History Trivia / Superman64

* SerendipityWritesThePlot: The poor programming of the game and the capabilities of the aging UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 had the creators HandWave the fog for the poor draw distance as Kryptonite fog. However, [[VoodooShark how Superman is able to breathe, let alone fly, with that amount of Kryptonite fog]], along with why such an excuse would be required when the game runs in a virtual world, is unexplained.

* DuelingWorks: If the game was released earlier in late-1998 instead of late-1999 before it changed to virtual setting, it could be a great battle with Activision/Marvel's ''VideoGame/SpiderMan2000'' for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation.

* UrbanLegendOfZelda: The ending [[http://web.archive.org/web/20021120153133/http://www.world-of-nintendo.com/game_endings/nintendo_64/superman.shtml described here]] (ignore the Franchise/SpiderMan references) is apparently a CrossoverPunchline of sorts with Franchise/{{Batman}} and... '''VideoGame/DukeNukem'''??[[note]]The site in question has a section where readers could send in their own ideas for games; it's likely that this was intended to go there.[[/note]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iA3YPGnNHo The actual ending leaves a lot to be desired.]]

* HostilityOnTheSet: One of the reasons the game was the way it was is due to the new management of Warner Licensing who hated the team and their project mainly because they wanted a high profile developer to create the game and went on their way to sabotaging the game by interfering with the game.

* SavedFromDevelopmentHell: The game was announced in 1997. It was released in America on May 29, 1999 and in PAL territories on July 23, 1999.

* CowboyBebopAtHisComputer: "The only thing you do in ''Superman 64'' is fly through rings." The reason people make this claim is because the flying-through-rings segments (which are the parts you do first) are considered notoriously frustrating, but there are plenty of other parts as well, such as fighting {{mooks}}, disarming bombs, and walking around Lex Luthor's headquarters itself.

* ExecutiveMeddling: In [[https://www.retrojunk.com/a/C1CKNP9rjC/the-story-behind-superman-64 an interview]], developer and producer Eric Caen blames Warner and DC for many of the game's more head scratching moments, like the virtual world setting (as they refused to let Superman hurt "real" people) and the reliance on power-ups to use Superman's abilities. Also, "politics" were apparently responsible for the game's delays, and the delays were responsible for the forced release of this unfinished product. A [=PlayStation=] version was also in the pipeline, but the developers' license expired before it could be released.

* ExecutiveMeddling: In [[http://www.protonjon.com/blog/?p=48 an interview]], developer and producer Eric Caen blames Warner and DC for many of the game's more head scratching moments, like the virtual world setting (as they refused to let Superman hurt "real" people) and the reliance on power-ups to use Superman's abilities. Also, "politics" were apparently responsible for the game's delays, and the delays were responsible for the forced release of this unfinished product. A [=PlayStation=] version was also in the pipeline, but the developers' license expired before it could be released.

* ImageSource: PassThroughTheRings
* LetsPlay: An LP by LetsPlay/ProtonJon is in progress (albeit with ''massive'' ScheduleSlip) and can be found right [[https://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=6537A2F60C44CF57 here.]]

* FanNickname: This game is actually called ''The New Superman Aventures'' ([[YouMakeMeSic sic]]). ''Superman 64'' is the FanNickname.

* ExecutiveMeddling: In [[http://www.protonjon.com/blog/?p=48 an interview]], developer and producer Eric Caen blames Warner and DC for many of the game's more head scratching moments, like the virtual world setting (as they refused to let Superman hurt "real" people) and the reliance on power-ups to use Superman's abilities. Also, "politics" were apparently responsible for the game's delays, and the delays were responsible for the forced release of this unfinished product. A UsefulNotes/PlayStation version was also in the pipeline, but the developers' license expired before it could be released.

* SerendipityWritesThePlot: A well-known example. The poor programming of the game and the capabilities of the aging UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 had the creators HandWave the fog for the poor draw distance as Kryptonite fog. However, [[VoodooShark how Superman is able to breathe, let alone fly, with that amount of Kryptonite fog]], along with why such an excuse would be required when the game runs in a virtual world, is unexplained.

