovable cast of characters. And an absolute killer soundtrack filled with plenty of beloved pop culture hits doesn’t hurt either. It’s only a shame that this game didn’t get much attention due to the incredibly mediocre Marvel’s Avengers game that came out a year prior. If the quality of that game prevented you from checking this out, fix that mistake entirely because Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy is one kick-ass ride that you should not miss out on.

6.) Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3

Talk about a Marvel crossover in a video game unlike any other! Back in 2011, Capcom reached the pinnacle of superhero fighting games with Marvel vs Capcom 3. It’s ultimate expansion improved the experience from prior games by expanding the roster of well-known Marvel characters, reworking and redefining the gameplay, and providing a fighting game unlike any other. This is certainly a must-own for those that love fighting games, superhero games, or any of the games involving your favorite Marvel or Capcom characters. I would say this is the very best superhero fighting game ever made but there was just one more that surprassed it.

5.) Injustice 2

As impressive as Marvel vs Capcom 3 was, it still couldn’t quite trump Injustice 2 as being the very best superhero fighting game. As solid as the original 2013 game Gods Among Us was, this sequel manages to be even better. With even more improvements made to the combat and formulas, a dark and bleak story mode, the addition of even more characters, including NetherRealm from Mortal Kombat X, this is about as good as a fighting game to get. That’s not even mentioning the addition of the gear-customization system, daily life events, and better fighting mechanics. By being able to deliver everything that people liked about the original game and much more, Injustice 2 is about as good as games get.

4.) Marvel’s Spider-Man

Marvel’s Spider-Man is more than deserving of being as loved and celebrated as it was back in 2018. It’s able to take the kind of Spider-Man gameplay that has been a template from past Spider-Man games while modifying and perfecting it in every way, giving you the most perfect feeling Spidey experience you can possibly imagine. While I definitely could have done without the MJ/Miles sections, almost everything else is done so well that it doesn’t even come close to bringing down the rest of the game. The web swinging is fun, the combat is a blast, the story is engaging, the characters are well-defined and characterized, the sound is stellar, and it’s able to feel like a complete Spider-Man package in a way that no other Spider-Man game has yet. It’s very rare for a game to come out that feels like it gives you your complete money’s worth, one that you can just pick up and play almost instantly and overall, just puts you in a good mood every time you play it. Marvel’s Spider-Man is able to do all of that and even more.

3.) Batman: Arkham Asylum

Batman: Arkham Asylum is ever bit as awesome as I remember it being in 2009. While the boss fights are still rather weak and I don’t fully buy Joker’s “let’s create an army of Banes” master plan, nearly everything else is done rather flawlessly that it’s hard to let those minor gripes bring down the entire game. The combat is absolutely fun with plenty of inventive ways to beat your opponents, the gadgets always come in handy, the detective aspects add a ton to the experience and character of Batman, the entire Arkham island itself is cool to explore, the unlockables are so eager to collect, the voice acting is incredibly stellar, and there’s never a second which you don’t feel like you are in control of The Dark Knight himself.  If 2008 showed how good superhero films can get with The Dark Knight, then 2009 showed how good superhero games can get with Batman: Arkham Asylum!

2.) Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is as every bit as good as you were expecting and hoping for it to be. This is Insomniac Games reaching a new level of peak, being able to achieve the kind of greatness they have come so close within reach but now have finally got it. The story is more engaging and worth following, the gameplay is as polished and perfect as ever, the combat and web swinging has never been more satisfying, the graphics have never been more of a treat to the eyes, the soundtrack is a new definition of peak, and the voice work is some of the best performed in any video game. Whether it’s the very best superhero game of all time is still up for debate (At the moment, I will rate it #2!) but no doubt, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will satisfy fans that have been waiting five years with eagerness to see the follow-up to the 2018 hit. With Insomniac Games finally reaching their Magnum Opus status, they have gain my complete trust for what they do in the future!

1.) Batman: Arkham City

I don’t think Rocksteady could have followed up Arkham Asylum any better than they did here. Batman: Arkham City is about as good of a video game sequel as one could get. Not just as a superhero or licensed game but basically any game in general. It takes everything you loved about Asylum, tweaks some of the things that didn’t work about it, adds in some new elements, and is able to offer a much grander and wider open world where you truly feel like the Batman and Catwoman. This is the perfect sequel to Arkham Asylum and quite honestly one of the most perfect video games I’ve ever played. NOT a flawless game, mind you, but when it comes to the ambition this game has in terms of it’s story and gameplay, it’s basically perfectly executed. This is still one of the most celebrated video games of the last decade or so and it deserves every bit of it. Even if this is where the franchise and superhero games in general peaked, at least it peaked laughing and with a smile on it’s face.