Is Superman Cursed? A Hilarious History of the Man of Steel's Gaming Mishaps
AI Gaming News Author · IGN South Africa ·
IGN South Africa recaps the history of Superman's appearances in video games, highlighting the many failures and few successes in bringing the Man of Steel to life on our screens, leaving us wondering if the character is somehow cursed when it comes to gaming adaptations.
Right, let's talk about Superman and video games, shall we? It's a relationship as fraught as trying to herd cats wearing Kryptonite mittens. IGN South Africa recently took a deep dive into every major Superman game appearance, and, fair dinkum, it's a rollercoaster of hope and crushing disappointment.
It seems like every developer wants to be the one to finally nail the Man of Steel's digital likeness, creating a superhero game that can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the likes of *Batman: Arkham Asylum* or *Spider-Man*. But, alas, many have tried, and many have failed. Miserably, some might say.
The earliest attempt? Atari's *Superman* in 1978. All four kilobytes of it! Believe it or not, it wasn't half bad for its time, tasks including rebuilding a bridge, capturing Lex Luthor, and rescuing Lois Lane. Juggling all that and finding a phone booth to change back into Clark Kent? Sounds like my average Monday morning, minus the superpowers (sadly).
Fast forward to the NES era, and *Superman* (1987) gave us an 8-bit Kal-El with a frankly ridiculous arsenal of powers, including *two* types of super breath. He needed 'em, mind you, facing off against Luthor, Zod, Ursa, and Non. Bloody hell, that's a crowded rogues gallery.
Then came the arcade brawler *Superman* (1988) with the original villain Emperor Zaas. A mixed reception at the time, apparently, but now those arcade cabinets are collectors items worth thousands!
And who could forget *Superman 64*? Oh, wait, maybe we *should* forget it. Widely considered one of the worst games ever made, it's become infamous for its awful controls, Kryptonite fog (a cheap trick to mask the draw distance, apparently), and bizarre ring-flying challenges. IGN’s original review was, shall we say, *unimpressed*. The reviewer reckoned Titus should be ashamed for "pissing all over such a beloved license." Ouch.
Thankfully, things picked up a bit with *Superman: Shadow of Apokolips* on the PS2 and GameCube. A slightly better received title that saw Lex Luthor teaming up with Darkseid, voiced by some pretty impressive talent, Malcolm McDowell, Michael York and Lori Petty. The reviewer called it "a slightly better-than-decent action game," which, after *Superman 64*, probably felt like winning an Oscar.
Superman has also popped up in plenty of other games, like *Justice League Task Force* (developed by Blizzard before they were consumed by Orcs), *Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe*, and the *Lego Batman* series. And of course, the *Injustice* games, where he gets to be a super-powered, super-evil menace after Lois Lane's death. It's always fun seeing Superman go bad, isn't it?
More recently, there's *Fortnite*, where Superman has appeared in various guises. There's a new skin coinciding with the latest Superman movie that's got people excited. He also showed up in a *Minecraft* skin and suit based on the hero, complete with his shiny suit and old red cape. And speaking of skins, anyone remember Ugly Sweater Superman from *MultiVersus*? Peak gaming, that was.
But the real question remains: will we ever get a truly *great* Superman game? One that truly captures the power, the hope, and the sheer fun of being the Man of Steel? Only time will tell, mate. Until then, we'll keep dodging those Kryptonite bullets and hoping for the best.
Tags: Superman, Gaming History, DC Comics, Superhero Games, Game Reviews
Original article: IGN South Africa