List Superman video games

Superman video game for the Atari 2600, the first officially licensed Superman game released.

A number of officially licensed video games based on the character Superman have been created, the first being released in 1979, over a year after the first Superman film. Due to the success of the movie and the continued popularity of the character, there have been many Superman-based games released since.

Over the years, video games based on Superman have attained a reputation for being of low quality.[1] The most prevalent example of this is the 1999 Nintendo 64 Superman game which is considered to be one of the worst video games ever made.[2] As a result, later Superman games were given "the Superman curse", which means that there will be negative reception for that game.

Video games starring Superman

Title Details
Superman

1978 – Atari 2600		 Notes:
  • The player takes control of Superman, who must repair the bridge destroyed by Lex Luthor, capture Luthor and his henchmen, enter a phone booth to turn back into Clark Kent, then return to the Daily Planet in the shortest amount of time.
  • To slow Superman's progress, Kryptonite has been released by Luthor. If hit by Kryptonite, Superman loses his abilities to capture criminals and fly. To regain them, he must find and kiss Lois Lane.
  • One of the earliest console games to feature a pause option.
Superman: The Game

1985 – Commodore 64, Atari 400/800		 Notes:
  • Originally for the C64 but was also ported to the Atari and many other systems in Europe
  • Superman's enemy Darkseid is also playable
Superman

1988 – NES		 Notes:
  • The Japanese version of the game for the Famicom features the John Williams Superman theme.
Superman

1988 – Arcade		 Notes:
  • Taito action game that allows a second player to play a red-garbed Superman
  • Features John Williams Superman theme from the film series
Superman: The Man of Steel

1989 – Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, MSX, Amiga, Atari ST[3][4]		 Notes:
  • Hybrid action game featuring 3D flying, overhead vertical scrolling and side scrolling sections
  • Features both Lex Luthor and Darkseid as villains
Superman

1992 – Sega Mega Drive/Genesis		 Notes:
  • side-scrolling arcade game where the player controls Superman through various levels in an effort to defeat various villains, culminating with the evil supervillain Brainiac. In Europe it was released as Superman: The Man of Steel.
Superman: The Man of Steel

1993 – Sega Master System, Sega Game Gear[5]		 Notes:
  • 2D scrolling action game developed by Graftgold and published in Europe only by Virgin Interactive. It is based on the earlier Sega Mega Drive/Genesis Superman game by Sunsoft.
The Death and Return of Superman

1994 – SNES and Mega Drive/Genesis		 Notes:
Superman

1997 – Game Boy[6]		 Notes:
Superman: The New Adventures

1999 – Nintendo 64[7]		 Notes:
  • Unofficially known as Superman 64, it is a 3D action game in which the player takes control of Superman who must rescue his friends from a virtual-reality replica of Metropolis
  • The game is notorious among critics and gamers as one of the worst games ever made. Common criticisms include poor collision detection, unreliable controls, high difficulty and generally poor execution.
Superman: Shadow of Apokolips

2002 – PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube		 Notes:
  • Based on Superman: The Animated Series, cut scenes used cel-shaded animation to emulate the look of traditional animation. The original Superman: The Animated Series voice cast all returned to their roles for the game.
Superman: The Man of Steel

2002 – Xbox[8][9]		 Notes:
  • Action game from Circus Freak Studios and published by Atari based on the comic books.
Superman: Countdown to Apokolips

2003 – Game Boy Advance		 Notes:
Superman Returns

2006 – Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, Xbox[10]		 Notes:
  • Loosely based on the Superman movie of the same name; features the voice and likeness of many cast members. In the game, Superman combats Metallo, who does not appear in the movie, as well as other classic villains
  • For the Game Boy Advance, a different style of game was released to exploit the license. Superman Returns: Fortress of Solitude combines various puzzle challenges (one of which was Sudoku with superpowers) punctuated with short flying action sequences.
Superman The Greatest Superhero

? – V-Smile[11]

