So recently I started playing Batman Arkham Asylum again, and I'm always amazed at the lengths they went to make sure that was a purely Batman experience. There was nothing you could that didn't make you seem like Batman, and it was great for it. So I started thinking, why can't there be a good game based on DC's flagship hero, Superman? On paper, it seems easy, but once I put some thought into it, I came to the conclusion that it's impossible to make a game for Superman that is equal to AA, because of the character. They just can't make the player REALLY feel like they are Superman, and not make the game incredibly easy and boring. For example, if I'm Superman and I punch a car, that needs to be launched MILES away from me. I should be able to pick sky-scrapper sized objects and fly around with them. I need to be able to get from point A to point B in Metropolis within seconds. I shouldn't be able to get hurt, or slowed down by anything but the strongest of villains.
 
If any of you played Superman Returns(or any Superman game for that matter), you know that aside from being a terrible game in general, it also failed to make you FEEL like you're Superman(though not giving Superman a health bar, but giving the city one instead was very well thought out). Sure, you can fly around, but it's very slow for someone like Superman, and I never felt all that strong. Obviously this is saying nothing of the actual story, which I think aside from the comics, only DC animators can give Superman good stories. With the second Batman game being released in 2011 and looking mighty awesome, and a new Superman movie in the works, I wonder if DC will actually try and pull Superman off in his own game. I personally don't think it can be done, both from a simple design perspective(no challenge), and a technology one(I need to see through walls, hear things from far away, and bring a building completely down with one or two punches, not easy to do with current tech).
 
I personally think Superman(this really applies to any super powerful hero really) could make for one badass game if done right, I just don't think it CAN be done right, not completely(which we might all have to settle for). Thoughts?

i heard that death and return of superman for the snes was decent. I see what you are trying say, seeing that rocksteady is owned by warner bros, a good superman game could come soon.

They just can't make the player REALLY feel like they are Superman, and not make the game incredibly easy and boring. For example, if I'm Superman and I punch a car, that needs to be launched MILES away from me. I should be able to pick sky-scrapper sized objects and fly around with them. I need to be able to get from point A to point B in Metropolis within seconds. I shouldn't be able to get hurt, or slowed down by anything but the strongest of villains. 
 
 If any of you played Superman Returns(or any Superman game for that matter), you know that aside from being a terrible game in general, it also failed to make you FEEL like you're Superman(though not giving Superman a health bar, but giving the city one instead was very well thought out). Sure, you can fly around, but it's very slow for someone like Superman, and I never felt all that strong. Obviously this is saying nothing of the actual story, which I think aside from the comics, only DC animators can give Superman good stories.
 
(I need to see through walls, hear things from far away, and bring a building completely down with one or two punches, not easy to do with current tech).  I personally think Superman(this really applies to any super powerful hero really) could make for one badass game if done right, I just don't think it CAN be done right, not completely(which we might all have to settle for). Thoughts? "

Yeah, I should be able to hit Right Bumper to speedblitz my opponent and throw him into the sun. 
 
That would free up a lot of time for me to do important stuff like journalism and spending personal time with Lois.

Not super familiar with his cadre of villains. But maybe a Superboy prime story where he has to save all of realities, and at the end fight an amped up Superboy/Kal-L.
 
Treacherous/Tragic anti-villain storyline would be good. Not just another Lex Luthor/Toyman robots beat em up.
P.S. How do you add a forum to favorites?

" @Vitality: I tend to agree.  The main weakness of Returns was boredom... you basically had three different tasks that were relentlessly recycled- rescue, minions, boss- with only minimal variety between each cycle.  Otherwise, it was a good crack at the overall framework for a game, but it needed another year of content development, increased environment interactivity, and polish to actually be fun. I have a lot of thoughts on this in general but don't have time right now to get into it, sadly. "

Its about time they give Supes a game

Maybe you all should try out a little gem called Superman 64, and stop with the whining.

A Superman: Metropolis game or something like that could be made. The game should be made by Rocksteady, the group that created Batman AA

It could be done. The main problem I see is it would be hard to control him and all his powers, but with new control schemes now, it shouldn't be too much of a problem.

