GOD OF WAR Director Cory Barlog Reveals How He Would Make A SUPERMAN Video Game

GOD OF WAR Director Cory Barlog Reveals How He Would Make A SUPERMAN Video Game

Fans have been demanding an Arkham Knight style Superman video game for years now and while we wait on that long overdue announcement, the director of God of War has shed some light on what he would do...

News
By JoshWilding - Sep 03, 2018 01:09 AM EST
Filed Under: Superman
Source: Game Informer
It's fair to say that a Superman video game is long overdue at this stage but that long rumoured announcement from Rocksteady is nowhere to be seen and so it sadly appears as if it's no closer to happening. During a recent convention appearance, God of War director Cory Barlog shared his thoughts on what he would do with a title starring the Man of Steel and pointed to Smallville.

Rather than taking us to Metropolis, Barlog instead believes that a high school setting would make more sense for Superman where players could come to terms with the hero's range of powers.
 
"Superman was created at a time when we needed some idealistic, perfect person to aspire to, which is why he is so flawless. Like, literally, he almost has no flaws. And he’s extremely hard to work with when you’re talking at an interactive level. The one flaw, and I don’t think it’s really a flaw, it’s just who we are as human beings, is the idea of caring. I think the best thing you can do with a Superman game is to kind of explore the psychology of what it would be like to be a person who slowly begins to realize that he can’t save everybody.
 
"I would not have him flying. I think he would have his ability of speed so you would feel like you’re playing a Flash game at the beginning. And I think for me the loop would start you out and you wouldn’t be able to fight anybody. You would be taking care of things that are less sort of fisticuffs so that you start to get your feet wet, and then the first time a baddie appears, somebody who is kind of an antagonistic force…you would feel just as uneasy as Superman would be. This would feel more like an origin story, like a Spider-Man 1 kind of feel that he is just figuring this out."
 
That certainly sounds like an interesting approach but it's also one which could potentially alienate a lot of gamers who want to take control of a fully powered Superman and take the fight to some of his greatest enemies. Then again, exploring Smallville in an open world environment has some potential and it would be fun coming to grips with the hero's powers as he learns to control them along with us.
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Knightrider
Knightrider - 9/3/2018, 1:57 AM
I would love a game where can play as Clark Kent as well, be Kent to investigate the larger story.

As for Superman, they could say the villain has morphed with criminals and given them extra strength or Zod’s army? I thought his poser level in TAS as seemed strong yet could be beaten up by strong opponents and weapins.

I think they could go the route of being killed by Doomsday at the beginning and you comeback powerless, and you gain powers and you develop your superman. Balanced or fast, strong or resistance to kryptonite
Luminus
Luminus - 9/3/2018, 10:59 PM
@Knightrider - "I would love a game where can play as Clark Kent as well..."
MaximusTheMad
MaximusTheMad - 9/3/2018, 2:15 AM
God of War 4 is amazing.
Spock0Clock
Spock0Clock - 9/3/2018, 2:23 AM
I hate listening to people talk about Superman as if being too powerful or too good is a problem that needs to be solved.

It's a little more understandable in a gaming context (i.e. why there aren't a whole lot of games about being actual law enforcement, but tons where you're a plucky underdog or a renegade or whatever). In order for a game to be fun, there has to be things to do, and in order for someone to "do good things", you basically have to make a game world where people constantly need saving. You quickly end up with something like that randomly generated system from Spider-Man 2, where every few minutes you hear some kid screaming that he lost his balloon.

But imagine a Superman game set in space, where (depending on what planet you were on), you might have a different assortment of his powers based on the intensity and color of the sunlight, or the local gravity. And where you could fight similarly-powered alien threats. Maybe not a classic saving Metropolis kind of game, but there are ways to square that circle.
SisterSunday52
SisterSunday52 - 9/3/2018, 2:40 AM
@Spock0Clock - I would do something like "Man of Steel", where you are Clark Kent to start with, and you are trying to keep your abilities a secret while you help others. How long can you keep it up before you're forced to move on and then you become Superman and you build it up from there.

I think it would be interesting to have a Superman game where just saving people is the challenge. Can you save all the people in a burning building or, while you're saving them, is there someone else that needs your help on the other side of the world?

The thing that no one takes into account is that, even with all his abilities, it's still near impossible to save everyone. That's your level of difficulty, and that's before a villain comes into play.
SisterSunday52
SisterSunday52 - 9/3/2018, 2:50 AM
@Spock0Clock - The first chapter is boy Clark Kent learning how to control his abilities and starting to help people. The second chapter is teen-adult Clark Kent working on hiding his heroic escapades and having to move from town to town every time someone catches wind of his abilities. The third chapter, he becomes Superman, and it's all about helping people across the planet and fight various villains that threaten the world,then he goes out to space. It could go from open world to open galaxy.
SisterSunday52
SisterSunday52 - 9/3/2018, 3:08 AM
@Spock0Clock - The problem isn't that Superman is "too good". It's that, for so long, there was no real reason behind it. Even Sunday school kids trip up every now and then, but they learn to strive to be better. They learn who they are, by realizing who they're not. They learn how to be better, and grow. Even those who stick to it are challenged by a world that mocks them for it, and if they falter, but still keep moving forward, they are better for it.

