The 10 greatest NES superhero games, ranked

There was a time when we didn't need photorealism, 4K textures, or open-world quests to feel like superheroes. All that one needed was a rectangular controller, some patience, and that click of a NES cartridge sliding into place. Well before the era of bloated cinematic universes, these games were the be-all and end-all of superhero experiences.

For those who grew up in the late '80s and early '90s, the NES was a gateway to become Spider-Man, Batman, and so many more superheroes. Sure, many titles were glorified tie-in cash-grabs, but some set themselves apart, delivering timeless action, tight gameplay, and the kind of memories that just won't fade.

10 Wolverine (1991)

Since there was an X-Men game on the NES, there was bound to be a Wolverine game, too. After all, he's inarguably the most popular mutant in that team. Now, while the X-Men NES game is one we should never talk about, the Wolverine game does deserve some credit. Wolverine on the NES was tough to master and felt almost impossible to finish.

A platformer that's also a slice 'em up, Wolverine is a fun time if you've got some to kill while travelling. It does border on unfair a bit, thanks to the combat that fails to connect — with players and enemies both. This one's really awful compared to the rest of the games on here. Skip.

9 Spider-Man - Return of the Sinister Six

I'm a Spider-Man fanboy through-and-through, which makes this one a bit of a biased entry. However, there is simply no denying that Spider-Man - Return of the Sinister Six felt like an absolutely phenomenal time the first time I played it on the NES.

You could stick to walls, web-swing instead of just jumping across platforms, and pick on enemies on the screen with ease. Returning to the game in 2025, it's clear that the game is terribly janky and Spidey controls horribly, but the wave of nostalgia while playing this 1992 title is still strong. Above all, despite the jank, the ability to web-swing and stick to walls was fantastic for its time.

8 Batman - Return of the Joker

If you wanted to see what the NES could really do when pushed to its limit, look no further than Batman - Return of the Joker. The sprites in the game, for their time, looked fantastic and well-animated, and the color palette is one you will have trouble forgetting, thanks to its Castlevania-esque art style.

A platforming beat 'em up, Return of the Joker has the Caped Crusader taking out hordes of enemies, and breaking up the tension are even shoot-em-up sections. Now, overall, this is definitely not the best Batman title on the NES. However, its graphics and unique art style definitely set it apart.

7 Batman: The Video Game

Batman Returns wasn't the first Tim Burton movie to get its tie-in games on the NES. That, of course, was Batman, the 1989 game for the movie with the same name. This was the game that changed everything — the visuals were moody and atmospheric, the soundtrack was fantastic, and Batman wall-jumping his way across industrial Gotham made for an overall unforgettable experience.

There's a reason that the first Batman game on the NES gets so much reverence in retro circles — it's hard as nails, but never unfair. Every jump, punch, and gadget use in the game feels earned, and the tension never lets up. And hey, it doesn't hurt to also be one of the best-looking games on the NES, either, does it?

6 Captain America and the Avengers

Captain America and the Avengers first came out for Arcades before it got a NES port that was remarkably different. Instead of being an honest-to-goodness beat 'em up brawler like its arcade counterpart, the NES version was a side-scrolling platformer.

Now, the arcade version let you play as four avengers, including Vision and Iron Man, but the NES title only gave players Captain America and Hawkeye. They both got unique abilities, too — Cap could throw his shield and block attacks with it, while Hawkeye could shoot arrows directionally. With interesting level direction and a rewarding core gameplay loop that had you hunting down orbs for exiting the stage, Captain America and the Avengers remains one of the most solid superhero experiences on the NES.

5 Mega Man 2

Now, look — I know the Blue Bomber isn't technically a superhero in the cape-and-cowl sense, but come on! He's an android who takes down evil robots. Mega Man 2 is decidedly one of the greatest NES games ever made, even if we're not talking about superheroes. It perfected the first Mega Man game on the NES, and offered tight controls, remarkable levels and stages, and a soundtrack that just refuses to leave my head at the time of writing this.

I may have discovered Mega Man 2 on a famiclone years after it came out, but even through a retroactive lens, it is impossible to miss just how revolutionary this was in 1988. If I had to recommend one 8-bit game that did everything right, it would either be Mega Man 2 or its sequel.

4 The Punisher (1990)

A breath of fresh air in a room full of platforming and beat 'em up superhero titles, The Punisher on the NES gave players a new perspective to play from. Frank Castle wasn't going left to right, beating up goons. Instead, the entire city full of thugs was a shooting gallery to aim at and pull the trigger, picking up weapons, ammo, and finding bonus areas along the way.

It's certainly not the best-looking game on the NES, thanks to its dark backgrounds that become a bit of a jumbled mess unless you're playing on a huge monitor instead of a handheld. What is certainly impressive about this game, however, was how we could see bullet holes in almost everything we shot at — those were impressive effects for the time. Although, I can't wrap my head around the choice to exclude music from the game. Would it really have hurt?

3 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles first came to arcades, and when the time came for a NES port, Konami gave it the sequel treatment. The home version of the arcade game, it was graphically toned-down for the 8-bit hardware, but the heart of the game remained — four turtles, co-op fun, and relentless beatdowns. The co-op element gave the game a decidedly better feel than its predecessor, and the sequels that followed also had that Konami quality.

For 1990, this was peak side-scrolling brawler design, with buttery controls and tight hitboxes that rewarded good timing and spacing. The joy of co-op madness with a sibling or a friend must have been impossible to beat while playing TMNT II on the NES, which makes it one of the most unforgettable superhero beat 'em ups of its era.

2 Mega Man 3

While Mega Man 2 became the Mega Man game to play, Mega Man 3 came and started pushing the envelope, two years later. Heck, it introduced the slide mechanic, which was game-changing for the franchise — it added depth to the movement as well as combat. We even got some fantastic bosses like Shadow Man and Snake Man, who practically defined the NES-era boss design.

Mega Man 3 was bigger and more ambitious than its predecessor, and I'd argue it was a heck of a lot tougher, too. Looking back, the jump between the two games is clear, with the third game's design more intricate and deep. Regardless, both of them deserve a place in the superhero hall of game when it comes to the Famicom era.

1 Batman Returns (1992)

Tim Burton's Batman Returns actually had a variety of tie-in games released with the same name across different platforms. My favorite by a considerable margin has to be the SNES version. However, the NES, which was six years old in 1992, still got a version of the game. Now, the NES' 8-bit hardware couldn't hold a candle to the SNES' 16-bit hardware, but Batman Returns was still an absolutely solid game from start to finish on the NES.

The 2D side-scrolling beat 'em up was really well-polished for its time, thanks to Konami's excellent experience in making brawler-type games by that time. From performing slide-kicks to spamming batarangs, players had a variety of moves at their disposal as Batman. Having personally played the game, it's much easier to just consider it an entirely different game from the SNES variant. It's a shame that this is one game we won't see on Switch Online.

Before counters and finishers, these were the definitive superhero experiences

Looking back, these NES games didn't just slap a regular side-scroller with a superhero name-tag. Instead, they made players feel like superheroes, even with just two buttons and an 8-bit soundtrack. Challenging and imaginative (and sometimes brutally unfair), these games kept players coming back for more.