I still don't think it's possible to make a Superman game that is as on point with the character as Arkham Asylum was. Superman is just way too fast and too strong to be controlled in a game, but I would settle for a slightly less powerful version of him if the game was at least built well. There are lots of tricks they can use of course, like using slow motion when Superman enters super speed, because running in real time would be impossible to control him when he's running damn near the speed of light. As for his strength, like someone said, sure they can use the fact that Superman is more responsible and in control of his powers so punching a building off it's ground would be something he wouldn't do, but this is a game. Why not let the player just go crazy if they want to, but suffer the consequences of reckless use of his powers? I just won't feel like Superman if I can't save a massive jet airplane falling from the sky with my bare hands, or if I'm I get into a fight with Darkseid and EVERYTHING around me doesn't get completely wrecked from that fight. In returns, Superman would have to pick up people one by one and run to an ambulance......really?

"I'd love to hear those ideas actually, when you get the time. As for Returns, it wasn't as bad as previous releases, but like you guys said, lacked far too much content and polish, and I wouldn't consider it nowhere NEAR Arkham Asylum. "

" So recently I started playing Batman Arkham Asylum again, and I'm always amazed at the lengths they went to make sure that was a purely Batman experience. There was nothing you could that didn't make you seem like Batman, and it was great for it. So I started thinking, why can't there be a good game based on DC's flagship hero, Superman? On paper, it seems easy, but once I put some thought into it, I came to the conclusion that it's impossible to make a game for Superman that is equal to AA, because of the character. They just can't make the player REALLY feel like they are Superman, and not make the game incredibly easy and boring. For example, if I'm Superman and I punch a car, that needs to be launched MILES away from me. I should be able to pick sky-scrapper sized objects and fly around with them. I need to be able to get from point A to point B in Metropolis within seconds. I shouldn't be able to get hurt, or slowed down by anything but the strongest of villains.  If any of you played Superman Returns(or any Superman game for that matter), you know that aside from being a terrible game in general, it also failed to make you FEEL like you're Superman(though not giving Superman a health bar, but giving the city one instead was very well thought out). Sure, you can fly around, but it's very slow for someone like Superman, and I never felt all that strong. Obviously this is saying nothing of the actual story, which I think aside from the comics, only DC animators can give Superman good stories. With the second Batman game being released in 2011 and looking mighty awesome, and a new Superman movie in the works, I wonder if DC will actually try and pull Superman off in his own game. I personally don't think it can be done, both from a simple design perspective(no challenge), and a technology one(I need to see through walls, hear things from far away, and bring a building completely down with one or two punches, not easy to do with current tech).  I personally think Superman(this really applies to any super powerful hero really) could make for one badass game if done right, I just don't think it CAN be done right, not completely(which we might all have to settle for). Thoughts? "

A big part of what makes Superman Superman is his attitude and public affirmation of that.  It's not the powers.  There are countless Superman-archetypes who are just big flying bricks who wouldn't feel anything like Superman even if you were in their spandex.  Yet gamers and game designers put all the focus on the powers, which are imminently destructive.  That's certainly a part of Superman's appeal- the wish fulfillment, power fantasy, violence- but without that larger sense of duty, heroism, and honor the experience will feel empty, flat, and far from Superman-like.  However, Superman is hailed as a hero, treated as one, and the feedback he gets from that is part of what makes him Superman as opposed to a mopey demigod bearing the weight of the city- and a grudge of resentment against them for the chore / busywork they represent.  When the game make it "look like just a job" as opposed to a "job for Superman" it puts the player in an emotional state that is patently un-Superman-like.  If you have a chip on your shoulder against Metropolis, you're in no frame of mind to be Superman. 
 
But nonetheless there still are "chores" to do.  It might feel awesome to save that little girls red balloon the first time... but the fifth, fifteenth, fiftieth time you hear, "MY BALLOON!" are you anywhere near as sympathetic? 
 
Which is why the GTA / random good-deed mission mechanic isn't exactly the best choice.  Instead, you have to look to games which encourage those essential paternalistic, affirmation, feedback patterns and there's actually plenty of them and they're astoundingly popular / successful- games like Farmville, The Sims, Sim City, Civilization, Puzzle games, etc.  Yes, we have an impetus to destroy- particularly in action games- but humans have just as much of an impetus to create, to nurture, to bring order as long as there is a positive feedback loop that rewards the behavior. 
 
... when I can post again I'll discuss some ways of achieving that in an open world action-type game, while still having many outlets for destructive and action tendencies.... 
 
But if there's one walkaway point: "Feeling like Superman" is less about the powers than one might imagine... just like Arkham managed to provide the feeling of Batman without giving you a fully stocked utility belt or complete compliment of martial arts moves from the beginning (that is, Batman was not "perfect", fully prepared and skilled), being these characters is less about the abilities and more about how everything else drives the atmosphere and attitude of the game.

