The Punisher THQ game from last decade, with the story by Garth Ennis and Jimmy Palmiotti, was set in the Marvel (Knights) universe. Iron Man, Nick Fury, and several classic Punisher villains are featured, as are several characters created during Ennis's Welcome Back, Frank storyline of the early 2000s.

I would love to see that title in the GOG store. For some reason it isn't even available on Steam.

If tabletop RPGs count, Weaverdice seems to be exactly what you're after in terms of creating and levelling your own superheros and villains.

Elmofongo might correct me as I might have read too much of my own wish list into it but if I read the OP correctly the Arkham games have the same disadvantage that recent Spider-Man game has: Batman & Spider-Man. You do not create your own hero in there.

Open world with a premade are quite a few. But one where you have:

- open world
- full customization of a characters race/gender/costumes
- full customization of super power abilities/skills
- a personal story-line

have; aside from Saints Row 4, never been made. And as fun as SR4 is; it never really feels as if it is an intentional SH game.

I know. I hate Marvel movies.

But I still like Superheroes. And my idea for a Superhero RPG will have nothing to do with current Superhero movies like Infinity War and Black Panther.
When it comes to the Open World I want it to take inspiration from the more Modern GTA games (specifically 4 and 5) when it comes to Open World design. Say what you will but GTA 4 Liberty City and GTA 5's Los Santos is the most lived in and full of life Open World I have ever seen.

So many mini games and side activities. The people feel alive and react to whatever you do. Random Events would pop up for you to do something, etc. Heck you can watch TV shows within a Video Game.

I want something like that for a Superhero Open World RPG. It also develops your relationship with other Hero characters because most superheroes still live like ordinary human begins.

champions online?

I just don't see the appeal of "superheroes", as in uniform wearing with special names, there's a point in fiction where something becomes so ridiculous that no amount of trickery will make it not ridiculous, even the Nolan Batman films with all their grimdarkness couldn't do that for me. I mean you could have a story about a normal person who receives a super power but without the silly uniforms or names (or the silly sudden compulsion to fight crime), but at that point it it really a "superhero" story?

That is the beauty of Superheroes. You can do anything.

And not everything necessarily has to do with stopping crimes like a bank robbery.

There's no point in arguing with someone who just throws an entire genre under the bus. Sure, there's plenty of crap superhero movies, but there are alos great ones, even recently, like Logan. That's true of every genre. Westerns, war movie, sci-fi, crime thrillers, whatever. One may not like a genre, sure, but to claim an entire genre is all bad is ridiculous. I mostly can't stand romantic comedies, but even I would have to admit there are well made, well acted, good movies among them.

1994 called, they want their idea back. ;)

That's true. There's no hero creation but there is definitely room in those games for abilites, skills, powers, costumes, personal story and different characters depending on the game.

For characters, they could just call the game Gotham and let you pick different characters from the comics that take place in that city. You could then sort of customize the face.

However, it may be easier to go the Witcher route in the Batman games in case someone were to desire an RPG out of Batman. It could certainly be done as Bruce Wayne is the sort of person who has his own storyline that varies throughout depending on what you're reading.

Of course, there is more than enough room to come up with something original as well like Agents of Mayhem has done.

If it plays like a Saints Row/Oblivion/probably the GTAs Elmo mentioned it would already be a step forward if from a certain sized rooster could be chosen. Like pick your char from the whole Bat family in your Gotham example.

I think a franchise free (or less constricted) game would be better though. Where the "Big Hero" is not known yet and could completely created from the ground up by the player and that char is the big one without Batman casting a big shadow over you like he would in a Gotham game where you play Nightwing or Batwoman.

Then again I would not mind the same in a Metropolis game but I guess thats because Supes ain't such a control freak.

In all cases; creating "your own" char is king. Even if its a game where they might restrict the power sets to a certain degree to create a specific setting & atmosphere.

A little hyperbolic now, are we?

Herosystem is versatile. And the extra source book Champions sets up a world to work in. Not as 'ready to play' as say D&D but