Gaming Target - Xbox: Superman: The Man of Steel

Written by Nick Doukas on May 22, 2002

First Impressions: It's a bird, it's a planeЕgood lord, could it finally be a high-quality Superman game?

I've been a gamer for a long time. While I'm not going to offer you exact numbers (I can hear you all now УYea, yea dude, whatever, can we hear about the game for god's sake?!Ф ), let's just say that I was plugging cartridges (remember those?) into my Atari 2600 when my age was already in the double digits. I've seen a lot of great titles, and I've seen a lot of ugliness in this here world of videogames. Take Superman for the Nintendo 64. Publisher Titus saw fit to market a Superman game where the last son of Krypton had to earn his powers through a series of mindless tasks, and get this, once he took to the sky, they had him flying through rings. YeaЕ.like I said, real ugly. Fortunately, upstart developer Circus Freak, in conjunction with French publisher Infogrames, is poised to bring dignity back to one of American pop culture's greatest superheroes. Superman: The Man Of Steel arrives for the Xbox this fall and is already looking like a breakout action/adventure game for Microsoft's machine.

In the interest of producing a quality title, no stone has been left unturned in the quest for a perfect translation from comic book page to game code. The story is being developed and written in partnership with DC comics. The plot concerns Braniac 13's return, with a large robot force in tow (coolЕaerial battles with flying, laser blasting robots!!) to regain his futuristic technology, now in the hands of Lex Luthor, who's become the Mack-Daddy of the criminal underworld in Braniacs absence. Obviously, a war between these two baddies is going to be detrimental to the health of everyone in Metropolis, so gamers will have their work cut out for them. Superman will engage in adventures ranging from rescuing civilians to averting various disasters caused by Braniac's minions. These include Train wrecks, and the destruction of civilian filled buildings. Much of the action takes place high above the city, although Superman will have some down time as well, fighting enemies at street level during the course of the game. Gamers will have access to the full array of Kal-El's powers, including: flight, super strength, heat vision, X-ray vision, ice breath and more. In addition to Braniac 13, you'll also have to deal with the likes of Cyborg, Metallo and Mongul. Hey, the more the merrier, right?! The game will take place not only in (and above) the sprawling urban landscape of Metropolis, but as far away as outer space (perhaps a little trip out of Earth's atmosphere to hurl a nuke away from the planet?) and the Phantom Zone.

Graphically, the game is looking gorgeous, with an incredibly detailed model of Metropolis for players to fly through. The scale is fantastic, and one can see a perfect replica of the Daily Planet building in the distance. Superman's character model is generous on the Polygon count and bursting with vibrant color. Enemies are also nicely realized, and feature cool particle effects when discharging weapons. Lasers and explosions cast light and shadow in real time, and the team is taking full advantage of the Xbox hardware to create a striking visual package. Other graphical goodies include: bump mapping, environment mapping, real-time motion blurring, realistic cloth effects, and volumetric lighting. So far Superman: The Man Of Steel appears to be coming along nicely, and if all goes as planned, players may finally get to take control of a truly invincible hero. To quote Jean-Philippe Agati, senior vice president and head of Infogrames Inc's Los Angeles studio: УUtilizing the amazing powers of the Xbox, Superman: the Man Of Steel will finally deliver to gamers and comic book fans a Superman game that's worthy of it's namesake. Featuring detailed worlds of massive scale, a host of infamous supervillains, devastating moves and powers, and a variety of dynamic play modes, Superman: the Man Of Steel will thrill both new and hardcore Superman fans alike. Superman is one of the most popular and recognized characters in the world and we are creating the game that lives up to his reputation.Ф Sounds good to me, now we'll just have to wait and see if Superman is finally going to soar. Keep your fingers crossed.