Superman Returns
Added October 17th, 2006 by Dakota Grabowski
After Electronic Art’s Superman Community Day wrapped up, it was time for me to whip up a new hands-on preview of the game. What could I possibly talk about that would interest TalkXbox’s viewers? Well, let’s begin with the basics.
Superman Returns: The Video Game is based around the film, but Tiburon was allowed to venture away from the flick and insert their own additions. If you haven’t seen the film, then you won’t be aware of the lack of action that upset many Superman fanatics. It is only fitting for DC Comics to provide Tiburon the chance to add action to a medium, such as video games, that requires a lot to sell said medium to their fanbase.
These additions include super villains that didn’t show up in the film and may never appear in a film. Villains added include: Metallo, Riot, Mongul, Mr. Mxyzptlk, and Bizarro. Tiburon also received the chance to add in a few of their own villains customized for the video game. The only two I encountered were Plahtune and Overkhast. Plahtune is a brawler that has a gigantic gun for one of his arms, while Overkhast runs on electricity and grows in power the more you attack him.
Superman Returns: The Video Game is based around the film, but Tiburon was allowed to venture away from the flick and insert their own additions. If you haven’t seen the film, then you won’t be aware of the lack of action that upset many Superman fanatics. It is only fitting for DC Comics to provide Tiburon the chance to add action to a medium, such as video games, that requires a lot to sell said medium to their fanbase.
These additions include super villains that didn’t show up in the film and may never appear in a film. Villains added include: Metallo, Riot, Mongul, Mr. Mxyzptlk, and Bizarro. Tiburon also received the chance to add in a few of their own villains customized for the video game. The only two I encountered were Plahtune and Overkhast. Plahtune is a brawler that has a gigantic gun for one of his arms, while Overkhast runs on electricity and grows in power the more you attack him.
The storyline is still based around Lex Luthor and his fascination for the crystals he stole from the Fortress of Solitude. Due to his experiments with the crystals, evil villains are attracted to Earth to fight Superman and attack Metropolis. Superman must defend Metropolis at all costs (the player’s only consequence of losing in the video game is to see Metropolis destroyed). Superman can not die in the video game, he’ll run out of stamina, but that’s the extent of his weakness.
Only two of Superman’s powers have vanished from his skill set. There is no X-Ray or Super Vision. This is allowable as they aren’t action based powers. Tiburon stated they tried to implement the powers in several ways – one being stealth – but Superman isn’t about stealth at all. Superman’s powers will increase over time, but it won’t be through a shop type selection. When he becomes stronger, you’ll notice it as you fight the villains and see your stamina bar grow the stretch of the game.
Tiburon had a goal of creating Superman Returns as non-linear as possible. I didn’t see too many side-missions for players to lose themselves in, so not sure about how much there is to do outside of the main story. There are a few mini-modes that include playing as Bizarro, saving kittens, and racing Mxyzptlk around the city.
Only two of Superman’s powers have vanished from his skill set. There is no X-Ray or Super Vision. This is allowable as they aren’t action based powers. Tiburon stated they tried to implement the powers in several ways – one being stealth – but Superman isn’t about stealth at all. Superman’s powers will increase over time, but it won’t be through a shop type selection. When he becomes stronger, you’ll notice it as you fight the villains and see your stamina bar grow the stretch of the game.
Tiburon had a goal of creating Superman Returns as non-linear as possible. I didn’t see too many side-missions for players to lose themselves in, so not sure about how much there is to do outside of the main story. There are a few mini-modes that include playing as Bizarro, saving kittens, and racing Mxyzptlk around the city.
The best part of Superman Returns is flying and traveling with Superman’s super speed. You can use super speed on the ground or when flying, it’s up to your discretion. Using super speed, you are able to ‘break’ the sound barrier four times to travel at 600 miles per hour. A few other publications (ahem, IGN) have stated that you can travel at 800 mph, but that is incorrect. The only problem I had with traveling at 600 mph is that it never felt up to speed. When you break the first sound barrier, the speed doesn’t pick up tremendously.
The development team was influenced by the Half-Life 2 staff when it came to the ambient sounds and interaction with objects in the game. They included over 30-40 megs of sample audio for individual cars, distinct sounds for districts, and unique effects for particular villains. Tiburon has more samples in Superman than Nascar 2007, Madden NFL 2007, and NCAA Football 2007 combined.
For all you fans of the film, you are out of luck when it comes to the soundtrack and theme. EA opted not to use John Williams’ theme from the movie nor did they use John Ottman’s score. EA brought in their own composer to score the film and had Peter Lehman help with sound effects. Peter Lehman won an Academy for his work on Braveheart. What EA has done great with the theme for the game is that you’ll hear it softly in the background and when the action picks up, you’ll notice it becoming louder to amp up the surround sound.
