FASERIP foreva!

c'mon guy...

Well, let's see, I've played:

• Champions
• Marvel SH (FASERIP)
• Superworld
• Villains & Vigilantes
• Mutants & Masterminds

Out of those, my favorite is a bit surprising, because it's probably one of the least "sophisticated" and flexible of them: Villains & Vigilantes. The reason I list it as my favorite is because it was the most fun to play. I don't know if that is down to the system, or if it was down to the group and the GM, or what. But I know I had a blast playing it.

Superhero games aren't really my thing, though, so I've never run or played in a long-running supers campaign.

Champions is awesome because it is the cockroach of RPGs, and let you build whatever you wanted as a character WAY before anyone else thought of doing it.
Wild Talents has a nifty dice system, as well as a cool power build system.
Necessary Evil pisses me off because the setting is one of those things that seems like an obvious idea but I'd never seen it before. (aliens attack, all the heroes are killed and the super villains have to save the earth)
Better Angels looks like it would be a lot of fun to play. (PCs are possessed by a demon, and have to commit acts of villainy to keep the demon entertained so it doesn't take over, but at the same time not hurt anyone so you remain human.)
Mutants and Masterminds is d20, so I have the easiest time convincing people in my area to play that one. (way too many people see anything new and different as 'bad')

Another vote for DC Heroes, but it's heavily houseruled. I didn't like the way characters with mountains of HP could win every fight by outspending their foe, so I changed things. For anyone who knows the system...

AV + 2D10 vs OV + 2D10
If AV result is equal or higher, task has chance of success.
Check on homebrew Effect table (one I cooked up to almost replicate the Result table). Find modifier to Effect Value.
Effect Value - Resistance Value=RAPs. This way you MUST overcome the RV to get a positive result.

No column shifts, other tables, hero point bidding... You can buy extra D10s to roll with a 'roll and keep' (roll the original 2D10, make sure they don't fail with double 1s, roll extra D10s, keep the results you want and discard the other dice) with Hero Points and Skills work that way now. So Martial Artist will give one or more extra D10s on Acting Value.

Speeded things up no end (as I play by post these days) and combats didn't take weeks to resolve with bank and forth posting. Plus that niggling mountain o' HP vs pauper auto win thing was removed. The dice play a much bigger part and for me that replicates the comics more. Wasp blasts Hulk in the eye. He can shrug off Battleship guns but she hurts him with a little blast? Sure, if Wasp rolls high for AV, Hulk rolls low for OV. Comics are 'swingy' like that (Aunt May knocking Spiderman out with a frying pan, Spiderman getting one shotted by a bullet that skims his head and causes him to get amnesia etc. We've pretty much seen it all with WTF moments in comics, and I wanted that with the game).

Works for me anyway.

Golden Heroes is also a game that got a lot of play. the combat works superb in play by post, but the swingy character creation can result in Justice League level in the same game as Mystery men, depending on how well/crap you roll. Fantastic game for old school street level supers though watch out for the movement rates (seriously, you're better off catching the bus or a cab than having low grade super speed or flight).

Stuper Heroes it has built in LARP Rules, you can use a credit card or social security number to make a character. It has stupid simple mechanics and is an absolute piss take on serious role playing. Its good stupid fun. I also thoroughly enjoy Heroes Unlimited I think its biggest issue is that the game is close to 20 years old and does not get alot love. So some of the technology based power groups are abit dated (it is all terriblely dated) and the game throws balance out the window.
I think the key thing with a successful Super Heroe RPG is the players also getting behind thr tropes.  When they dont it becomes a terrible terrible experience.

Alright, I'll just say it. Savage Worlds.

Do I think it is the best superhero system? No. It's my personal favorite because I like the system it builds off of and the powers are very flexible.

Oh if only I could talk my players down from FASERIP to even try... and they are big SW fans.

Try again when the companion gets updated to SWADE. PEGs been doing open playtest now (since it's gotten popular enough). With some feedback SW may end up honestly being a better supers game for it's crunch level than others.

Most Supers games are kind of clusterfuck IMO.