A good Superman video game has eluded the market for as long as games have existed. Nearly every iteration bearing Superman’s likeness has been atrocious. In some instances, this could be attributed to limited technological capabilities in the past. In others it comes down to bad design. However, the biggest hurdle seems to be the clash between the nature of the character and video games.
I believe we are at a point in technology and game development where a good Superman game is possible. Over-the-top power fantasy games like God of War, along with the fantastic implementation of free roaming super hero antics seen in Batman: Arkham City, lead me to believe it is finally time.
First, let’s cover a basic understanding of Superman, video games, and how to make these two play well together. We’ll identify what went wrong in past games, why, and learn from those mistakes. Finally, I will detail my proposal for a Superman video game of monumental proportions.
Superman and Video Games
I doubt I need to elaborate on Superman much. We all know his basic abilities: super strength, invulnerability, super speed, flight, X-Ray vision, Heat vision, Ice breath, super hearing- the guy has it all. He gets his powers from Earth’s yellow sun, so in its absence, his powers gradually drain, especially under a red sun. We also know his big weakness: Kryptonite. There is a lesser known, but just as important weakness: Magic. Of course in regard to character, we know Superman is the goody-two-shoes Boy Scout; Truth, Justice, and the American Way: hard work, honesty, and fair play.
Video games of course need to have a clear objective for a player and, in the case of adventure games, need to have a sense of danger to the player. There must be a level of challenge (varies for each player’s taste) and also needs to be a rewarding experience. Players want to invest in the struggle and come away with a sense of accomplishment.
So the crux of the problem is: how do you create a video game that feels fun, challenging and rewarding for a player when your hero is essentially invincible?
I believe good writing and direction can overcome this. The developer must understand not only Superman’s abilities, but his character as well. Conflict is the essence of drama, and a writer that understands Superman’s character will understand his conflict with the world around him. Find the conflict and you are one step closer to your objective.
Of course, all that aside, players do want the vicarious feeling of soaring through the sky, leaping tall buildings in a single bound, etc. The experience must be, well, super.
Past Failures
As I said earlier, past Superman games have been terrible experiences for a variety of reasons. Hopefully by analyzing a few of them, we can understand what not to do.
Problem #1: Powers
We’ve established that the biggest problem with Superman games is the conflict between his abilities and the nature of games. Many developers in the past have approached this by eliminating some of his powers altogether, or limiting them to “power ups” found throughout the game. Most of the games prior to the Playstation 2 took this route.
The issue becomes one of frustration, as the player does not feel the experience is one where they are taking over the role of Superman. A player naturally does not feel “super” when they must worry about things like collision with enemies’ very bodies causing Superman to be damaged. Or hurt by bullets and knives. Or chainsaws. Superman should not have a glass jaw that can be shattered by everyday thugs. A player needs to feel empowered playing as Superman- it’s the classic American boyhood dream come true.
Problem #2: Confinement
The older games were limited in the scope of the world Superman could maneuver through, which also crippled the experience. Not only was Superman fragile, he was stuck on the ground, or in some cases, could hover a bit. He was restricted to a very finite area, perhaps an alleyway. Yet the very idea of flight implies freedom in a wide expanse. A Superman game needs its world to be huge; by necessity it must allow a larger than life experience for a character who is that way.
There were a couple games that got the area of flight going in the right direction. I personally feel Superman: Shadow of Apokalypse for the Playstation 2 is the best Superman game made so far, and I enjoyed the flight mechanics there. But Superman Returns on the Xbox also did this one area right. It gave a good sized city to run around in and allowed super-sonic flight. That was really the only redeeming value of the game.
On top of freedom to take to the skies, however, there is the need for Superman to not be limited by environmental obstacles. A chain link fence should not prevent the Man of Steel from advancing. While Superman is considerate of his surroundings and collateral damage, there should never be an instance where a simple wall is halting his progress. This of course means destructible environments are necessary, which can be either a boon or a crisis depending on context.
Problem #3: Control
One of the most notorious examples of a bad Superman game, often heralded as one of the worst games ever made, was Superman (often referred to as Superman64) for the Nintendo 64. Why was it so maligned? The most common answers are terrible objectives (the rings!), level design, collision detection, and the control scheme.
More than any other feature, a poor control scheme will ruin a game. A player has enough to deal with regarding intentional, in-game challenges; they should not have to fight the game in order to make it operate the way they intend.
Superman has a diverse arsenal of powers and must make decisions on the fly. He can’t save the day while fighting with lousy, confusing control. An interface to control Superman must feel simple, contextual, and intuitive.
Is It Possible?
These seem like daunting obstacles for a game. For a game developer, what I just described likely sounds like a nightmare of development.
What follows in my next post is my proposal for a Superman game. Understand, it is massive and ambitious in scope. It is not something lightly approached, and any developer willing to attempt it would have to have an enormous team and a lot of funding to make it happen. But thanks largely to the development and massive commercial success of Batman: Arkham City by Rocksteady, I believe it is possible. A team like Rocksteady is ready to make this a reality.
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