I’ve really only played two Superman games: The Death and
Return of Superman and Superman Returns. They were the only ones that were on
the consoles I had. They were… less than stellar. I know Superman Returns was.
I remember renting that game and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance one weekend. I
started out playing M: UA for a while and then played SR for a while. I got to
the third level of that game and I was done with it. I went back to playing the
M: UA which was definitely the better of the two games. It’s not that SR was crap
through and through. It was just boring. I’ve seen other comments online and
they more or less say the same thing.
So, what can make a good Superman game? I heard some ideas
running around a few months ago and it really got me thinking about it. I’ve heard
that Superman can’t work in a game because he’s so powerful. To me, that’s a
pretty lazy comment. I do believe that one could do a pretty decent Superman
game if they really know their stuff and understand the character. So, here are some ideas that could work.
1. Literally Start at the beginning with Superman
What I
mean by this is to start out with Superman at his Golden Age power set: Super-strength, speed, some flight, etc.
Throughout the game, you can then add more powers to his set like heat-vision,
super-breath, and full-on flight. I know some would say that they want to have
Superman be at his fullest abilities, but some limits do have to be made. I’d
rather have a playable game than something that may or may not work. Heck, if
you want to do a replay, the creators could have Superman at his fullest with
that.
2. Have a good story
One of the reasons that the recent Batman
games have taken off so well is because they have a story and a world that
complements the character. Have the story involve Superman’s world. Use his
supporting cast and villains to the best effect. You can even have side
missions for certain things. Also, have it take place in locations like
Metropolis (of course), Smallville, and the Fortress of Solitude. You could
take it off-world, but that could be tough. Personally, I’d save more of the
universal stuff for later games.
3. Involve Clark Kent
Now, I know that people come to
these games to play Superman and kick butt. Still, Clark Kent is an essential
part of the Superman mythos and it would be cool to have something revolving
around him and his job. It doesn’t even have to be part of the main plot. It
can just be side missions. Have Lois and Clark go around Metropolis getting
stories and getting into trouble. Heck, have it be akin to Batman’s detective
mode in the Arkham games. Then, you could pull Superman out via shirt-rip. Hey,
I want to kick some butt as Superman too, but here is an avenue that I would
really like to see in a Superman game.
4. Good Villains and Bosses
You’ll need some good threats
for Superman to overcome. No, Superman isn’t invulnerable, he’s just really
tough. A lot of Superman’s villains can throw Superman damage without the use
of Kryptonite. Throw villains like the Parasite, Mongul, Toyman, Bizzaro, the
Cyborg-Superman, Doomsday, and Atomic Skull at him. You can also involve the
use of Kryptonite and some magic to fight him. For the main villain, I’d want to see Lex Luthor, Darkseid, or Brainiac in the role. Instead of making them drag-out
brawls, have Superman use his head and his powers in different ways.
There may be more ideas, but here’s what
I can think of. As I said before, I don’t think it’s hard to make a good Superman game.
If Rocksteady can make two awesome Batman games, I think the same could be done
for Superman. Someone just has to use the right elements to do it. If there are
any current developers out there, make it happen! At least I have Injustice where I get to knock folk into the atmosphere.
:)
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