This Looks Like a Job For Superman!

So a new Batman game is on the way for the eighth console generation so now would be a good time as any to talk about DC’s greatest hero – that’s right, Superman.

Superman may be the greatest of all superheroes and the wellspring that all others have come from but such a distinction can’t stop him from having crummy games. And it’s not just the notorious Superman 64 - the Superman brand has, throughout gaming history, has lent itself to flops like the Arcade game and the 2600 game.  And somehow the alleged Superman Curse seems no longer confined to actors.

Is it possible to make a Superman that’s actually any good? Well the first problem would be to overcome the inescapable truth that Superman is the embodiment of the invulnerable power fantasy. And invulnerability is a very hard thing to do in a medium where a player finds himself up against legions of obstacles all of which are life threatening. So how does one make a game around a character that is practically bullet-proof AND not make it boring?

One possible solution would be focus on one of Superman’s characteristics – that being the power of flight. Who wouldn’t want to be placed in a Sandbox environment and be given the ability to take off and fly with ease (or at least without the necessity of hijacking a helicopter)? I mean if Nights Into Dreams can prove that a game can be made around a flight mechanic then there’s no reason why a Superman game couldn’t work. Why, I’ve played the Commander Keen games with the jump cheat on (so sue me) and somehow I could easily imagine that working as a Superman game.

But making a game around a character who is bullet-proof is only half the problem – Superman is the ultimate good guy and doing everything to everyone may not appeal to the modern gamer. True being the good guy is never easy but it can work given a suitable risk/reward system: if the player, say, faces the task of rescuing people from a collapsing building caused by a bad guy, there lies a challenge of rescuing the people. If the player manages to rescue all of them, they will be rewarded but if one or all the people die they will be penalized. And such penalties could come in the form of populace reaction: If Superman does a bad thing the people of Metropolis will distrust him and will react accordingly. This in turns will inspire the player to try and work their way back in Metropolis’ graces. It may not be an easy undertaking but, given the right amount of reward, it may work (and hey, who can’t deny the appeal of being Superman and shifting heavy objects?).

But the ultimate question is whether or not anyone wants a Superman game. Which brings me back to Batman: In recent years Batman has been blessed with games and movies that have ultra-successful whilst Superman has had to contend with his once glorious name becoming toxic with the afore-mentioned Superman 64 and the polarizing Man of Steel. And thus who in turn, has the largest command of the nerd cash? Hint: Not Kal-El.

That is something I’ve noticed: The people who love Batman hate Superman with just as much vigor. Indeed, I heard that the recent Arkham games were made by people who loved Batman and wanted to do the best job possible. While such dedication is admirable I can’t help but picture Rocksteady being full of people who would fall over themselves to make Batman game but would be anything but enthusiastic to make a Superman game. It is also somewhat telling that the only way it would seem to save the Superman movie franchise is to do a crossover with Batman.  Yep, the only way to save your franchise is to get in someone else to do it for you.

I can see a Superman working providing the right amount of thought is put into it and is made by people both passionate about Superman and committed to doing the best job possible. The only problem is whether or not the appropriate numbers can be generated from those people who are far more enamored of Batman. 
And as a parting shot consider this: We may all laugh at movie producer Jon Peters and his complete misunderstanding of Superman but somehow I can’t help but think Mr. Peters has become something of an avatar for those who aggressively place Batman on pedestal whilst denouncing Superman.