What we want from a Justice League video game

Credit: DC Comics — Justice League #5 cover by Jaime Mendoza and Doug Mahnke

A great antagonist

Everyone knows a hero is only as good as his or her villain, and this statement is perfectly captured in both Arkham City and Arkham Asylum. While there were many things that made those games huge hits, it is undeniable their main antagonist helped to push them over the top. In fact, the most memorable moment in Arkham City is arguably the Joker’s death. It left players in shock and had them theorizing for many months about how he could return for the next entry. That’s because he was such a formidable character that many of us wanted more of him. The Joker not only made for a great story, but also for a tough opponent to take down. Even when he was pretty easy to beat in hand-to-hand combat, his elaborate plans really pushed the Dark Knight to his limits.

It doesn’t matter who Rocksteady decides to use as the main villain in the game. Whether it is the incredibly threatening Darkseid or someone more obscure like Starro, what matters is that the antagonist is made right. His motivations and plans all have to not only be believable but something truly amazing. The good thing is that DC has an outstanding catalog of rogues. Our heroes could fight Lex Luthor, Sinestro, Black Manta or Deathstroke — or maybe even fight all of them as the Injustice League. That way, the Justice League video game could have many great heroes fight against many great villains, which could make for an amazing story. Speaking of which…

An Arkham-like story

There is a reason people wait week after week just to watch one episode of their favorite TV series, and that reason is the story. It may not be the most important aspect when we’re talking about a game (we discussed the gameplay in the last page), but it really makes the difference between an okay experience and something mind-blowing. Character development, the villain’s motivations, and the reason for any event to happen are all aspects hidden within the story. While nonsense action can be fun, it’s better to fight for a great cause just as the Justice League would do. That’s why the video game would need an Arkham-like story.

The Arkham saga proved Rocksteady could tackle a great superhero story, filled with many twists and turns while being respectful of the source material. But, what I think it was one of the greatest accomplishments of that trilogy is that Batman was put on a really difficult position in each game. Even with all the gadgets, strength and intelligence of the Cape Crusader, players would not be able to end the bad guys so easily. Batman really struggled at some points in the story with everything he had to deal with. And even when he emerged victorious, he went through some tough challenges.

The tricky thing about a Justice League video game is that our heroes have so many different abilities that it could be hard for the developers to give players a real threat. Fortunately, Rocksteady has solved this issue before, and we hope that they will be able to do it once again if the game releases sometime in the future.

So what do you want to see in a Justice League video game? Let us know in the comments below! And be sure to stick around with Bam! Smack! Pow! for everything super-hero related.