“Dun dun dundun, dun dun dun”. Ok, so that was a lousy attempt at trying to type the theme tune for Superman (marks out of 10 anyone?). Everyone has their childhood hero, whether it’s Batman, Danger Mouse (he was the best), or Power Ranger. The videogame conversions of Superman haven’t gone down well with gamers in their history, with the disaster of Superman64 and so on. But the expected has happened – the Xbox360 is set to take flight with Superman in Superman Returns: The Videogame set for release later this year.
Based around the forthcoming feature film by Warner Bros, and with Superman already been appearing in comics for over 60 years, Superman Returns is set to offer gamers “the ultimate open-world super hero experience” — hopefully it will. As the Man of Steel or the man with the cape, Superman Returns is set to offer you all the abilities Superman has for himself. From his iron-style fists to his faster than a bullet flight mechanism, Returns is set to have it all — X-ray and heat vision, super hearing and his super breath — all of which we would love to have, or at least try one day.
Superman Returns is set in Metropolis and what you do affects Metropolis: “Superman may be invincible, but Metropolis is not.” All your actions will affect the response from the civilians — chasing a villain and retaining property will get the crowd clapping and taking shots of you, but there could be bigger trouble around the corner as a tornado is sweeping through the city — every decision is vital as the collateral damage meter keeps the player in the game. Manoeuvres in the game are not to be limited — flying at over 800mph you can corral your enemies, perform stunning in-air acrobatics, instigate Super Speed missile-like attacks as well as much more — let’s hope it’s true.
The “Key Features” in Returns do sound interesting. The authentic Superman experience is set to be the game that every gamer has been craving for with city life coming alive. Metropolis is set to be detailed and is going to be vibrant, from snappers trying to get a good shot of you, to you doing what you want in the 80 square miles offered to you, Metropolis is a world open to you to do what you want — dodge vehicles might be your cup of tea, or flying above skyscrapers may be, Returns is set to have non-linear gameplay, and we like the sound of it.
The enemies in Superman Returns vary. The notorious Metallo and Parasite make an appearance, and the game features mini-games on top of the main missions, giving the game extra life, not a simple mission-run game. With the mission modes, mini-games and free roaming mode to suit the players needs, the game is split into three distinctive criteria’s: Flying, Rescue, and Combat. Will you fly constantly? Will you be the good citizen that you are and rescue civilians? Will you notoriously battle it out with enemies? Gamers will play both film-inspired missions as well as original content created exclusively for the videogame.
As it is debuting on the Xbox360, Superman Returns is going to have graphics, sound, and gameplay taken to the next level as Metropolis is set to look as something you’ve never seen before, with three dimensional sound, a complete orchestra soundtrack, and Oscar-wining sound designer, Superman Returns: The Videogame is certainly sounding the part.
Superman Returns: The Videogame could be a masterpiece, then again it might not, but still, it’s a pretty anticipated title and we’ll have a review in the (late) future.