I agree, Superman is much more than just his powers. What I mean though, and why I bring a lot of examples as to what I want from his powers, cause that seems like the most difficult thing to pull off. Making me control Superman at super speed, or making him feel truly strong seems hard to do cause there are no other video games with a character THIS strong(good atmosphere is definitely possible with the right team). Look at games like Red Dead Redemption. I never did any of that stuff in real life(break and ride a horse, hunt, fire a weapon), but when I was playing that game, I felt like a damn cowboy from start to finish. There was nothing I could do that would be out of character. So you are right, giving Superman all his powers with 100% accuracy won't mean a damn thing if everything around him feels distinctively un-Superman. They have to make you CARE for the city, and while Returns played with that by giving Metropolis a health bar instead of Superman, it was still just a meter. Superman wouldn't go around breaking everything in sight, but in a game, he SHOULD be able to do it if he wants too......the game just needs to remind you that it's NOT what Superman should be doing, much like Arkham reminded you of Batman's humanity every time the player tried to take on enemies using guns head on, but still let you knock yourself out and try that.

In a Superman game with absolute freedom we must remedy the question of integrity to the source. Superman is not a villain. He is not prone to wanton acts of lawlessness and destruction. However, many alternate versions of the man of steel are less morally inclined. If a player decides at some point to play as a destructive force of un-nature we should let them. After a two to five minute period, we should end their rampage with Team Luthor and a well placed kryptonite grenade rendering the avatar unconscious. When they revive they will either be in CK's apartment or the FoS in bed, reeling from the aftershock of a nightmare. If the player continually misbehaves then an alternate storyline should begin where he will have to be destroyed through Lois' treachery (or some other trusted individual)it could be called "Ultraman Lives" or "Reign of the Superman". Let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater here, folks; I want flight and super strength! Shit, give me a Captain Marvel game....

How about using the Golden Age Superman?   

" @Inevitable: Check the video I posted "

Well the whole problem of superman games is generally the flight control and aiming your vision powers. actually I found Shadow of Apokolips' Superman was pretty easy to control...so if you had that and then made the city better and more accessible... have Clark Kent missions or the like, maybe even go on dates with Lois or Cat Grant. Basically you should be able to live as Superman AND Clark Kent. This game should be well-financed. More money should be put into it than Arkham. I say location-wise, put in Metropolis, Gotham,Smallville and the Watchtower. This would really make Superman, Superman.

" Maybe you all should try out a little gem called Superman 64, and stop with the whining. "

I actually have a few ideas of what I'd do if I made a Superman game. Now before I say them, I should let you all know I never played any Superman video game before so if these ideas were already used let me know.
 
First, I think I would have two gauges for Superman - one is a life bar and another is an invulnerability bar. When Superman gets hit, his invulnerability bar will drop to a degree but will recover after being hit. In order for his life bar to actually go down, his invulnerability bar has to go down all the way. However, attacks from like kryptonite, red sun radiation, or magic can actually damage his life bar without first having to lower his invulnerability bar. I'm also thinking that when he's exposed to kryptonite his life bar slowly decreases while red sunlight will slowly decrease his invulnerability bar and take away his powers if exposed to long. Superman's health bar also naturally increases on its own over time and will increase faster when exposed to yellow sunlight. I'm also thinking that he can't fly or use any vision powers when under red sunlight for too long. Some power-ups I'm thinking of include sundipping which makes you completely invincible for a short amount of time. And finally, I'm thinking of having the final boss be Lex Luthor but Superman would also have been exposed to a red sun so you fight him without any powers while he's not using any special devices making it a pure hand to hand fight between them.
 
As a side note, I think I'll use MS Paint to depict some of my ideas. :P

"I actually thought Superman Returns was a good game.  If they took the core gameplay and added in more content...that would be a sweet Superman game. "

First of all, I'm pretty new to comics and haven't read any Superman ones, but I know the gist of the back story and I'm also very experienced with video games. 
 
So I've got a few ideas for a Superman game, I really think that it could work...
 
It would be heavily influenced by Heavy Rain, but with plenty of action as well. Maybe something similar to how I believe L.A. Noire will turn out. It will also be a very dark tale. 
 
It would start off with a intro scene, with the whole crashing on earth, being found etc. Gameplay would start in his teenage years, and this would act as a tutorial section. However, unlike most tutorial sections, this one is very important. You would have to complete a few tasks, they might be pretty simple but they would be extremely vital to the rest of the game. Depending on your success in the tutorial and ability to pick up the controls, this would affect how powerful Superman would be later on in the game. So, for example, if you fail a task that involved heat vision, later on in the game this ability wouldn't be that effective. 
 
