What would you want to see in a Superman video game?

[The Overlord]

I think we had a few threads like this years ago, but I think the release of the new Spider-Man game makes this question relevant again. What would you want to see in a good Superman solo video game? Batman and Spider-Man have great games, the X-Men have a few decent games and even the Hulk has one good game. But Superman has never had a good video game and Superman 64 is arguably the worst super hero video game, so how do you turn things around with a new game? So far, the only decent games with Superman in them are Justice League based games like Justice League Heroes and the Injustice games.

[DochaDocha]

Right now, my preference is for a VR Superman game, where the experience of living the Superman experience is more important than in-game objectives which often fly in the face of either being like Superman, or being a video game.

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

I thought of a telltale style adventure title might fit him.

But in general i just good gameplay and good storytelling.

[superduperman]

Prison break at Stryker's island prison. All of his villains break out and start terrorizing the city. Parasite, Atomic Skull, Metallo, Livewire, Maxima, all organized by Luthor so he could capture Doomsday and make him a weapon. Most of the city is being evacuated. Each villain takes over a different part of the city. For instance, Brainiac is trying to get his ship back which is being held at STAR labs. He can also call in Supergirl or Conner to help if he needs it. And he has access to the Fortress computers so he can get any information he might need about any of his villains. A force field has also been put up around the city to keep out other heroes. So those still trapped inside can't get out.

[Hypestyle]

something that's not lame. especially not like Superman Returns lame. Something where you can use all the powers from the get go and not have to "earn" them. You can upgrade the intensity but the basic powers are all there.

[Vordan]

Prison break at Stryker's island prison. All of his villains break out and start terrorizing the city. Parasite, Atomic Skull, Metallo, Livewire, Maxima, all organized by Luthor so he could capture Doomsday and make him a weapon. Most of the city is being evacuated. Each villain takes over a different part of the city. For instance, Brainiac is trying to get his ship back which is being held at STAR labs. He can also call in Supergirl or Conner to help if he needs it. And he has access to the Fortress computers so he can get any information he might need about any of his villains. A force field has also been put up around the city to keep out other heroes. So those still trapped inside can't get out.

Sounds pretty solid to me. I would prefer Ultra-Humanite be in charge, save Lex for the sequel. Maybe he shows up first working with Sam Lane and the military/ARGUS.

[Mutant God]

A fighting game thats a mix of Injustice and DBZ games

[Lightning Rider]

Right now, my preference is for a VR Superman game, where the experience of living the Superman experience is more important than in-game objectives which often fly in the face of either being like Superman, or being a video game.

Yes, my focus would be on VR as well. There are definitely ways to make an entertaining and satisfying conventional Superman game, but VR just has so much potential. More than any other superhero, being Superman is the ultimate wish fulfillment. The main trick would be simulating the g-forces for flight, but it's not impossible based on what already exists. I would absolutely get lost in the thrill of flying around a believable Metropolis or smashing through mountains and trees across beautiful landscapes, lifting cars, floating above the stratosphere, on and on.

An open world with varied maps would be good enough though. Metropolis, Smallville, Kandor, War World, the Fortress, the Phantom Zone, various different countries. Fighting with physics and struggling to prevent civilian harm should be a challenge, as should operating as Clark vs. Superman.

[Killerbee911]

A Superman game is hard because most games characters begin from a lesser state and build up. That is the biggest hurdle nobody wants to play Superman without his full powerset . The best suggestion I think of is that Superman game beginning in another planet maybe with Red Sun,That is your beginning stage , then quickly you move on couple of space adventures where the power level of stuff isn't a issue, Then you go earth full powered open world doing classic superman stuff . The game would be something like 35% in Space and 50% on earth 15% Percent on Apokolips.

[L.R Johansson]

I would like to see MANY of Superman's powers, for a start! = )

Superstrength, Speed, Invulnerability, heat-vision, x-ray vision, flight - those are the basics, so one could start with those. But as the game progresses, one could then start gaining more of his OTHER powers (as earned power-ups), like super-breath, super-hypnosis, solar-flare (reserved for boss-battles, obviously - a gamble, chosing when to use it, as one would lose solar power, but could also cripple a boss at the right moment, and then insta-win.) or even Morrisons static/gravimetric discharges.

Then, I would like to see the most common locales, something like this:

Metropolis
- Suicide Slum
- Star Labs
Fortress of Solitude
Phantom Zone
Apocolypse
Brainiac's Skull Ship
Smallville
Metropolis 3028 (LEGION)

Those place should cut it quite nicely.

