Ever since it was first released, Batman: Arkham Asylum has been hailed as one of the best video games of all time, comic-based or otherwise. It's a genre-bending experience that offers high octane gameplay with some heart-stopping horror moments, all while providing a smart story that packs an emotional punch. It may very well be the best superhero video game— or at least, it was, until Marvel's Avengers released to give it a run for its money.

Related: 10 Avengers Who Would Make Great Red Lanterns

Our own Christopher Baggett reviewed Marvel's Avengers, calling it a "pretty serviceable beat 'em up" game, and it's not hard to argue with that assessment. But even with its flaws, there are enough positives about that game that place it deservingly in the same conversations as Arkham Asylum. So when it comes to having the best superhero game, who did it better, Marvel or DC?

10 Arkham: Revolutionized Gaming

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Before Arkham Asylum, superhero games were never revered in the same vein as other genres, but it completely changed expectations for future games in the comic book medium. The story and the unique gameplay far exceeded low expectations and blew us away.

Since then, future superhero games were forced to live up to much higher expectations first set by the Arkham franchise. Not only that, but much of this game's influence can be seen in subsequent games in the genre. There is a reason why the acclaimed PS4 exclusive Marvel's Spider-Man has its own stealth mechanics.

9 Avengers: Introduces Kamala Khan

kamala khan

For years now, Marvel fans have been dying to see comic book fan-favorite Kamala Khan— aka Ms. Marvel— introduced into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While we still wait for that day to come, the fact that Marvel's Avengers is loosely based on their MCU counterparts at least gives us the closest thing to hold us over for now— and boy, she does not disappoint.

Related: Marvel's Avengers: 10 Crazy Things You Have To Do Before You Stop Playing

Kamala enters the universe as this wholesome teenage Reddit user, and by the time you finish the game, she's one of the more fun characters to play as. Which says a lot given the legends available as playable characters here.

8 Arkham: Tied To The Animted Series

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Much like how Marvel's Avengers is tied to the MCU, Arkham Asylum is tied to Batman: The Animated Series. While not quite official canon, it does boast many of the same voice actors who offered their voices in the original B: TAS cast. Namely, Kevin Conroy is back at Batman while Mark Hamill returns as The Joker. We even get to see Arleen Sorkin reassume her role as Harley Quinn.

Not only is it great to hear the definitive voices of our favorite characters all over again, but hearing these voices offers an air of legitimacy to the game that makes it feel all the more classic in retrospect.

7 Avengers: All-Star Voices

black widow front and center in the avengers

Arkham Asylum is not the only superhero game with some familiar voices. In fact, the developers here practically assembled an all-star cast of video game voice actors for this one. Nolan North (Nathan Drake in the Uncharted franchise), Laura Bailey (Rayne of the Bloodrayne franchise), and Troy Baker (Joel in the Last of Us games) are just some of the recognizable voices in this cast.

It's rare to see a video game go out of its way to bring together a legit ensemble cast, but for a game like this where its MCU counterparts are very much an ensemble, it feels fitting and bolsters a cinematic feeling to the game.

6 Arkham: It's Polished

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Critics and fans alike have picked out countless glitches and bugs in regards to Avengers' gameplay and cutscene visuals, audio, and even subtitles. It all suggests that the developers of Marvel's Avengers went through something of a rushed production which, while it's not necessarily their fault, it still has to be pointed out when discussing the game's quality.

You get the complete opposite effect with Arkham Asylum. The game is pretty much glitch-free and suggests a lot of time and effort was put into it polishing it to perfection, rather than relying on patching it after the fact to smooth out the rough edges.

5 Avengers: Multiplayer

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One of the biggest edges that Marvel's Avengers has over Arkham Asylum is its multiplayer mode. As much as we enjoy Arkham Asylum as a single-player experience, there's just nothing like tackling a superhero game with a real-life ally controlling an in-game one. Sadly, Arkham Asylum does not offer that option, but Marvel's Avengers does.

Even if you are not a fan of the main story mode, you'll get a kick out of getting some buddies together and goofing around the level maps as Earth's Mightiest Heroes.

4 Arkham: Spawned Three Great Sequels

joker and batman in arkham city

This might be cheating as it has less to do with Arkham Asylum as a separate game and more to do with the consistency it produced, but consistency is important. The fact we were able to experience such an enthralling story connected across four games is incredibly impressive in its own right.

After producing a modern classic in Arkham Asylum, the devs came right back and gave us an equally-great sequel in Arkham City. Then, while flawed, Arkham Knight still stands tall as an epic finale deserving of being in the franchise. Time will tell if Avengers is able to turn into a franchise at all, let alone one as good as Arkham.

3 Avengers: Storyline

screenshot of avengers video game

For all of the shoddy and glitchy gameplay, it would be hard to have something harsh to say about the story itself, which is incredibly engrossing. It helps that the storyline centers squarely around the aforementioned wholesome Kamala Khan and we generally care what happens to her as she integrates into the world of The Avengers and meets each of them.

The story holds its own as something comparable to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and makes us eager to see what happens next. Arkham Asylum had a great story too, but it felt a little "been there, done that."

2 Arkham: You Feel Like Batman

bruce wayne in arkham asylum

When Arkham Asylum first came out, reviews for it featured many people repeating some variation of the phrase, "this game makes you feel like Batman!" So many critics were saying it that it ended up becoming a meme. However, as funny as it is to say these days, there's a reason why the phrase was so common— it's absolutely it's true.

Related: Suicide Squad: 10 Other DC Teams That Are Perfect For A Group Video Game

Between the stealth tactics, the smooth gadget use, and the detective vision, this was the first time that a Batman game actually made you feel like you were the greatest superhero detective of all time. Furthermore, it was the closest a game came to making you feel like the superhero it was trying to emulate.

1 Avengers: You Feel Like The Avengers

avengers in the marvel game

Much like how Arkham Asylum makes you feel like Batman, Marvel's Avengers makes you feel like, well, the Avengers. Every Avengers' gameplay feels unique and different from the last in a way that it's impossible for the player to not have a good time. You're bound to find a character you enjoy playing as.

Karate kicks and gun melee too boring for Black Widow? Punch, kick, and smash with The Hulk. That got too repetitive? Fly through the air shooting energy blasts with Iron Man. It beats out Arkham Asylum for the simple fact that it perfectly emulates a whole team of superheroes, rather than just one.

Next: 10 Plot Questions We Still Have After Finishing Marvel's Avengers' Story