Gamer's Kryptonite 72
1up has a feature, in honor of the excellent Superman Returns, discussing the unfortunate history of Superman licensed games across the many consoles. The worst is, of course, Superman 64. From the article: "Superman 64 isn't completely without redeeming features. It serves as an invaluable object lesson in how not to make a videogame. Try to build your characters with more than three polygons. Do not pad out your game by forcing players to fly through rings at two miles an hour in between each stage. Do not make your superheroes less physically imposing than a one-legged, asthmatic kitten with a concussion."
Blizzard?! (Score:5, Interesting)
Is anyone else as astonished as I am? I thought Blizzard only made high quality computer games. Perhaps they have a few skeletons in their closet?
Also, whoever wrote this article seems to suffer from Tourettes Syndrome:
Re:Blizzard?! (Score:3, Insightful)
They got lucky with Warcraft. It gave them enough credibility to become a top-notch developer.
Re:Blizzard?! (Score:4, Informative)
Blizzard released a half-dozen console games before they stuck gold with Warcraft.
There are flash-based playable demos of a couple of 'em here:
http://www.blizzard.com/blizzclassic/ [blizzard.com]
Nothing really special.
Re:Blizzard?! (Score:1)
Re:Blizzard?! (Score:2)
With the new mario bros being such a hit maybe developers/publishers will realize there is still a market for 2d games.
Re:Blizzard?! (Score:1)
Re:Blizzard?! (Score:2)
Re:Blizzard?! Blackthorne!!! (Score:2)
Re:Blizzard?! Blackthorne!!! (Score:2)
This is the second-best genesis game ever. (First is Forgotten Worlds, one of the best 16-bit arcade conversions ever, if you can overlook the two deleted levels.
The shotgun would be loaded only if you had fired shells, and it would be loaded only until the number of shells fired had been equalled. Very slick touch.
You can read my writeup on Blackthorne [everything2.com] on Everything2.
Re:Blizzard?! (Score:2)
Death and Return of Superman is actually a pretty good game. The article claims it's "Final Fight with a Superman paint job," but forgets that Final Fight was a pretty good game.
Yeah, it's annoying that Superman gets hurt when hit by "punk with a mohawk" but that's my only complaint.
Re:Blizzard?! (Score:2)
Movie Games (Score:4, Insightful)
Wow.... (Score:1)
Re:Wow.... (Score:1)
Ya hoo. I felt like Superman. I mean, you have to have a way to hurt him, right? Well, when you spend a ton of money to get the rights, you have to produce a game, rather than let people who can think up good ideas do it. Hence it sucks. They search for a game to call Superman rather than let someone come up with somethin
Re:Wow.... (Score:2, Interesting)
This is actually a good solution. You could make flying levels where superman has to get to the disaster or whatever it is, and has a timer... you have to fly him through the city without hurting anyone or crashing through any buildings. When you get to the disaster, it could almost be like a puzzle... say it's a volcano, you have to figure out whether to seal
Re:Wow.... (Score:1)
Re:Wow.... (Score:1)
Re:Wow.... (Score:2)
Trust me.
Re:Wow.... (Score:3, Funny)
New Game (Score:2)
Are you sure? I think that a game based around the idea of beating up crippled, hadicapped, physically challenged, diseases ridden animals would be fun. Who's with me?
Re:New Game (Score:1)
Re:New Game (Score:1)
Re:New Game (Score:1)
http://www.joecartoon.com/pages/lump_anim [joecartoon.com]
Um..."excellent"? (Score:3, Interesting)
Sorry - not going to get interested in a fellow who wears red underwear outside his pants. Why have Superroo's games sucked as much if not more than his movies/comic books/etc.? Dunno - why have almost all character licensed games sucked? (Hint: after they blow the wad on licensing, there isn't much money for code or design left over)
The problem (Score:2, Funny)
Game plot:
Superman hears there's a criminal planning to do something. Instead of taking out all of the henchmen along the way, he flies quickly past them to the boss and knocks him unconscious with one punch, then taking the villian to jail.
Roll Credits.
That's what Superman is like.
Re:The problem (Score:2)
I did come up with a possible solution to the problem, though; make a Superman game using the Dynasty Warriors engine, or something similar. That way you can have Superman beating up a bunch of hoodlums with no trouble to placate the "Superman is invincible" crowd, then make the bosses powerful in some way t
Re:The problem (Score:5, Interesting)
We'll have to see whether or not it works, but at least it's more in line with th superman character. Superman could easily be boring as a character for storytelling purposes if all he did was fight one bad guy after another. But when he is forced to choose, well, that is what makes things interesting. The thing that makes superman beloved isn't that he's strong or fast or bulletproof, it's that he can choose among options that will make a difference. In real life, we rarely have any choice at all because we are pretty much powerless most of the time. Superman isn't helpless like most people are (for all intents and purposes) in real life, and so he has the power to make choices. The harder those choices are, the more interesting it is to follow along.
the same is basically true in any story for any hero. The difference is that in most classic stories the hero isn't super strong or super fast, but is just a normal person - an unlikely character - who rises to the challenge after the power to make a difference through their choices and actions is thrust upon them (think Indiana Jones).
