When you take a broad look at gaming, you'll come to find that there are very few original properties out there. A vast majority of games are based on other licenses. You've got games based on movies, cartoons, anime, sports, and even magazines. Unfortunately, with the exception of sports titles, most of the games based on other properties are far from great. However, one genre has been able to withstand this. Games based on comic book properties have time and time again proved to be a solid gaming purchase.

There are several games being released over the next few months that will hopefully add to the high quality products we've come to expect from comic book games. Ultimate Spider-Man, X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse, and Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects are all looking to be solid purchases this holiday season. Let's take a quick look at what they have to offer.

Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects
Platforms: PS2, Xbox, GCN, PSP, DS
Release Date: 09/26/2005
Genre: Fighting

When Capcom lost the Marvel license to Electronic Arts, many 2D fighting game fans shed a tear. However, after getting our hands on Rise of the Imperfects, it's clear that EA knows how to work the license to it's maximum potential. While some fighting game pureists may not take an immediate liking to the new title, we're sure comic book fans will love it.

If you've played EA's Def Jam series, you'll have a basic idea of what to expect from Marvel Nemesis. The characters are free to roam around large stages, and can even use the environment during battle. From what we've played, the fighting engine isn't quite as advanced as the likes of Virua Fighter 4, but there's more here than what we saw in Def Jam. In addition, with a slew of comic book heroes and villains, plus a brand new batch of characters created specifically for the title, Rise of the Imperfects is looking very good.

X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse
Platforms: PS2, Xbox, GCN, PC, PSP
Release Date: 09/20/2005
Genre: Action-RPG

X-Men fans were a bit worried when Activision first announced X-Men Legends. There hadn't been a solid X-Men game in quite some time, and fans of the comics were yearning for some hardcore X-Men action on their game systems. Luckily, Activision created a gem with X-Men Legends, offering four-player action and online multiplayer support, there are few X-Men fans who didn't enjoy the Action-RPG.

Now, Activision and Raven Software are hard at work on the sequel, and it's looking bigger and better than the original in every way. Four-player action is back, along with the ability to take the game online if you have trouble finding friends at home. The levels are now bigger and better, and with over 100 enemies, players will have their hands full. Thankfully, the amount of special attacks and weapons has been doubled to help in taking down the new enemies.

With 16 playable characters, including X-Men and the Brotherhood, there's no reason any fan of the comic should overlook this one. If we can have this much fun on the current set of consoles, imagine the possibilities when the series makes the jump to the next generation (we're crossing our fingers on that one).

Ultimate Spider-Man
Platforms: PS2, Xbox, GCN, PC, GBA, DS
Release Date: 09/26/2005
Genre: Action

Spider-Man fans should be pleased. The last few games based on the blockbuster movies have been well above average. But with the next movie not due until 2007, what are Spidey fans to do? Activision has the answer with Ultimate Spider-Man, coming to all major consoles this holiday.

The main difference between Ultimate and the movie-based games is that Ultimate is based on the comics. Just take a quick look at the game and you'll see that the visuals are now very comic-like instead of the realistic look of the movie-based titles. The look of the title isn't the only thing that's been changed though. In addition to taking control of the webslinger himself, fans will also be able to play as Venom and let out some of their evil tendencies.

Activision has wisely left the gameplay fairly similar to the movie-based titles, with a few upgrades here and there. But the bottom line is clear, if you're a fan of the Spider-Man movies or comic books, you'll enjoy Ultimate Spider-Man when it releases later this year.