Superman may be the most well-known superhero of all time. He's been the poster boy of DC Comics for decades and has starred in numerous films over the years, including the upcoming Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. He is a symbol of truth, justice and the American way — protecting the innocent with his large collection of superpowers and always striving to help those in need.
Unfortunately, he has also come to represent absolutely terrible video games. Superman 64 is regarded as one of the worst video games of all time — and the Superman Returns game, released in 2006, isn't that much better.
But just because the character's video game history is rough doesn't mean a great Superman game can't be done. Fans have long yearned for a proper Batman game, one that would do the superhero justice. It wasn't until Rocksteady started its series of Batman: Arkham games in 2009 that the dream of a AAA Batman game would become a reality.
That's the kind of treatment Superman deserves. Using features from existing games and even imagining some of our own, this is what our ideal Superman video game – crafted by the team at Rocksteady – would be like.
Gameplay
One of the most unique things about Superman is he has so many powers that it's difficult to keep track of them. Super strength. Super speed. The ability to fly. Heat vision and X-ray vision. Ice breath.
What's one to do with all those powers? For starters, any modern-day Superman game must be open world. It's a given — and it's 100 percent necessary, because of Superman's ability to fly. Anything else would feel too small and confining. A fully realized Metropolis – bustling with life in which Superman could fly about freely – would be a dream come true for many a Supes fan. Citizens in peril may cry out for Superman's help, and players can fly to their location to save the day. Games like Superman Returns have tried to do this, but... well, we know how that worked out.
For Superman's superhuman strength, we look to one of the better Marvel video games for inspiration: The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction. The two characters may seem like polar opposites – Hulk destroys everything, Superman is supposed to save it – but the Hulk's superhuman strength (and how it's portrayed in Ultimate Destruction) would work well in an open-world Superman title.
The entire environment is Superman's playground. Though his primary concern is protecting the innocent, that doesn't mean nearby lamp posts, cars and road signs couldn't be used as potential weapons. Superman is one of the strongest characters in the DC universe. Playing as Superman should be fun. You should feel near invincible as you bat around weaker enemies and lift objects ten times your size. It's a feeling Ultimate Destruction captures perfectly, and a Superman game would greatly benefit from a similar feeling of power.
Super strength is easy. Other powers, like frost breath and heat vision, are a little trickier. While both would serve a purpose in combat, these two abilities could also be used to navigate the environment and solve various puzzles.
Think of Superman's power set almost like Batman's utility belt in the Arkham games. Batman has explosive gel, remote hacking devices and numerous other tools that help him to save the day. Each gadget has a combat application, but more often than not, players are using these abilities to access new areas and uncover Riddler challenges.
While Superman is no detective, he can still use his various abilities to solve simple puzzles like these. Certain objects may need to be frozen before being destroyed, while others may need to be heated up.
Once again looking to the Arkham series, Batman's detective mode isn't so different from Superman's superhuman sense of hearing and x-ray vision. Players may hear a cry for help in the distance while flying over Metropolis, and they can then turn on their X-Ray vision to assess the situation. Say a citizen is trapped in a burning building. Players could first use their X-ray vision to discover exactly where the person in need is trapped, before moving into the building and then putting out the necessary fires with their ice breath.
Visuals
Recently, the Man of Steel has been portrayed in a darker, more serious light. While a muted, more realistic approach to the character may work for the big screen, game developers have a lot more freedom in how they can craft an art style for a game.
Our dream Superman game wouldn't attempt to deliver hyper realistic graphics. Instead, a game taking its visual inspiration from the comics or animated series sounds much more appealing. Just because the game might look colorful doesn't mean it couldn't explore serious themes. Superman, at his core, is a good guy — one who is generally happy with his role of saving the citizens of Earth. He doesn't sit around and brood like Batman. The visual style of our Superman game should reflect that.
Story
Superman is one of the oldest superheroes, with decades upon decades of material to choose from, when it comes to piecing together a tale of superheroics. Rather than pulling any particular storyline from the comics or films, our dream Superman game would be set in its own standalone DC universe — not so different from Rocksteady's Batman trilogy. This would allow the game creators to tell a unique story and take risks we might not otherwise see from a game adapting a comic storyline or set within the DC universe proper.
Unlike the Batman: Arkham trilogy, our ideal Superman game wouldn't be nearly as dark or gritty. Superman is America's big blue boy scout. He's a hero. It's what he does. He saves the day and feels good doing it, and the people of the world look up in admiration and respect. The game should reflect that, keeping itself separate from the more "realistic" portrayal of the character seen in Man of Steel and Batman v. Superman.
It could seem like crafting a compelling story around a perfect "do-gooder" would be difficult, but just because Superman is a good guy through and through doesn't mean he is without problems. The burden of responsibility is one of Superman's greatest struggles. Being good all the time, being the perfect role model for the people of the world — it isn't easy.
Superman is also the ultimate outsider. He's an immigrant by nature, sent to Earth (and specifically America) by his parents in search for a better life after the destruction of their home planet. Our dream Superman game would be remiss not to address that important fact.
Will a Superman game like this ever be made? Hard to say. The Man of Steel version of the character is the one that currently holds the spotlight in popular culture, making a return to the more carefree, light-hearted version for a video game a tough sale. It's not impossible that it could happen — but until it does, we'll be here dreaming about it.
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