* CowboyBebopAtHisComputer: "The only thing you do in ''Superman 64'' is fly through rings." The reason people make this claim is because the flying-through-rings segments (which are the parts you do first) are notoriously frustrating, but there are plenty of other parts as well, such as fighting {{mooks}}, disarming bombs, and walking around Lex Luthor's headquarters itself.
* CreatorKiller: Developer Titus Software did not last long after this game hit store shelves and immediately turned them and the ''Superman'' license into a laughingstock.
** ''Superman 64'' was also one of the multiple nails in the coffin of DC's Alpha Company status that they received in the late 90's, along with the critical and popular failure of ''Film/BatmanAndRobin'' and the [[BoxOfficeBomb box office failure]] of ''Film/{{Steel}}''. The very next year, ''Film/XMen1'' premiered, and Marvel has had a death grip ever since; it would take [[Film/BatmanBegins six years]] for DC to start rebounding.
* DevelopmentHell: The game was announced in 1997. It was released in America on May 29, 1999 and in PAL territories on July 23, 1999.
* ExecutiveMeddling: In [[http://www.protonjon.com/blog/?p=48 this interview]], developer and producer Eric Caen blames Warner and DC for many of the game's more head scratching moments, like the virtual world setting (as they refused to let Superman hurt "real" people) and the reliance on power-ups to use Superman's abilities. Also, "politics" were apparently responsible for the game's delays, and the delays were responsible for the forced release of this unfinished product. A UsefulNotes/PlayStation version was also in the pipeline, but the developers' license expired before it could be released.

-->"The licensor caused us A LOT of problems… they generated the final quality of the product!"
* SerendipityWritesThePlot: An infamous example. The poor programming of the game and the capabilities of the aging UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 had the creators HandWave the fog for the poor draw distance as Kryptonite fog. However, [[VoodooShark how Superman is able to breathe, let alone fly, with that amount of Kryptonite fog]], along with why such an excuse would be required when the game runs in a virtual world, is unexplained.

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: The final puzzle in the game requires Superman to fly through enough rings so that the counter on Braniac's computer reaches 2000, which would crash it and end the game, a clear reference to the MillenniumBug that many people in the late [[TheNineties nineties]] feared would wreak havoc on computer systems worldwide when the year 2000 came around.

** Warner Brothers' ExecutiveMeddling pushed for a more ''VideoGame/SimCity'' sort of game where Superman was the mayor of Metropolis and alternated between protecting and developing the cities ala ''VideoGame/ActRaiser''.

* FranchiseKiller: This game ensured that Superman wouldn't star in a solo game for a long time to come. There have been a few ''Superman''games in later console generations, but none of them were able to improve Superman's reputation in the video game realm.

* FranchiseKiller: This game ensured that Superman wouldn't star in a solo game for a long time to come.

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: The final puzzle in the game requires Superman to fly through enough rings so that the counter on Braniacs computer reaches 2000, which would crash it and end the game, a clear reference to the MillenniumBug that many people in the late [[TheNineties nineties]] feared would wreak havoc on computer systems worldwide when the year 2000 came around.

** A [=PlayStation=] version of the game was also planned. In fact, the developers for the [=PlayStation=] version were actually going to [[PolishedPort fix the N64 version's problems]], but the license expired before they finished it, and they never got around to releasing it. (Eric Caen claims the game was 75% complete before the higher-ups pulled the plug.)

** Warner Brothers' ExecutiveMeddling pushed for a more ''VideoGame/SimCity'' sort of game where Superman was the mayor of metropolis and alternated between protecting and developing the cities ala ''VideoGame/ActRaiser''.

** ''Superman 64'' was also one of the multiple nails in the coffin of DC's Alpha Company status that they received in the late 90's, along with the critical and popular failure of ''Film/BatmanAndRobin'' and the [[BoxOfficeBomb box office failure]] of ''Film/{{Steel}}''. The very next year, ''Film/XMen1'' premiered, and Marvel has had a death grip ever since; it would take six years for DC to start rebounding.