[The_Lurk]

What would you want to see in a Superman video game?

An addon that adds Power Girl (Karen/Kara)

Besides that: It not being a mere action game. Sure there should be fights. But it should feel like Superman is fighting; not like Batman in a Superman suit. And that even should mean that quite a lot of the fights should be unfairly unbalanced in the players favor. The real kicker should be the timing to when even pick a fight, how to better avoid one and of course not to accidentally kill someone.

There should be some lite adventure game elements. Doing some investigative journalism and trying to not being outed as Superman while doing so.

[The Overlord]

An addon that adds Power Girl (Karen/Kara)

Besides that: It not being a mere action game. Sure there should be fights. But it should feel like Superman is fighting; not like Batman in a Superman suit. And that even should mean that quite a lot of the fights should be unfairly unbalanced in the players favor. The real kicker should be the timing to when even pick a fight, how to better avoid one and of course not to accidentally kill someone.

There should be some lite adventure game elements. Doing some investigative journalism and trying to not being outed as Superman while doing so.

But then where's the challenge if the battles are weighted towards the player? No one likes games that are too easy and when would Superman avoid a fight, if there is some random crime going on, would Superman just ignore it? A game is only worth playing if you can lose, Spidey and Batman can get killed by some lucky punk, you would need mooks that could hurt Superman, like Brainiac robots or Parademons or something and the bosses should not be push overs.

Its seems like you want a Telltale style adventure game rather then a action game, but considering Telltale just went under, that style of game may going out of fashion.

[The_Lurk]

But then where's the challenge if the battles are weighted towards the player? No one likes games that are too easy and when would Superman avoid a fight, if there is some random crime going on, would Superman just ignore it? A game is only worth playing if you can lose, Spidey and Batman can get killed by some lucky punk, you would need mooks that could hurt Superman, like Brainiac robots or Parademons or something and the bosses should not be push overs.

Its seems like you want a Telltale style adventure game rather then a action game, but considering Telltale just went under, that style of game may going out of fashion.

Not just weighted towards the player; with regular fights weighted too much for the player. Uppercut against a bankrobber? Game-over because a Superman uppercut against a simple human would leave a bloody mess. The challenge is to find the healthy medium to fight others while upholding Supermans principles. Its not the physical harm for the character the player should fear, but the psychical.

Typical super-strength beginner error :


No, not really. Some adventure game elements; yes. But not full on Lucas Arts/Sierra point & click. Have never played a Telltale game so IDK. But solving problems by saying the right thing at the right moment without violence would be something I'd like to see in a Superman game.

Thats not saying there should be no all out no worries no regret fights. Doomsday; Darkseid. Their faces beg for Supes fist without any restraint. After all these dramatic fights where its all in are a Superman staple too.

[The World]

Kal's knocked heads with Greco-Roman Heroes, fought Angels and demons, fought reality altering foes, traded shots with New Gods. A theoretical Superman story could have level spanning ancient greek, post-apocalyptic Earth, New Genesis/Apokalyps, Earth in the year 3000, Lexor, all within one game. In 80 years Superman has done a lot of stuff. Imagine him fighting these things that are so massive they can carry the Earth like its a piece of furniture.



I'd think it'd be better to let the character spread his wings and explore the DCU than stick him in Metropolis throughout the whole game.

[L.R Johansson]

Kal's knocked heads with Greco-Roman Heroes, fought Angels and demons, fought reality altering foes, traded shots with New Gods. A theoretical Superman story could have level spanning ancient greek, post-apocalyptic Earth, New Genesis/Apokalyps, Earth in the year 3000, Lexor, all within one game. In 80 years Superman has done a lot of stuff. Imagine him fighting these things that are so massive they can carry the Earth like its a piece of furniture.
https://i.imgur.com/0DaUgF8.jpg[/img]

I'd think it'd be better to let the character spread his wings and explore the DCU than stick him in Metropolis throughout the whole game.

Agreed. What kind of locales would you like to see though? = )

A trip to OA?

Gotham?

Daxxam?

WAR-WORLD(! of course!)

Hmm... there ARE possibilities here...! I've already listed the Phantom Zone, Apokolypse and the Legion future, but there's also places even stranger - like the 5TH DIMENSION!


Some of these places would need to be saved for a possible sequel though, one can't blow the load on everything cool in the first game - look at how they did it with Batman - they saved gotham for the second game, and tons of villains too.