In 2024, one of the most popular and recognizable non-Marvel or DC Comics creations turned 30: Hellboy. Yes, the Dark Horse Comics staple has been around for? three decades now, having appeared in some truly remarkable print stories along the way. Of course, given his icon status, it's no surprise that Anung Un Rama h??as transcended the comic book medium on numerous occasions.

Since his first wide-release story, 1994's Seed of Destruction, Hellboy has tried out numerous mediums. He's a merchandise mover with plenty of t-shirts, action figures, and posters to show for it. He has popped up at the ??movies three times, with Ron Perlman and David Harbour taking him on. Hellboy has even made the jump to animation. Not to mention, he has also cracked paranormal cases in the video game rea?lm.

To say Hellboy's gaming tenure has been a mixed bag would be an understatement. While his guest appearances in Injustice 2 and Brawlhalla were fun, his dedicated ?titles have proven less so. Here they all are, ranked from worst to relative b??est.

5. Hellboy II: The Golden Army - Tooth Fairy Terror

Following the success of Hellboy in 2004, director Guillermo del Toro released Hellboy II: The Golden Army in 2008. Ultimately, it failed to reach the heights of its predecessor, but the cast, production design, and story are all pretty strong. However, the same cannot be said for its shoddy mobile game tie-in, Tuesday Creatives' Hellboy II: The Golden Army - Tooth Fairy Terror.

Released in December 2008, Tooth Fairy Terror was available on the Apple App Store for f??????????????????????????ree, and it's not hard to figure out why. As the terrifying tooth fairies from the film fly toward you, you have to tap on them to "shoot" them. To reload, shake your screen, then get back to defending yourself. Survive as long as you can ?and rack up as high of a score as possible.

There's not much more to it than that. Tooth Fairy Terror ??is basic, boring, and? entirely skippable for even the most dedicated Hellboy fans.

4. Hellboy: Dogs of the Night/Hellboy: Asylum Seeker

Hellboy: Dogs of the Night was originally developed for PC back in 2000, later moving to the PlayStation in 2003 under the new title Hellboy: Asylum Seeker. The fact that this is the very first Hellboy-centric video game ever, and that it seems some amount of effort was made to translate the source material into a video game, is about all that this dual-titl?ed Cryo Studios effort has going for it.

Asylum Seeker/Dogs of the Night has players control Hellboy (David Gasman) himself as he investigates the disappearance of one of his fellow Bureau for Paranormal Research and? Defense agents. He uses his fists (typically just his regular one, not the massive stone one) and his revolver to fend off enemies, slowly wandering around various environments to piece together what happened to his friend.

All in all, this game is slow, the combat of the tank-control-bound Hellboy feels hollow at best, and the graphics are hideous, even for the era. There's some amount of reverence for the Hellboy c??????????????????????????omics here in the design and story, but the execution is a?? big swing and a miss.

3. Hellboy: The Stench of Evil

Going back to the realm of mobile games, we come to another game meant to drum up hype for Hellboy II: The Golden Army, as well as tie into another soon-to-be-mentioned Hellboy game. This time around, it's G5 Entertainment's Hellboy: The Stench of Evil, which was released on July 10, 200?8 and brings the title ch?aracter into the exciting world of action platforming. The problem is, this game isn't very exciting.

The Stench of Evil is a pretty bare-bones platformer. Hellboy runs and jumps through a few different environments, plowing through enemies with ease. If you take enough punishment to fill up the rage meter, your att??acks do even more damage. For a mobile game, the visuals are decent, with fairly detailed environments and plenty of color.

On the whole, Hellboy: The Stench of Evil isn't h??orrifically bad, nor is it p??articularly good. It's a middle-of-the-road promotional game and nothing more.

2. Hellboy: The Science of Evil

After spending some time away from the console scene, Hellboy and his companions made their grand return in 2008. Hellboy: The Science of Evil brings the del Toro Hellboy universe to Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PSP, complete with Perlman back as Big Red, Selma Blair as Liz Sherman, and?? Doug Jones as Abe Sapien �all three being playable, no less. They unite to defeat the evil Herman von Klempt (Jürgen Prochnow) and his forces.