Video games featuring Superman

Title Details
Justice League Task Force

1995 – SNES, Genesis		 Notes:
Justice League Heroes

2006 – Xbox, PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, and PlayStation Portable		 Notes:
  • Based on DC Comics' premiere superhero team, the Justice League of America.
  • The handheld Nintendo DS version shares a similar visual style and gameplay mechanics to the console game, but serves as a prequel to its story.
  • Superman is voiced by Crispin Freeman.
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe

2008 – PlayStation 3, Xbox 360		 Notes:
Justice League Heroes United

2009 – Arcade		 Notes:
DC Universe Online

2011 – PlayStation 3, Microsoft Windows		 Notes:
Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes

2012 – Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo 3DS, Wii, Nintendo DS, Xbox 360, Wii U		 Notes:
Injustice: Gods Among Us

2013 – Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U		 Notes:
  • Fighting game from the creators of Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe featuring Superman (voiced by George Newbern) as a playable character, with a alternative version of the character as the primary antagonist and the original one as a minor protagonist. In his Classic Arcade Battle Ending, Superman, thouught pleased with the overcome, feels troubled with the battle with his counterpart, noticing that he would not be the only Superman to go so far astray. After much discussion with his fellow Leaguers, just in case he would go rogue, Superman ingests in himself a remote-release Kryptonite capsule, when triggered, the Kryptonite would permeate his body, killing him. In each week, a different Leaguer is voted to take possession of its remote control, with only Batman, however, being denied a shift.
Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham

2014 – Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii U, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo 3DS		 Notes:
Infinite Crisis

2015 – Microsoft Windows		 Notes:

Mobile games

Title Details
Superman

2011 – iOS[12]		 Notes:

Unreleased Superman games

Title Details
Superman III

Cancellation date:[13]
1983		 Proposed system release:
Atari 5200
Notes:
  • A game based on the Superman III movie was developed for the Atari 5200 but was never released.
Superman

Cancellation date:[14]
2000		 Proposed system release:
PlayStation
Notes:
  • This was initially intended to be a port of the N64 game, but after that game was such a failure, a totally new game was developed.
  • The game was hit by setbacks and after two years in development, when it was ready for release, Titus Software's rights to Superman had expired.
Blue Steel

Cancellation date:[15]
2008		 Proposed system release:
PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii
Notes:
  • A new Superman game was being created by Factor 5 for PS3, Xbox360, and the Wii but the game was cancelled when Brash Entertainment went out of business.

References

  1. ↑ Totilo, Steven (Oct 13, 2011). "The Next Superman Video Game is Excellent". Kotaku. Retrieved June 14, 2012.
  2. ↑ Casamassina, Matt (1999-06-02). "Superman review". IGN. Retrieved 2009-12-23. (the game) is executed so poorly that it actually serves to butcher the reputation of the prominent action hero.
  3. ↑ "Superman", The One, Issue 6, March 1989
  4. ↑ "Superman: The Man of Steel", Zzap!64, Issue 47, March 1989
  5. ↑ http://uk.gamespot.com/sms/action/supermanthemanofsteel/index.html
  6. ↑ http://uk.gamespot.com/gameboy/action/superman/index.html?tag=tabs;summary
  7. ↑ http://www.mobygames.com/game/n64/superman__ Moby Games. "Superman for Nintendo 64," (retrieved on March 9th, 2009).
  8. ↑ IGN's review
  9. ↑ GameSpot's review
  10. ↑ http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/930272.asp?q=superman%20returns
  11. ↑ http://www.ign.com/games/superman-the-greatest-hero/vsmile-924555
  12. ↑ McElroy, Justin (December 6, 2011). "Portabliss: Superman (iOS)". Joystiq. Retrieved June 14, 2012.
  13. ↑ http://www.comicbookbin.com/supermanvideogames001.html
  14. ↑ http://www.playstationmuseum.com/Games/NTSCUC/SLUS00712/
  15. ↑ http://www.unseen64.net/2009/03/09/superman-factor-5-x360ps3-cancelled/

External links

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