Top 10 comic book heroes that need their own game

With The Dark Knight Rises, Marvel Avengers Assemble and The Amazing Spider-Man all seeing theatrical releases within close proximity to each others, it's a great time for comic fans to be alive.

We've seen a few decent comic book games over the years, but there are plenty of heroes that have been criminally overlooked by game makers. At Pocket Gamer we're going to put that that right through the use of one of our very own super powers: writing spot-on top ten lists.

There's been plenty of Spider-Man games, but not one has focused entirely on the second Spidey – Ben Reilly.

A clone of the real Spider-Man, Ben meets an unfortunate end in the comic book series, his death providing the flourish to one of the longest sagas in the franchise.

We'd love to see a standalone title that explores one of the more emotional arcs in The Webbed Wonder's history.

With Edgar Wright's Ant-Man movie on the way, some studio is sure to put out a tie-in video game.

But still, we think a brawler based specifically on the origins of Henry Pym would provide a compelling story, and the ability to control the size of your body at will would be a really unique gameplay mechanic.

Howard the Duck was basically the Deadpool of the seventies and eighties - only without quite so much violence or sexual innuendo.

After loads of rubbish character-based platformers, we're due one with its tongue stuck firmly in cheek, and Howard would be perfect for lampooning the constructs of the genre.

These guys haven't had a video game in years, and it was so obscure that hardly anyone even remembers it. But why that's the case is anyone's guess, as the Defenders of the Earth are an amazing group of heroes.

The cooler than cool Flash Gordon, animal-controlling Phantom, mechanically-gifted Lothar, and Mandrake the mighty magician – a take on Trine would work brilliantly with these guys.

Visionaries was a short-lived TV show, and an even shorter comic series, that let Hasbro shift toys coated with holographic stickers. Nevertheless, it had a fascinating story full of knights, magic, and technology.

A western RPG would work best for the Visionaries, and the need for the Spectral Knights to recharge their powers would transplant perfectly into a cooldown-based battle system too.

Created by legendary writer Grant Morrison, The Filth is (as you might expect) not for the faint-hearted. In both content and narrative construct it's incredibly hard going.

A game based on the "heroes" in the series would push the boundaries of what we find acceptable in the medium, regardless of how it would play. So Manhunt 2 basically, but preferably much better.

It's impossible not to love Nikolai Dante. He's a rogue, a thief and he's been in more fights than you've had hot dinners, but his debonair attitude to danger and his trademark winning smile will always find you rooting for him.

He needs his own action game, full of over-the-top hand-to-hand combat and gunplay, all set to the backdrop of a lavish 27th century Russia.

There aren't many games where your main weapon is a bow and arrow [maybe in a year's time, though - Ed], and with good reason: they're slow to fire and visually boring when compared to, say, a rocket launcher.

With a title based on The Green Arrow, though, things could be very different. He's a crack shot, can fire multiple arrows at once, and can pull off logic-defying trick shots with ease.

Stalking targets in an Assassin's Creed-esque adventure would be a good home for the blonde-bearded one.

That's right, Superman has a dog, and his name is Krypto.

Imagine slightly obscure PlayStation 2 title Dog's Life, but this time crossed with the ability to fly across cities and stop bank heists. Plus there'll be the occasional cameo from the Man of Steel himself, letting you out before you mess up the carpets.

Captain America combined with Superman, fighting the Nazis, in the age of Amalgam. If that doesn't have "video game" written all over it, then nothing does.

Since the plot's your typically cheesy 90's sort, we think it's only fitting that we should be smashing the Reich in a 2D side scrolling brawler, like most of the superhero games of that era.