Superman General

I was thinking of a big, open world to explore in, fight bad guys.

A rocksteady Superman game would replace the stealth with more action, and more emphasis on free-roaming.

Then why would you use the Arkham Games a prerequisite for a game that would be nothing like the Arkham games besides having a DC superhero?

Because the Arkham Games are usually considered the best of the (modern) Batman games and are insanely popular, to the point where they're the first thing people think of when one says "Batman video game"? How they're like the Ultimate Universe video game equivilant of the comics?

A Superman equivilant which is built around his own abilities which could do for Supes what Arkham did for Batman is pretty tempting.

edited 16th Feb '14 1:03:46 PM by biznizz

Yeah but he didnt go there.

It was a simple and myopic "This worked for X, this should work for Y" when it doesn't work like that.

Especially with the nature of Game Design being that mutable, every design team is more analogous to a run on a comic than a single creator.

That's pretty much what I'm saying, yeah.

If anyone's gonna make a Superman game that gets combat right, I think it'd be wise to draw a little inspiration from the myriad DBZ games.

@Red M: more specifically, anything from Budokai Tenkaichi onward.

I recall that I had the misfortune of playing a number of the older Superman games. One of them actually had a level where Superman was running along rooftops and could die by falling between buildings. I just stared incredulously at the screen when that happened.

I liked a lot of the mechanics of the Superman Returns game, but some of it worked against things.You could get going so fast that it was hard to keep track of the action.

As a kid, I actually owned Superman 64; as a birthday gift from my uncle since I loved the animated series.

...Yeah. That's why we'd need a Rocksteady-esque Superman: Metropolis game, since that pile is the most "memorable" Superman game, for all the wrong reasons. Even moreso than that freaking weird one on NES.

I think the problem with developers refusing to make a Superman game and with people saying that a good Superman game is impossible is that most people have trouble letting go of comic book logic and making a game based on video game logic.

Here's what should happen in a Superman game:

• Of course, it's very free-roam focused. You have the option to fly everywhere in Metropolis (and, if possible, to other locales like Smallville and the Fortress).
• Kryptonite doesn't have to cripple Supes in close proximity (think Critical Existence Failure for Superman). You can just have Kryptonite drain his health but not affect his mobility at all. Red sun radiation can be kept around for "crippling" Superman.
• To justify Mooks being able to damage Superman, just make them:
  • Thugs given mass-produced versions of Luthor's power armor, hired by Luthor himself.
  • Alternatively, thugs given an artificial metagene by Luthor, still hired by him.
  • Drones of Brainiac with ultra-hard alloys that can pierce Superman's skin.
  • Phantom Zone criminals.
  • Intergang members with Apokoliptian technology.
  • Parademons and other Apokoliptian soldiers.

I recall that Jack Kirby was on record as having little patience with writers who said Superman was too powerful to write well; he thought the Superman concept was perfect. Of course, he's the guy who also came up with Galactus, the New Gods, and Apokolips, so it's clear that HE, at least, didn't have much trouble coming up with opponents for Superman. If you did a Superman game where, say, Apokolips invaded Earth and Superman was fighting parademons and Darkseid's generals, I don't see that you should have a problem with his power levels.

The power level problem is a funny one. I've heard people claim that he's too powerful, and then turn right around and complain about instances where he's been de-powered.

I assume it's the idea that Superman is too powerful to be in Metropolis. You put him in space and yeah, go nuts. Cosmic entities, world destroyers, great. The stuff the Green Lantern Corp deals with. When he's on Earth, every thing is more... limited.

It's like when people wanted Hulk to remain Green Scar level when he came back to Earth. But, seriously, who would he fight that wouldn't mop the floor with everyone else ?

I once again bring up that The Returns idea; of having Superman be unbeatable but the damage to the city and civilians be what your "health" is, is fucking PERFECT for the character.

I don't find that idea satisfying at all. I'd rather just have Superman fight either Apokoliptian, Kryptonian, or powered-up human mooks.

The city health meter makes more sense, though. If the bad guys have enough super-powered mooks to send at you en masse, wouldn't it be more logical to send a token force (or a few supervillains) to keep you busy while the supermooks conquer the world?

In all honesty, I agree. From a Superman fan standpoint it would be perfect, but from the viewpoint of a bloodthirsty gamer, it would leave a lot to be desired.

I'd rather just have a time limit to complete a mission. That mission being "beat up so many mooks" or "beat up this boss".

It also fits his dynamic perfectly. His whole dynamic is being a Physical God who must save people.

In all honesty, I think a Superman game that takes notes from Batman: Arkham is VERY likely to happen.

Mostly because a lot highly successful Batman paved the way for a similar product featuring Superman. Like how Batman: The Animated Series gave way to Superman: The Animated Series, and how The Dark Knight Trilogy gave way to Man of Steel.

But in the case of the former the really didnt ape the thematics and in the case of the later they did and it made it tepid.

Even though Superman has fought against gods before, even he has limits. There are always ways to pierce his skin without turning to Kryptonite (and even then, they could just apply Critical Existence Failure to Kryptonite to make it uncrippling but still painful).

Heck, that's a tedious problem with people who only know the Theme Park Version of Superman. We need to remember that he has limits.

Not really. His only limits are those imposed by the narrative. He can do anything, just all fictional characters can.

In the case of Superman, his narratives usually key around power and salvation. From the Big Paul Bunyan 1930s social strongman type to big scifi space daddy.

W Hich mean tying in his victory into the populace is a cool mechanic both character and gameplay wise.

Superman fails not when he personally does, but when what he seeks to protect is harmed. It also would be a Superhero game in which, contrary to the Arkham games, you're actually focused on saving people.

Video Game Caring Potential ?

You're Superman, I shouldt feel compelled to play it like its GTA

I wouldn't mind saving people being a side option, but I still want it to focus on fighting superpowered enemies.