The Joker, the crazy clown, the Prince of Crimes, or whatever you might call him, was considered as one of the most memorable villains in the DC universe. Ever since his first introduction during the Batman comic in 1940, the arch-nemesis of Batman has appeared in so many media forms - comics, movies, TV-series, and of course, video games. So today, let's take a look at the five best versions of Joker, in the history of video games.
5. The LEGO Batman series
Ever since the first LEGO Batman game back in 2008, Joker has been present in every game in this sub-franchise of the LEGO games. And even more special, he is actually a playable character in those games, with his signature costumes and abilities. In the LEGO Batman series, The Joker is alway seen with Harley Quinn, Scarecrow, and many other DC villains, with one ultimate goal: to spread Joker Gas all over Gotham City.
Aside from the Batman games, Joker is one of the main characters in the spin-off game LEGO DC Super-Villains, leading a group of DC criminals to destroy the Justice Syndicate.
4. Injustice
While Injustice is a fighting game, and many of our readers might think that there is really no need to pay attention to the fighting game's story, then you might miss out on one of the most noticeable storylines in the DC universe.
In Injustice: Gods Among Us, The Joker is truly the madman that sets the storyline in motion - by tricking the Man of Steel into killing Lois Lane - which marks the start of Superman's downfall into an ax-crazy villain. Meanwhile, in Injustice 2, Joker is not taking the main stage anymore, instead, being a recurring hallucination for Harley Quinn after she got exposed to the fear gas of Scarecrow.
The Joker also is the playable character in the game's roster, with many moves that are the signature of his madness also make appearances in Injustice.
3. Batman: Return of the Joker
Batman: Return of the Joker is a game back in the NES day, that was released in 1991. This is the sequel to the NES Batman game that adapted from Tim Burton's classic movie. This game began with the escape of Joker from Arkham Asylum, and Batman was tasked with taking him down - through numerous numbers of boss battles.
But, the most memorable thing from this game is the final boss battle against The Joker, piloting a large mechanical robot.
2. Telltale’s Batman series
The Batman games from the story-heavy adventure game company Telltale Games, feature Batman teaming up with his arch-nemesis Joker, and you can decide the origin story of the Clown Prince of Crime with your decision in-game. You can turn Joker into a vigilante, and also turn him into a mad criminal. Because of this, the story of the game is really deep and even shown us an unknown side of the Joker.
1. Batman: Arkham series
With gaming fans all around the world, Mark Hamill's Joker in the Arkham series is considered as the best Joker ever in video games. Joker was portrayed as the mastermind in the first and second games: Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City. In the original game, Joker has taken over Arkham Island, to create a super army of villains using the Titan formula. Meanwhile, in the sequel Arkham City, Joker is now slowly dying, but he still manages to poison the whole city with his Titan-infected blood.
Joker, while dead, still make his return in the final game of the Trilogy - Batman: Arkham Knight, as Batman's hallucination. This brings to the table a whole new way to have the Joker interact with the players, including jump-scare when he suddenly appears on the screen.