Now on to the core aspect of the game. Following the tutorial, we're transported to a few years later and Clark is starting out in Metropolis. The game would revolve around Clark working as a journalist, he goes to crime scenes, finds the clues, interviews people and has to do a certain amount of research before he can battle a villain. This would build the character of Clark as well as avoiding the obvious problem of how to make a 10+ hour game that involves Superman without it getting boring. Possible storylines would be smaller crimes from the underworld that lead to boss fights, Lois Lane getting kidnapped and leading to a confrontation with Lex and maybe a final showdown on Kypton with Zod (if I'm wrong on any story points I'm sorry!). While the story develops, obviously a relationship with Lois would develop. And again, similar to Heavy Rain and Mass Effect, depending on decisions made, there will be different results. Maybe if Clark is a dick, Lois becomes more attracted to Lex for example. 
 
The true "Superman" moments would be the boss fights, they would be massive set pieces. Create "arenas" of sorts where Superman would fight against the bad guys, and only against the big, strong bad guys, and this would remove the pointless battles with lesser enemies. Maybe in the lead up to the boss fight, Superman could demolish through a few weak enemies in order for the player to tune up, a la No More Heroes on the Wii. The boss fights would be very difficult because the enemies would have their full powers, as well as access to kryptonite, while Superman's powers will depend on the level of skill that was displayed in the tutorial. This gives the tutorial a significant amount importance. 
 
And yeah that's a basic premise. Maybe people could help build on it, because I genuinely think it could work. When Superman games are made, the thing that they miss is that its all action, and we miss out on the personality of Clark Kent. This game gives you that. 
 
So I hope you like it, any opinions are really welcome!!!

" Or.... just make it exactly like GTA except the obvious changes (can fly, super strength/speed/sight/hearing, laser eyes and ice breath). Have him flying around metropolis city with compleltely free roaming ability.   Like spiderman, but with superman.... "

" @cpt_linger said:

" Or.... just make it exactly like GTA except the obvious changes (can fly, super strength/speed/sight/hearing, laser eyes and ice breath). Have him flying around metropolis city with compleltely free roaming ability.   Like spiderman, but with superman.... "

But as has already been said, that wouldn't work. You can't make a 10 hour game doing that, it would get boring real quickly. "

" @MrDirector786: Ugh Lex Luthor again? "

" @MrDirector786: Ugh Lex Luthor again? "

An Assassins Creed style game would work better for Superman.  You have a hub world, and multiple cities or whatever that Superman travels to to unravel the story.  Each city or location is essentially an open world where missions and sidequests are done to progress the story, and afterward, that location is done with.  Like Assassins Creed, you can go back to the city to do random quests or whatnot, but the place holds little to no relevance to the core story (unless it's Metropolis).
 
 Though really, an Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction style game could easily work for Superman.  Add in Superman's villains instead of Hulk, add in Supes' powers, and toss in random encounters with goons that gradually become more powerful as the story progresses (like how you started out fighting soliders and tanks, and then gradually stronger Hulkbusters in UD), and it could easily work.  Superman and his enemies would have to be reformatted instead of lifted from the current canon, though, like how Hulk's enemies were rebooted because they held little to no connection to each other in order for the story to flow correctly.  With these methods, a 10-15+ hour story about Superman in an open world environment can easily be done, especially if CryEngine 3 was used, which not only provides environment destruction, but randomly generated scenery on the fly, which would save room to include other hub worlds aside from Metropolis, like the Fortress of Solitude or even alien planets or ships.

Golden Age power levels would be good for a first game.

@Primmaster64 said:

Golden Age power levels would be good for a first game.

The only problem with that is that everyone who isn't a comic fan would hate it, as they would expect flying, heat vision, and everything else people have come to expect from Superman. Now I may not like comic Superman at all, but I'm loving the new Action Comics Superman and I think if they based a game around that but give him his actual costume and have his reboot costumes as unlocks I'd buy it.

@Primmaster64: But if they base it around the new Action Comics Superman it would be great. After all AC Superman IS basically GA Superman just with the vision powers and super speed.

@Primmaster64 said:

@Mr. Dead Pool: That's what I meant

Guess I miss understood you. But yeah I see the game going like this. You start out with the basic powers AC Supes has, and you go through the first half of the game trying to stop Luthor and his secret organized crime ring. After that you unlock Superman's full power and get to wear the classic Supes outfit and then you gotta deal with Brainiac, then Darkseid and finally Doomsday.