A Superman who strives to use his abilities to help others, and has a strict code, because he knows, firsthand, what's at risk without it, is far easier to look up to than a Superman who is completely flawless and good just because. He also comes off as less of a jerk too.
Gdub510
Gdub510 - 9/3/2018, 3:46 AM
@Spock0Clock - your idea sounds amazing. I'd play that game (in space Superman)
CaptainElrond
CaptainElrond - 9/3/2018, 3:49 AM
@Spock0Clock - I would personally have metallo put a big ass bubble around the metropolis area. Then he can fight robots and shit. He can use the portals to get around the universe for help.
Gdub510
Gdub510 - 9/3/2018, 3:52 AM
@Spock0Clock - could be open Galaxy
kamarova
kamarova - 9/3/2018, 4:06 AM
@Spock0Clock - you're 100% right, I don't get it why they always think they have to depower Superman to make interesting story, this is just pure bull... and lazy writing.
TheDpool
TheDpool - 9/3/2018, 2:42 AM
I like this idea, but the school setting would only suit me for the first half maybe?

Like sure, spend the first chapter of the game getting used to Clark and his powers, then launch an attack out of nowhere that introduces his flight abilities.

Then a 1 year later clip and he's in metropolis, the user can choose up to three powers to use per mission, worthwhile villains, a strong storyline, a decent large sandbox to play in for freeroam, upgrades and costume choice.

There you have a good Superman game, really if the overpowered aspect is the issue then focus on the upgrading system so you have to play to become powerful.
SisterSunday52
SisterSunday52 - 9/3/2018, 2:54 AM
@TheDpool - The abilities increase as he grows from boy Clark Kent into wearing the red, yellow and blue disguise, and taking on the name "Superman". He has basic abilities as he starts out, but as you level up you gain more and more abilities to where, at a certain point, you have hundreds of abilities.
xfan320
xfan320 - 9/3/2018, 3:41 AM
I would think a "day in the life" of Superman would be a fun game. Something where he travels the globe and to space to stop all sorts of crimes while encountering his greatest foes. (Luthor, Metallo, Mr. Mxyzptlk, Bizarro, natural disaters/accidents, etc.) Everything from smaller crimes to world ending catastrophes. The key would be NO loading screens, just moments where you fly over oceans to get to the next hub city. Perhaps even finding a sinking ship or oil rig collapse along the way.

Perhaps the final mission would tease an invasion by Darkseid, but I'd imagine just focusing on recreating iconic locales and displaying his abilities effectively would be enough.
Kyos
Kyos - 9/3/2018, 5:15 AM
I still feel the easiest way to do it would be as a Telltale type game. That'd give the developers the possibility of telling whatever Superman story they want. In that restricted context it's way simpler to do the powers justice within the story compared to the attempt to do that in some open world action game.

Then there's this:

I never finished it, because the gameplay was rather reptitive, the controls a bit too clunky for my taste, and there wasn't an overly engaging story either. But that game's also been done by, idk, 1-3 people.
Reeds2Much
Reeds2Much - 9/3/2018, 6:09 AM
RINGS! LOTS AND LOTS OF FLYING THROUGH RINGS!
GhostDog
GhostDog - 9/3/2018, 6:20 AM
A game with Superman at full power can work. I think having him at the same power level as Superman in the animated series would be ideal. I wouldn't mind a few levels of him as a teen in Smallville, but lessening his power is an empty excuse to make him less of a problem.
LongMayHeReign
LongMayHeReign - 9/3/2018, 8:19 AM
@BlackBeltJones - If you don't take away some of his power the game would get repetitive as the only way to present a harder challenge would be to make enemies with higher hp and even then it would just take a little longer to beat them.

I think you can make a game with an absurdly strong character but his/her strength has to be relative to his surrounding enemies. In God of War Kratos never increases in power he just gains better gear,moves,and weapons.

But Superman doesn't need armor or weapons and he fights in a very basic brawling style for the most part so how will the developers be able to reward the player with any type of progression if they don't turn down Supes' powers?
auditore
auditore - 9/3/2018, 8:44 PM
@BlackBeltJones - Him being too powerful barely works in a movie setting,in a videogame its near impossible,the basic nature of games require a challenge and in a game with combat it becomes a physical challenge and Superman is the antithesis of that.If Superman stays with his powers the city needs to be the one who gets damaged but then you open a whole can of worms of repetitive quests of people needing to be saved.
THEDARKKNIGHT1939
THEDARKKNIGHT1939 - 9/3/2018, 8:16 AM
I love the idea of being a first timer and slowly building up your rep, saving more and more people until it becomes impossible. Your constant dependability ultimately becomes your biggest failure. It's realistic but that also makes it messed up lol. I don't know how I would feel playing a superhero game where I'm constantly letting people down. It's a Superman game after all, so how do you end that on a happy note?
rabid
rabid - 9/3/2018, 11:34 AM
Lost me at no flying. That was my favorite part of the old games. And there's a new Xbox game where you play a flying hero stopping an alien invasion. It's practically a Superman game without the trademark.
Kevwebsz
Kevwebsz - 9/3/2018, 12:32 PM


The best Superman game so far. You can even play as Clark sometimes.
Luminus
Luminus - 9/3/2018, 11:01 PM
@Kevwebsz - Agreed. I just posted this above.
Luminus
Luminus - 9/3/2018, 11:05 PM
@Kevwebsz - Also, here's something interesting. During the fight with Metallo in the car factory, he tends to throw cars at you. I got the genius idea to fly all of the cars up to the girders, before the fight, so he couldn't do that anymore. As soon as the fight started, he just repeatedly shot kryptonite at me non-stop. I had to fly back up and drop some of the cars back down to stop it. lol.
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