Let me take you back to 2006, a glorious year for die-hard Superman fans everywhere. Superman Returns was released, as was the first console video game in almost 20 years. While Superman Returns could have been a lot worse, it did capture many great aspects of the character, as did the game. Superman Returns: The Video Game was below average; day after day I was unable to put down the controller. Not exactly having fun playing, but having fun daydreaming what the game could have and should have been.
As we all know the flight controls in the game were less than perfect. If this game had been simply a flight simulator, it would have been a different story. Unfortunately that was not the case. Other than the flight mechanics almost everything about the game was disappointing to down right depressing. Here I was, a 16- year- old kid, ready for what I had been waiting for my whole short life, to finally be the Man of Steel. Growing up loving Superman was not like growing up loving Spider-Man, or even Batman for that matter. Superman was always getting the shaft; I would constantly read articles or comments from fans saying it’s impossible to make a Superman game. That simply isn’t true.
Present day: Superman is once again in the limelight and it looks like he’s here to stay. With Batman V Superman on the horizon and a Justice League film down the road, there is no better time than now to give the fans what they deserve: a TRUE Superman Video game. Coming from a lifelong Superman fanatic (if I may call myself one) this is what I believe every Superman and comic fan would like to play. Here we go.
Plot and Basic Elements
The game starts out with an opening cinematic as most games do. From there, it could go to a baby Kal-El being rocketed to earth in the spaceship. Like other games, such as Assassin’s Creed, the player can learn then the basic controls of the game as the baby in the rocket ship approaches earth before the crash landing in Kansas. Then the screen would go to black.12 years later you are starting out as a young Clark Kent, either walking to school or doing chores on the Kent family farm. You can take control of Clark and start to explore just the farm area, learning to leap tall buildings and to run faster than a speeding bullet. Some simple missions can take place, as well as some mindless exploring and site seeing.
Another fast-forward to teenager Clark, where the player explores Smallville with a GTA feel of freedom. This is not a town with limited player interaction, a big town with NPC’s roaming around is a must. You can enter stores or enter your room, find easter eggs, change your clothes-whatever you want to do as the player. Because why not? The little details and depth of a game can make a huge difference. After, another fast forward, you make the move to Metropolis, which undoubtedly would need to be a massive and open world. (I wont get into the story because there are tons of Superman stories the developers could go with.) Gameplay-wise, borrowing ideas from the past Spider-Man movie games would be a great idea, such as the player partaking in Daily Planet missions as well as random crimes…and by random crimes I don’t only mean alien invasions. I mean street thugs, car jackers and muggers. Nothing is too big or too small for the Man of Steel and they should not leave small things like this out of the game because, once again, the little things matter. Also, you should always be able to return to Smallville and have time away from being Superman, a choice that could be left up to the player.
Flight and Powers
Superman Returns had the flight down and the super powers were not far off as well, but now that it is 2015 and we are on next gen systems the flight system and super power system would need to be similar…but on steroids. I want to go faster and higher than ever before, I want to reach the edge of the stratosphere and be on the verge of entering outer space! Sonic booms are a must and breaking them over and over should be present as it was before. However, this time as you break barriers of sound you should actually increase in speed instead of just the noise cutting out (which was an awesome touch). Also in Superman Returns, you could soar around calmly or use super speed; this needs to make an appearance again. A HUGE pet peeve that causes many gameplay issues is why the hell can Superman fly…but not step over a ledge? This guy is supposed to be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Yeah I get that flying is awesome but a jump button would help out a bit, and with some style. An easy fix for this would be a jump meter also similar to Spider-Man 2 The Game. If you tap the button, you do a small leap really just made to get over small obstacles. However, if you hold the button down and charge it you launch yourself the height of a skyscraper and soar for miles. At this point you could either land, or start to run the streets using super speed, or you could take off while in the air and start to fly. The jump meter also feels fluid and wouldn’t take away from other controls.
The power wheel used in the Superman Returns game was very good. The only difference I would like to see is possibly an upgrade system just to give the player something to work toward. You don’t want to strip Superman of his powers completely unless the game spends many hours as a young Clark, which could be a whole different idea entirely. Two powers that we don’t see much of in past games are X-Ray vision and super hearing. Yes, games have tried to implement them before but it just doesn’t work if you cut corners. With the Assassins Creed series using the “Eagle Vision” this could be a way to show Superman’s heightened senses, when I think X-ray vision I don’t necessarily just mean looking through a brick wall but seeing things other people cant. Another example would be “Detective Mode” from the Akrham games.
Fight Mechanics and Health
Fighting is a tricky element but one that you cannot avoid. This is the same with a health bar or lack of one. In Superman Returns the city had a health bar, which worked. The game could go that route again or it could go with some sort of fatigue meter so when Superman is getting his ass whooped he needs to take a much needed break and fly up to the sun and “recharge” if you will. Could be kind of cool. Another idea is a trust meter. A trust meter could be used if Superman starts to cause too much destruction, the military needs to get involved and put an end to him…or try. Missions could be increasingly difficult while having military members trying to take you down as well as dealing with the current task. This could be linked to the military not trusting Superman fully, as shown in Man of Steel. As far as the fighting goes, I would want to see them take lessons from the Arkham series but once again just amped up because this guy is 100 times stronger. Maybe when fighting normal thugs, as opposed to super villains, the game would automatically dial down the strength but have the same fighting style.
Side Missions, Easter-Eggs, Replay value and Unlockables
A wide variety of side missions, easter eggs and unlockables are a must for a few reasons. Number one, when the game is over you don’t want the game to lose all replay value. You want a reason to still play and still explore this world. I think that an awesome idea would be the ability to travel to the Fortress of Solitude, similar how you travel to the Bat Cave in the Arkham series. Here you could view all unlockables, sort of like in Superman Returns, but have it be interactive…not just a menu screen. You should also be able to return to Smallville whenever you please. Here you would be able to play as Clark but do side missions around Kent Farm for Ma & Pa. Flying through corn fields wearing a flannel shirt and jeans may be a fun change of pace for people who are tired of being in Metropolis, or to just get the full experience of being Superman. Side missions could unlock alternate costumes such as 90s mullet Superman or the movie Man of Steel suit. And let’s be honest…who wouldn’t want to be mullet Superman?
Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Please WB and DC Comics, do me a favor. If you plan on coming out with a Superman videogame in the near future and it just so happens that it is a fighting game or a Mortal Kombat replica (again), or a level based POS…don’t. Save us all the trouble and the heartache thinking that this could be the one. I think I speak for everyone here when I say that I’m tired of BS games that get pushed out just to make a quick buck and if this is the plan, don’t even bother. Rocksteady has done an amazing job with the Batman Akrham series putting the player in the shoes of Batman and has set the bar for super hero games to come. The fans need something with depth and with heart, something that has never been done before. The FULL Superman experience, not just a quarter of it. Everyone says that a Superman game cannot be made because he is too much of an overpowered character, too complex, but I don’t buy it. Someone needs to give it a whirl and it’s the perfect time to do it.