In terms of technology, Superman Returns supposedly hit the wall in terms of the technology barrier for the time frame they had. They filled up the 2 gig DVD discs and effectively used the RAM too. In the future, they’ll begin to learn more of the Xbox 360’s capabilities and how to optimize it, but for now, they have reached the limit on what they could do with Superman on the 360.
The Outlook:
Is Superman Returns any better than it was at E3? By every account it is. Is Superman Returns any better in terms what I thought it was just a month back? Yes, I have a feeling that Tiburon may have something that will attract the mainstream video game player. EA will be able to advertise this any way they want since the DVD will be released alongside it. I am thankful that EA hasn’t included any Clark Kent missions since who would want to be that loser anyways? He’s always moaning about trying to hook up with Lois Lane. TalkXbox was the first to break the news about the demo that Tiburon is planning in the future; we only pray they plan to release it before the game ships to stores.
Previous Hands-On Impressions from August, 23rd 2006:
Since 1938, the voyage of Superman to Earth has been well documented. Superman’s film debut was in 1978 with Richard Donner under helm as the director. In this film, simply titled Superman, Christopher Reeve flew the open skies as the mighty caped hero. Now in 2006, there have been four Superman films following his adventures and it was time for someone new to take over as the legendary superhero. After a lengthy search for a new director and lead actor, Warner Brothers picked what they thought would be the best team to lead Superman Returns. How did it all turn out? Well Warner Bros. changed their box office forecast from $500 million to $400 million; domestically they have almost passed the $200 million mark though it still isn’t labeled a success with the large budget tagged for production.
How does all this translate into video game terms? Electronic Arts has the responsibility of bringing the movie to life. EA has also inherited the baggage that comes with Superman video games. If you don’t know about this heavy baggage, all you have to do is look to Titus’ effort in Superman 64. Creating a Superman video game is not an easy task. How in the world can one developer make the perfect Superman game? We all know about his incredible powers, his sense of danger, and love for Lois Lane. EA made the decision to give this development project to Tiburon, creators of the long running Madden NFL series for EA.
Electronic Arts also decided that they weren’t close enough to gold status to release the video game side by side with the film’s release in theatres. Rather, they delayed it after what I believe was a sub par E3 showing to reach stores in time for the DVD’s release this holiday. Ever since E3, Xbox Live members had the privilege to watch the trailer of Superman taking on Metallo. If you attended E3 personally, you’ll remember that the build was only at 40%, not even half way complete. The build was full of slow down and hiccups that were hard to avoid. Looking back at E3, it’s easy to see why EA made the decision to delay Superman Returns: The Video Game for all the consoles, whether it is next-gen or not.
The development team was influenced by the Half-Life 2 staff when it came to the ambient sounds and interaction with objects in the game. They included over 30-40 megs of sample audio for individual cars, distinct sounds for districts, and unique effects for particular villains. Tiburon has more samples in Superman than Nascar 2007, Madden NFL 2007, and NCAA Football 2007 combined.
For all you fans of the film, you are out of luck when it comes to the soundtrack and theme. EA opted not to use John Williams’ theme from the movie nor did they use John Ottman’s score. EA brought in their own composer to score the film and had Peter Lehman help with sound effects. Peter Lehman won an Academy for his work on Braveheart. What EA has done great with the theme for the game is that you’ll hear it softly in the background and when the action picks up, you’ll notice it becoming louder to amp up the surround sound.
In terms of technology, Superman Returns supposedly hit the wall in terms of the technology barrier for the time frame they had. They filled up the 2 gig DVD discs and effectively used the RAM too. In the future, they’ll begin to learn more of the Xbox 360’s capabilities and how to optimize it, but for now, they have reached the limit on what they could do with Superman on the 360.
The Outlook:
Is Superman Returns any better than it was at E3? By every account it is. Is Superman Returns any better in terms what I thought it was just a month back? Yes, I have a feeling that Tiburon may have something that will attract the mainstream video game player. EA will be able to advertise this any way they want since the DVD will be released alongside it. I am thankful that EA hasn’t included any Clark Kent missions since who would want to be that loser anyways? He’s always moaning about trying to hook up with Lois Lane. TalkXbox was the first to break the news about the demo that Tiburon is planning in the future; we only pray they plan to release it before the game ships to stores.
Previous Hands-On Impressions from August, 23rd 2006:
Since 1938, the voyage of Superman to Earth has been well documented. Superman’s film debut was in 1978 with Richard Donner under helm as the director. In this film, simply titled Superman, Christopher Reeve flew the open skies as the mighty caped hero. Now in 2006, there have been four Superman films following his adventures and it was time for someone new to take over as the legendary superhero. After a lengthy search for a new director and lead actor, Warner Brothers picked what they thought would be the best team to lead Superman Returns. How did it all turn out? Well Warner Bros. changed their box office forecast from $500 million to $400 million; domestically they have almost passed the $200 million mark though it still isn’t labeled a success with the large budget tagged for production.