Re:The problem (Score:1, Funny)
I think the example the developers gave was that there is simultaneously a burning building with people who have to be rescued and some giant robot tearing up downtown. What do you do? The answer in the game is that you pick up a fire engine and zip it over to the burning building and let them deal with a problem they can handle while you go off and sort out the giant robot.
Man, Supes is dumb. The right way to deal with this is to reprogram the giant robot to fight fires.
Wow. (Score:2)
Mod me -1 redundant, but this is exactly what I was thinking after watching the movie and "getting" Superman again.
The trick is to be able to come away from it and still believe that Superman kicks more ass than God, and at the same time, you shouldn't ever feel like you're actually playing on Godmode.
This, by the way, is something that I think is pulled off pretty successfully in the Halo games. Master Chief kicks more ass than God, makes wiping the floor with the Covenant army look easy, but no one can
Re:The problem (Score:3, Insightful)
How about not focusing on the obvious? If feats of strength become uninteresting, then how about basing a game on other challenges - stuff that relies on other skills, or tests even the mettle of a Superman?
For instance:
Re:The problem (Score:2)
The problem is that the electronic gaming industry has been in a race to the bottom when it comes to game complexity. In an effort to appeal to the widest demographic possible they come up with games that are no more complicated than remembering "green means go"*. This unfortunately means any game that requires thinking is almost certainly out of the question**. Superman better spend
Re:The problem (Score:1)
Calvin: I've noticed that comic book superheroes usually fight evil maniacs with grandiose plans to destroy the world. Why don't superheroes go after more subtle, realistic bad guys?
Hobbes: Yeah, the superhero could attend council meetings and write letters to the editor, and stuff.
Calvin: Hmmm... I think I see the problem.
Hobbes: "Quick! To the Bat-Fax!"
~ Calvin & Hobbes, Homicidal Psycho Jun
Re:The problem (Score:2)
Heh - kudos on the choice reference.
But I disagree with you. Consider this: How sexy did "resource management" sound before it was well-implemented in Dune 2, Warcraft, and Command & Conquer? Tech trees and odds ratios used to be the exclusive domain of those scary, pinheaded, turn-based-wargamer types.
So, I understand. When you approach this idea, you're thinking "neighborhood block watch," which ranks just above "after-school special" on the gamer-ometer.
Howeve
Make it a puzzle game. (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Make it a puzzle game. (Score:1)
Spyro (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Spyro (Score:2)
2) Spyro's flight levels actually involved a decent level of strategy (shoot this, charge that, fly through these) and coordination to get the job done. Don't tell me Sunny F
Re:Spyro (Score:1)
Am I the only one who liked the NES Superman? (Score:2)
Rob
Yes. (Score:1)
Superman for Atari? (Score:2)
Gamer's Kryptonite? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Gamer's Kryptonite? (Score:3, Funny)
Absolutely, but more importantly, what's Jack Thompson's kryptonite?
Re:Gamer's Kryptonite? (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Gamer's Kryptonite? (Score:1)
You have to empathise with game designers (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:You have to empathise with game designers (Score:2)
maybe a licensed version of Scrabble.
Re:You have to empathise with game designers (Score:3, Insightful)
Which of course makes him a game's Deux Ex Machina. You can't start him out as a weak little thing from the beginning, unless you start WAY at the beginning and try to make some sort of RPG starting with Clark in school (perhaps with a Smallville nod), forcin
Re:You have to empathise with game designers (Score:2)
Too bad DC is such a litigious, monstrous company or I'd recommend you submit your idea to them. I think my fond optimism is probably a zillion times better than DC's doubtlessly half-assed im
Re:You have to empathise with game designers (Score:1)
Put it this way... (Score:3, Insightful)
Superman is the brute force on a fucking quantum supercomputer.
I like Batman for the depth of the character. I like the tormented, morally-ambiguous superheroes, the Daredevils, the
Re:Put it this way... (Score:2)
Re:Put it this way... (Score:2)
Re:Put it this way... (Score:1)
Re:You have to empathise with game designers (Score:3, Interesting)
Oh noes! The damsel is in distress and I'm stuck in Clark Kent mode surrouned by witnesses! Can I save the damsel with my heatvison without anyone noticing? Can I slip away to a safe spot to change into Superman without making too many people too suspicious? Can I wait a minute for a better
Re:You have to empathise with game designers (Score:2)
Superman 64 (Score:1)
The funny thing was, it wasn't the worst N64 game ever released, by a long way. Carmageddon 64, anyone?
Movie games (Score:2)
- Expensive rights for the title (i.e. less budget for the actual game)
- Incredibly tight schedules (getting the game out 2 years after the movie is pointless)
- People buy it anyway because they know the name (and probably liked the movie)
Furthermore, movie studios didn't care about the game quality. The market was not
Kryptonite to gamers? (Score:2)
Re:Kryptonite to gamers? (Score:1)