Summary
The Flashis one of the most popular superheroes that is owned byDC Comics. The speedster has been the focus of a TV show that ran for nine seasons and was the star of his own blockbuster movie in 2023. Despite all this exposure, he has never had a beloved video game to call his own.
Just because Flash has never had his own video game in the modern era, that does not meanhe has been completely forgottenabout by game developers. Flash has appeared in many video games over the years as a playable character. They just happen to be games that include theDC universeas a whole.
The firstFlashgame was released on SEGA in 1993. It may not look like much by today’s standards, but this version of The Flash did everything that players expected. Loosely based on the TV show airing at the time, The Flash saw players taking control of the speedster as he ran through 2D levels in an effort to beat the time limit.
This game may serve as a good reason as to why the character has not received a solo game on home consoles since that time. Many reviews of the game stated that the game was too fast to control properly, which made many of the platforming challenges necessary for progression extremely frustrating.
DC’sInfinite Crisisgame for the PC was released in 2015 and had a fairly large fan base on launch. This mobile online battle arena game featured a variety of characters from theDCuniverse, such as Superman, Batman, Sinestro, and Cyborg. The aim of the game was to take over the other player’s bases and level up the characters along the way. Of course, Flash was one of the most popular characters that players could use.
Flash can be unlocked in the game by earning 650 coins. His move set includes stacking speedforce tokens to increase his movement, and the ability to phase through walls. He plays as part of a team, but hisextra speedmakes Flash a must-take for most players. However,Infinite Crisisclosed down in August 2015, just 5 months since its release.
DC UniverseOnlineis an MMO which launched in 2011. The central premise of this game is to allow players to create their own super-powered being to act as either a hero or villain in the DC universe. Many iconic characters and locations from the comics have made an appearance in this game, including The Flash.
Players can use The Flash in this game as part of the game’s PVP mode, which allows players to test their skills against other players on the online server. Also, players can make their own hero similar to The Flash by giving them the DNA of the character upon creating their own superhero, or supervillain.
Traveler’s Tales has turned many beloved franchises into LEGO games over the years. Their first crack in the DC universe was LEGO Batman, which mainly focused on the heroes and villains in Gotham. However, the second and third games in this seriesopened up to include more DC characters, including the Justice League; and Flash included.DC Super-Villainslater featured a much broader roster of DC characters.
The Flash in these games isn’t very visually appealing, but he more than makes up for that with his super speed. In all theLEGOgames featuring the character, he can run fast and build things much faster than the other superheroes.
Justice League Heroeswas a superhero dungeon crawler released in 2006 for the PS2 that did things differently toMarvel Ultimate Alliance.Instead of allowing players to choose a team of four heroes to play the game, each unique level featured only two characters to choose from. When it came to the levels with Flash, he was always teamed up with Green Lantern.
All six of the playable characters in this video game could punch enemies and jump, but they also had access to some special moves that would recharge over time. Flash’s special moves allowed him to create whirlwinds, punch multiple times in a row, or zip around and attack several enemies like he was in a pinball machine.
This version ofJustice League Heroes is a spin-off of the original PS2 game that was only released for the Game Boy Advanced. The general story remains the same, however, players can only take control of Flash this time around. Many of the Justice League characters from the original game make an appearance, but they are not playable in this iteration.
Players get to experience what Flash was up to during the events of the main story in this side-scrolling beat-em-up. This includes running into and fighting some of Flash’s most iconic villains, such as Gorilla Grodd and Zoom.
TheMortal Kombatseries has been popular ever since the first game hit arcades. As such, the franchise has always been open to experimentation. That is whythe gory fighting franchisechose to team up with DC in 2008’sMortal Kombat vs. DC Universe.The title perfectly explains what this game is about. Players can use a bunch ofMortal Kombatcharacters orDCcharacters to play through the campaign or fight friends in a two-player arena.
Of course, one of the characters on the DC side is Flash. This version of Flash will fight normally for the most part, but all of his combo moves involve his super speed in some way. He has his own chapter in the story, but it can also be used in arcade mode to fight other DC characters.
TheInjusticeseries was created in 2013, and the fighting game depicts an alternate reality where Superman has taken over the world as a dictator. This first game was so popular that it featured a tie-in comic series and a sequel. As expected, this series features a ton of different DC characters to play as, and Flash makes the roster of heroes in both games.
In Injustice, Flash isa lightweight fighterwho cannot lift heavy environmental objects. However, he more than makes up for this with his speed, and his special moves in the second game can even take his opponents through time. The Flash is doubtful about Superman’s regime in this universe and is more than happy to help Batman take him down during the story mode. Players can even unlock other costumes for this character, so there is even the choice to play as the Jay Garrick version of The Flash in this series.
