Nobody's ever seriously approached a "Superman" video game. If it wasn't a movie tie-in, it was something along the lines of "Superman 64," often hailed as one of the worst video games of all time. That needs to change, especially in light of the fast-growing hype over the upcoming movie, "Man of Steel." Like with Batman before him, the new Superman movie may re-invigorate a floundering intellectual property. After all, Christopher Nolan has his hands on both, and look what we got with the "Batman: Arkham," series.
If it were so easy to translate a super hero into a video game, we wouldn't be salivating over the next "Batman: Arkham" game with every new detail. We would be used to it by now. You may have a million ideas for a Superman game, they may even be good ideas, but in the end it's all about the execution, which means in the beginning it's not so much about the pitch as it is who's pitching it. "Control Superman" was never enough, despite how glaringly attractive that proposition is. There needs to be heart. There needs to be a developer who can find what makes Superman unique, not just powerful, and translate that into an interactive experience. But let's start with the easy things first.
The All-Too Obvious Pick: Rocksteady Studios
Rocksteady Studios did Batman right. The natrual inclination is to hand them the Superman property and cross your fingers, and while some of what they did in "Batman: Arkham Asylum" and "Batman: Arkham City" might cross over, most of Batman's fighting mechanics and general know-how and detective techniques wouldn't really translate into Superman's way of doing things. Not to assume Rocksteady wouldn't change up, but for the purpose of this article, hoping what worked for Batman should work for Superman is a dangerous thing.That melee system, for instance, just wouldn't work. Superman doesn't take on surrounding foes, he punches one into the rest like a bowling ball and moves on. But Rocksteady's games can influence Superman's next potential foray into gaming a couple of other key ways.
First off is the lore. With any popular comic book hero there's likely a massive backlog of enemies, allies and events that fans can't get enough of, and Rocksteady took prime advantage of Batman's lore. Around every corner in those pseudo-open worlds was another nod to yet another character in the Batman and DC universes. Superman himself has a long-list of callbacks that fans would love to see.
Gameplay-wise, however, the common mistake in Superman games is making it all about combat. That worked in the "Arkham" games because Batman is a pure brawler. A Superman game needs to avoid combat "scenarios" and perhaps find a more cinematic pacing. Which brings us to...
Storytellers: Naughty Dog
These guys know how to do set-pieces, as seen in their "Uncharted" series, but their contribution to gaming as a whole is so much more than that. They know how to translate the thrill of an action film into playable form, without all the frustrations common with similar attempts. It's fluid and it doesn't bother with combat-padding and meaningless exposition. As I said before, Superman games fall into the trap of focusing way to much on combat. Fighting as in invulnerable man might look cool on screen, but it certaintly doesn't make for interesting gameplay. Naughty Dog could find a way to balance that in Supes' favor. Creating those big moments, where he saves a boatload of civilians with in a feat of strength or covering ridiculous lengths at super-speed shouldn't simply be gameplay mechanics, they should be explosive moments integrated into normal gameplay.
But, unlike "Uncharted's" Nathan Drake, Superman's tale is a life-long, sometimes somber experience. Nathan Drake went through some stuff, no doubt, but that's nothing compared to the extremes of self-doubt and immense power displayed by the Man of Steel. Alongside his story is also his growth in power and capabilities over the span of his youth. It's not like he woke up on earth and immediatly flew to the sun, he didn't have a guide of his own species, so he spent a whole lot of time simply figuring out what he could do. There is one extremely popular gaming series that takes a similar look at a growing hero...
Life Builders: Ubisoft
"Assassin's Creed II" was an incredible game. Aside from fixing many issues from the first game and aside from engrossingly recreating the Italian reneaissance, Ezio was a true star and a sprawling epic. Your game is essentially his entire life, especially taking the later sinoffs into account. You knew Ezio, you knew his motivations from boyhood trauma to joining the Assassins, and everything in-between is better for it.
Every Superman story starts at the beginning, because every good version of Superman knows the true depth of the character lies in his struggle to become and stay "Super" for the human race. Ubisoft may not be into the whole IP tie-in thing, but they would do Superman's huge story justice with "Assassin's Creed" under their belt. Ignoring the insane Animus stuff, of course. Even better, following Superman from early-life plays perfectly into the mold of your common video game. Powering or leveling up is natural for a human, not so much for a Kryptonian, unless you're Clark Kent in nowhereland mid-America. As the story progresses so does Superman's abilities. Isn't that how every video game story goes these days?
But there is one final problem. Superman, rather, Clark Kent, is an internal kind of person. His journey is as introspective as it is fantastical, and the proper handling of his character in video game form may require a more radical approach...
Underdog: thatgamecompany
What if we eschewed video game expectations? What if we took the most powerful hero out there and surrounded him with a game that doesn't care about Superpowers? The latest "Man of Steel" trailers may show off some insane special effects, but what drives them is Clark Kent's growth and internal struggles, voiced in somber narration. thatgamecompany specializes in visualizing the emotional "Journey" through sprawling, near-mystical environments and situations. Isn't that the true strength of comic books in the end, emphasizing human flaws and triumphs through the superhuman? Imagine if the visuals in "Journey" were morphed from the farmlands of mid-America to the towering heights of Metropolis over the course of one game, following the most powerful thing on the planet.
And he's got a cape. He flies. We all know how well thatgamecompany does flowing garments in the wind. The potential for true beauty is there, if Warner Bros. is willing to take some risks.
Chances are they'll just go with Rocksteady and call it a day, but one can dream.
