5 Games ‘Cosplaying’ as Comic Book Games

Hey, Heroes!

Recently, I’ve been thinking about non-comic book games that, with a little imagination, allow you to role-play as your favourite superheroes. I even tweeted about it a few weeks ago asking for suggestions and it was really fun to see what games other people like to pretend are Marvel/DC titles. The original plan was to make this a video topic but, to be honest, some things are too esoteric even for Panels to Pixels.

So here we are, I’m not ruling it out as a future video but for now at least it’s a Patreon Exclusive. Enjoy!

1. Max Payne 3 is basically The Punisher

This is the game that inspired this list and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve replayed Max Payne 3 and imagined playing as Frank Castle instead.

I suppose parallels can be drawn between The Punisher and the entire Max Payne franchise, with the first two games featuring comic-book-style cutscenes and an internal monologue that is VERY reminiscent of Garth Ennis’ The Punisher MAX series.

In fact, 2004’s The Punisher for PC, PS2, and Xbox was not shy about cribbing from the Max Payne series but somehow managed to crank the graphic violence up even more.

Featuring a more grizzled, middle-aged Max sweeping the scum off the streets of a snowy New Jersey, Max Payne 3 is everything I could ever want in a Punisher game.

It’s a painkiller-popping, bullet-time-spamming, bad-guy-blasting good time!

2. God of War (2018) is basically Thor

Not much explanation needed for the game colloquially known as God of Thor.

This relaunch/reimagining of the iconic PlayStation franchise traded in the Greek mythology of the original series and adopted a Norse setting. Meanwhile, angry, shouty protagonist Kratos, having relinquished his role as the God of War, wields a magical battle axe that can be summoned much like Thor’s mystical uru hammer Mjolnir.

Thor even makes a brief in-person appearance in one of the most badass post-credits scenes ever seen in a video game. I still get chills just thinking about it.

‘Nuff said!

3. Infamous: First Light is basically The Flash

When it comes to translating superpowers into fun gameplay mechanics, super speed seems to be one of the hardest nuts to crack. It’s presumably why there has never been a good 3D Flash game and why the best attempt at one was unceremoniously cancelled mid-development.

But if there’s one game that balances the exhilarating rush of breaking the sound barrier in an open-world city with butt-kicking combat, an engaging story, and an affable player character, it’s Infamous: First Light.

OK, Abigail “Fetch” Walker may not reach the time-halting tempo of DC’s Scarlet Speedster but it’s still extremely satisfying to zip across rooftops and zoom from enemy to enemy. Plus she can shoot people in the face with her Neon-powered energy blasts! I’d like to see Barry Allen do that.

4. Prototype is basically Venom

Prowl the streets and skies of New York as Alex Mercer: an antihero infected with a mysterious virus that gives him super-strength, invulnerability, shape-shifting powers, and the ability to consume others and absorb their energy. Sounds familiar, huh?

Developed by Racial Entertainment (the studio behind The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction), this open-world action title reminds us of the simple joy of dicking around with superpowers in a sandbox environment.

There’s not much more to say about this one. It’s dark and gritty in the way that almost all games from the mid-to-late 2000s were and it’s probably the best Venom game you’ll ever play.

5. Ratchet & Clank (2016) is basically Rocket & Groot

A gun-toting furry fighter with buckets of ‘tude? Check.

A diminutive sidekick whose seeming naivety often saves the day? Check.

An intergalactic, planet-hopping romp full of alien creatures to interact with and villains to vanquish? Check, check, check!

It doesn’t take too much mental gymnastics to imagine this PS4-exclusive mascot platformer as a game about everyone’s favourite Guardians of the Galaxy.

Ratchet & Clank is a buddy cop story in space chock full of style, humour, and the most over-the-top gadgets and weapons.

But much like the heartwarming relationship of Rocket and Groot, it’s the unbreakable bond between a Lombax and his robot BFF that has cemented this franchise in the hearts of players.

That’s all for now. Thanks for reading and thanks as always for supporting Panels to Pixels here on Patreon.

Catch you on the flip!

Josh