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In Part 1 of Comic Relief, we honor five games that gave us an unbelievable experience with our favorite comic book superheroes.

An ode to the comic book superheroes of yore, Comic Relief celebrates the games that have made these legends come alive in a virtual world.

Part 1 recognizes past (but more recent) games where playing as the heroes from the Marvel and Dragon Ball Z universes have never been so much fun. Despite their age, these five games still rank as some of the best titles to feature comic book superheroes. Play them now if you haven't done so already.

City of Heroes
PC
It's everyone's dream -- admit it. You've always wanted to jump up and fly over buildings, shoot lasers from your eyes, or punch evildoers so hard that they go sailing into the nearest wall. City of Heroes, bless its heart, offers you a chance to leap tall buildings, throw fire, and freeze enemies with your ice-breath, all with an unapologetic innocence that makes the game refreshing. Like most other MMOs, City of Heroes is most fun when played with friends. Just going around and seeing all the superheroes people have come up with is awesome, but going into Perez Park with a team of six people is a wonder to behold. With so many EQ-me-toos out there, it's refreshing to play something new, and to have it be this good is like finding a cooler of lemonade in the middle of the desert.

Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi
PlayStation 2
Like any insanely popular license, Dragon Ball Z has had its share of unfortunate titles. However, this latest installment in the much-maligned franchise indicates that fans' pleas for a decent fighter haven't fallen on deaf ears. Tenkaichi succeeds in all the areas that DBZ fans love: brilliant, innovative graphics, a gajillion (more than 60, actually) playable characters from the beloved anime series, and (everyone together) Saiyans! If you're a hardcore DBZ otaku-monster you're pretty much guaranteed to like this one.

Marvel vs. Capcom 2
Xbox
Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is the biggest and flashiest of the franchise fighters. More than 50 characters fill the roster, which sounds like a "who's who" of the fighting game universe. The game's biggest strength is the three-on-three tag-team battles, where you can switch between brawlers during a fight or call all three onscreen at once for a fantastic beatdown. Fights are fast and furious, and there's no shortage of splashy, flashy special effects. Fighting fans seeking an engaging 2D brawler will probably find no finer contest than Marvel vs. Capcom 2.

Ultimate Spider-Man
PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, PC
With an engaging story, exciting fights, tons of Marvel character cameos, gorgeous graphics, and tons of cityscape to explore, Ultimate Spider-Man might well be the best Spider-Man game to date. USM also boasts plenty of side quests and little extras, but the coolest bonus by far is the unlockable Venom mode in which the misanthropic monster goes on a destructive, feeding-frenzy rampage through the crowded streets of New York while being chased by cops, helicopters, and special S.H.E.I.L.D. agents. Ultimate Spider-Man brings the super stylish world of Marvel comics to life with beautiful and enjoyable results--it's a must have for longtime fans and Spider-Man newbies alike.

X-Men: Legends
PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube
The X-Men have broken out of the geek-chic mold of the comics universe to become modern pop culture icons. And thanks to their new digital debut in the action/RPG genre with X-Men Legends, you've never seen Xavier's men (and women) quite like this before. X-Men Legends is equal parts super-powered team-brawler and carefully customizable RPG in the vein of successful genre-benders like Baulder's Gate, but mixed with the familiar flavor of the Marvel universe - meaning Legends is saturated with atmospheric authenticity and comic book continuity. Whether you're a long time X-fan or simply an action/RPG enthusiast, X-Men Legends is an outstanding addition to any gamer's library.

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