Compared to the previous three games, The Science of Evil is a huge step forward, but it's still not great. The design, voice acting, combat, and story can't quite make up for the somewhat lacking graphics and uninspired gameplay. With a bit more polish and development, The Science of Evil could've b?een the Hellboy adventure?? gamers had wanted for years.

It has also been said that Lobster Johnson, voiced by the legendary Bruce Campbell, was slated for a DLC release, only for such content to be canned. This is just another example of The Science of Evil coming so close to greatness just?? to end up missing the mark.

1. Hellboy: Web of Wyrd

Well over a decade after receiving his own dedicated game, Hellboy returned to the gaming forefront in 2023 via Hellboy: Web of Wyrd. It's not using a movie franchise as its basis, nor is it designed to promote something else. It's just a Hellboy tale, in the aesthetic of the Hellboy comics, with Dark Horse and Mignola direc??tly involved. But, ??how well does it all come together?

Web of Wyrd is undeniably the most beautiful Hellboy-centric game to date, appearing as a comic come to life. The late, great Lance Reddick makes for an excellent Hellboy, who's looking for a missing BPRD agent through a dimension called the Wyrd. Unfortunately, the combat in this roguelike (not to be confused with roguelite) title leaves much to be desired, re?sulting in much of the gameplay feeling dull and repetitive.

With 30 years behind him, evidently, Hellboy has yet to receive a truly definitive video game adaptation. Hopefully, at so?me point in the next 30, that game wil??l come along.

The post Hellboy video games ranked: the?? good, the bad, and the Wyrd appeared first on Destructoid.

A solid showing of indie games

Microsoft held their ID@Xbox Showcase today showing off the lineup of upcoming indie games heading t?o PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. We got a good look at some promising-looking indie games that are coming out over the ne?xt year. Alongside world premieres we also got a few surprise today releases.

We've put together a recap of all the new game reveals and announcements from the ??showcase. There were twenty games showcased in this ID@Xbox event so there's lots to talk about. Let's dive in!

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhRr_5HhKxI

Monolith: Requiem of the Ancients

Monolith: Requiem of the Ancients is third person action adventure RPG about a mysterious powerful monolith threatened by dark forces. Embark on a dangerous adventure with the power of the Runic Swarm and crush minions of evil on your path to save the planet. Monolith is coming in ?2024 on Xbox?? One and Xbox Series X|S.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlwSl-jCNMM

Hellboy Web of Wyrd

Hellboy Web of Wyrd is an upcoming action-brawler-roguelite where you can punch, dodge, and blast your way through the mysterious Web of Wyrd as the comic-favorite Hellboy. While no exacty timeframe was given, Hellboy Web of Wyrd is coming soon to Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCMCZ3gALc4

Everspace 2

Space action RPG Everspace 2? will finally be leaving early access and receives a full launch on August 15, 2023 on Xbox Series X|S. It is also a Day 1 on Game Pass title. Though it wasn't mentioned, we also know it's releasing on PS5 the same day. The full release will feature a 30+ hour main campaign story that is fully vo??iced in English and German.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=mioYYcmsog0

Sea of Stars

We got another look at the Sea of Stars announcement trailer that was released a few months ago. The turn-based RPG inspired by the classics still looks as beautiful as ever. Sea of Stars tells the story of two Children of the Solstice who combine powers of sun and moon to perform Eclipse Magic and fight back the evil Fleshmancer. Sea of Stars features special guest composer Yasunori Mitsuda who is well known for his music in Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross, and Xenoblade Chronicles 3. The retro RPG ?will rele?ase on August 29 and will be day 1 on Game Pass. A demo is out now on Xbox.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECbYebmtqvs

Solace State

Take on the role of a young hacker confronting political plots in Solace State. The visual novel-style game claims choices will be important as you build relationships and support communities attempting to revolutionize against a corporate biotech conspiracy. Solace State is coming this summer to Xbox One and Xbo?x S??eries X|S.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCyWv7rexbo

Worldless

Worldless is a stylized 2D Adventure Platformer featuring turn-based combat. Explore a mysterious and abstract world as you attune to various polarities that change your style of combat. Worldless release??s on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S in Fall 2023.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dXwcSoHWUU

MythForce

Jump into a Saturday Morning Cartoon with first-person melee roguelike MythForce. Adventure through crypts and castles with your friends as you hunt down the evil Hexstar. MythForce launches on Septemb??er 12 on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGtYNFtvGzc

Jackbox Party Pack 10

Timejinx and Hypnotorious were revealed as two of the five games coming in Jackbox Party Pack 10. We've already seen Tee K.O. 2 and FixyText revealed as two of the other games, meaning we're still waiting on one more. Jackbox Party Pack 10 releases this fall on all major platforms.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMgy7vI6hn0

Roman Sands RE:Build

This is a very unique-looking title. Roman Sands RE:Build is a delirium-charged journey into an apocalypse. Play through a variety of genres including visual novel, adventure, puzzle, horror, and survival simulation games. Roman Sands RE:Build is coming to Xbox? One and Xbox Series X|S in Winter 2023.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4ziEhBytrM

Scarlet Deer Inn

Scarlet Deer Inn is a narrative platformer featuring an emotional story and an interesting cast of characters. Explore a dark dungeon full of monsters and branching dialogue options where all character's animation frames have actually been embroidered. Furthermore, all backgrounds have been hand-painted. The Studio Ghibli-inspired Scarlet Deer Inn is coming to Xbox Series X|S but no release timeframe? jus??t yet.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xnc7jSmcxB4

Rain World: Downpour

Rain World and the Rain World: Downpour DLC are out now on Xbox. ??Take c?ontrol of five new characters as you explore the dark and mysterious world.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvRLsQmQAc0

Second Wave

Wait, this isn't an Overwatch skin pack? Apparently not. Second Wave is a free-to-play online multiplayer hero-based shooter MOBA in the world of Armantia. Choose from Domination or 3-Way Battle as you fight other heroes and exiles in an endless war for the Arcane Stone. Second Wave is coming to Xbox Serie??s X|S ??but no release timeframe was given.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Coku_dX7Tfk

Vampire Survivors

Even though it was revealed a couple of weeks ago, we got another look at the Vampire Survivors couch co-op mode. Dust off your couch and jump into the bullet hell Vampire Survivors with up to four total players. Th??e new mode is coming ??to Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and Game Pass on August 17.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVju4TQoT1w

Axiom Verge 2

You can now explore the award-winning alien world of Axiom Verge 2 on Xbox. Our very own Eric Van Allen thought this was a beautiful Metroid-style game so it's definitely worth checking out. Axiom Verge 2 is out now on Xbox One and?? X?box Series X|S either alone or in a bundle with the first one.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=avFlZxNjOtI

Stray Souls

Ok, this probably has to be the best reveal of the showcase in my opinion. Stray Souls is a creepy-looking indie game that looks like a mix between Silent Hill and Resident Evil. The spooky third-person shooter features new music by legendary Silent Hill composer Akira Yamaoka. Stray Souls hits Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S in Fall 2023.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RxnHLsDGo8

Birth

I'll be honest, Birth definitely looked unique but I wasn't too sure exactly what I had just seen by the time the trailer was over. Apparently, it's an adventure puzzle game about constructing a creature from spare bones and organs you find around a city. The art is hand-drawn and the gameplay involves you solving physics-based puzzles as you discover secrets around town. Birth releases on Xbox One on July 28.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=50K1cw5_9vU

Texas Chain Saw Massacre

Like the film, Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a game based on true events. Try to survive in this insanely chaotic survival game when it releases on August 18 on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. It will also be ?a day 1 Game Pass release.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_EseZ_Kalw

DREAMERS

It's time to go on an emotional journey with DREAMERS, a new colorful adventure game by PlaySys. Explore a world full of challenges and mysteries on September 1. DREAMERS is releasing on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=utb6ET0uhV0

Stumble Guys

The mobile game variant of Fall Guys is now officially coming to consoles. Stumble Guys is another multiplayer knockout royale game coming to Xbox ?Series S|X and Xbox One.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyfNjdTaFLE

The Making of Karateka

Based on the 1984 martial arts action game by Jordan Mechner, The Making of Karateka is an interactive documentary that also includes four pixel-perfect versions of Karateka. It will also feature an all-new remastered version of the game with new features. The Making of Karateka releases later this year on Xbox Series X|S.

Whew, that's it! I'm personally really looking forward to Sea of Stars and Stray Souls?. How do you guys feel overall ab?out the ID@Xbox showcase?

The post Here’s a full July ID@Xbox Showcase Recap appeared first on Destructoid.