The 5 Best Licensed Games
3. Batman: Arkham Asylum
There are quite a few Batman games that can take a spot on the list of best licensed games but to this comic book fan, Batman: Arkham Asylum is the best. Not nearly as bloated as Arkham City or Arkham Knight, Arkham Asylum’s confined, single location makes for the tightest experience of the series. The concept of playing as Batman, trapped in the very place where he has confined his Rogues Gallery is enough to sell me on the game. Playing it is another thing entirely.
Using all of Batman’s known skills – combat, stealth, detective work – and having (eventual) access to all of his gadgets to combat the likes of The Joker and Harley Quinn to Bane and Killer Croc is a thing of gaming heaven. The developers at Rocksteady knocked it out of the park their first time at bat and cemented themselves as makers of the definitive Batman games.
2. Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay
A game I almost put in the top spot, The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay is a shining example of what fantastic and creative developers can do with a license. Developers Starbreeze (who now make up a good portion of the team at MachineGames – developers of Wolfenstein: The New Order and Wolfenstein 2: The New Colussus) created a fantastic first person action game, with puzzles, stealth and an engrossing narrative that serves as a prequel to Pitch Black, the film that gave us Riddick in the first place.
In retrospect, you can clearly see how the team at MachineGames took what they learned with Butcher Bay and applied it to both of their Wolfenstein titles, telling an interesting story while honing their skills at first person stealth and combat. A great, great game.
1. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
For me there is only one licensed game that takes the top spot and that is Bioware’s Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. From the moment I played the first Final Fantasy on the NES way back in 1990, I couldn’t help but imagine how cool a Star Wars RPG would be. The lore was rich, the Force was space magic, the cast of characters could be interesting with their own back stories. Star Wars was a perfect IP to get the RPG treatment.
Fast forward to 2003 and while it wasn’t exactly like Final Fantasy – I never imagined gaming with 3D worlds and graphics – Bioware made my dreams come true and it didn’t disappoint. Using the history of the Star Wars universe, it was able to tell a fascinating, compelling story and wrap in in well-executed ROG mechanics, but most of all, Knights of the Old Republic allowed me to experience as close to being a Jedi or a Sith as imaginable. To this day, no RPG I’ve played has come close and I’m still waiting for this game to get a current-gen remake. I would buy that in a heartbeat.