How does all this translate into video game terms? Electronic Arts has the responsibility of bringing the movie to life. EA has also inherited the baggage that comes with Superman video games. If you don’t know about this heavy baggage, all you have to do is look to Titus’ effort in Superman 64. Creating a Superman video game is not an easy task. How in the world can one developer make the perfect Superman game? We all know about his incredible powers, his sense of danger, and love for Lois Lane. EA made the decision to give this development project to Tiburon, creators of the long running Madden NFL series for EA.
Electronic Arts also decided that they weren’t close enough to gold status to release the video game side by side with the film’s release in theatres. Rather, they delayed it after what I believe was a sub par E3 showing to reach stores in time for the DVD’s release this holiday. Ever since E3, Xbox Live members had the privilege to watch the trailer of Superman taking on Metallo. If you attended E3 personally, you’ll remember that the build was only at 40%, not even half way complete. The build was full of slow down and hiccups that were hard to avoid. Looking back at E3, it’s easy to see why EA made the decision to delay Superman Returns: The Video Game for all the consoles, whether it is next-gen or not.
Tiburon is now in one hectic development schedule to finish this in time for the holidays. They are focusing on adding as much depth as possible to give the players a fulfilling experience. They are touching up on the graphics, the controls, and EA is making sure that this doesn’t leave the development team without the proper treatment of a “triple A” product to put in smaller terms. Let’s talk about how in the world Tiburon is undertaking this gigantic license with a huge following.
We must remember that there isn’t anything on Earth that can harm Superman. The only substance that is known to dish out damage is Kryptonite and you can bet your bottom dollar there will be tons of it featured in the game. Some of you may ask, “What is the point of playing as Superman if he can’t die?” Tiburon is implementing two meters to determine the power and strength of Superman. One displays Superman’s adrenaline (energy) that continues to regenerate over time, while the other measures Metropolis’ health. These two meters spell out that Superman must keep Metropolis from danger for as long as he can, without, of course, losing his energy.
EA is hoping Tiburon is able to effectively nail down the wide-open city. Following in the footsteps of Activision’s own Spider-Man series, Tiburon is looking towards creating a Grand Theft Auto Superman video game. While Spider-Man is able to climb up the empire state building, Superman is capable of flying above the clouds. Like other superhero video games based on their movie counterparts, Superman is loosely based on the movie. Tiburon will explore what the movie didn’t show, like when Superman came back to Earth after his trip to his home planet. If you happened to see the movie, you’ll know that madman Lex Luthor was the villain and that the movie didn’t contain too much action. Tiburon is taking the liberty to add in other villains (5-7 in consideration) for Superman to battle and creating a lot of action to occur.
The Outlook:
Tiburon has a monster duty on their hands of creating the best Superman video game. Even with all this promise, will it please the massive audience that Superman reaches out to? This license has been around for almost 70 years now; a lot of history follows Superman, both good and bad. EA better cross their fingers that this doesn’t turn out to be as bad as Superman 64 or mediocre as Superman: Shadow of Apokolips. With over 80 square miles for Superman to defend in the game, Tiburon is making sure that players are able to feel the pressure of protecting Metropolis and having the responsibility of saving civilians.
We must remember that there isn’t anything on Earth that can harm Superman. The only substance that is known to dish out damage is Kryptonite and you can bet your bottom dollar there will be tons of it featured in the game. Some of you may ask, “What is the point of playing as Superman if he can’t die?” Tiburon is implementing two meters to determine the power and strength of Superman. One displays Superman’s adrenaline (energy) that continues to regenerate over time, while the other measures Metropolis’ health. These two meters spell out that Superman must keep Metropolis from danger for as long as he can, without, of course, losing his energy.
EA is hoping Tiburon is able to effectively nail down the wide-open city. Following in the footsteps of Activision’s own Spider-Man series, Tiburon is looking towards creating a Grand Theft Auto Superman video game. While Spider-Man is able to climb up the empire state building, Superman is capable of flying above the clouds. Like other superhero video games based on their movie counterparts, Superman is loosely based on the movie. Tiburon will explore what the movie didn’t show, like when Superman came back to Earth after his trip to his home planet. If you happened to see the movie, you’ll know that madman Lex Luthor was the villain and that the movie didn’t contain too much action. Tiburon is taking the liberty to add in other villains (5-7 in consideration) for Superman to battle and creating a lot of action to occur.
The Outlook:
Tiburon has a monster duty on their hands of creating the best Superman video game. Even with all this promise, will it please the massive audience that Superman reaches out to? This license has been around for almost 70 years now; a lot of history follows Superman, both good and bad. EA better cross their fingers that this doesn’t turn out to be as bad as Superman 64 or mediocre as Superman: Shadow of Apokolips. With over 80 square miles for Superman to defend in the game, Tiburon is making sure that players are able to feel the pressure of protecting Metropolis and having the responsibility of saving civilians.
