New Superman Returns details

By Paul Loughrey Published 1 March, 2006

He can fly and everything.

New details have emerged of EA's forthcoming PS2 and Xbox film tie-in, Superman Returns: The Videogame, which is due to hit stores this summer.

The sprawling metropolis of, er, Metropolis is apparently being 'brought to life' in the game for the first time, thanks to a 'go anywhere, do anything' gameplay mechanic that lets you explore all 80 square miles of the place at your leisure and most definitely hasn't been been inspired by GTA. No sir.

Why not take a stroll through the park and toy with some petty thieves before burning them to the ground with your Heat Vision, perhaps? Or pick up some hot gossip from the locals with your Super Hearing, then ruin some small child's fun by freezing a burst fire hydrant with your powerful Super Breath? It's all in a day's work for the mighty Superman.

The protection of Metropolis is key to progression in the game, as the city will change according to your heroic successes or failures. A collateral damage meter will keep you informed of how good a job you're doing as hero for the common man, and neglecting your duties in the movie-related and sub missions will end your career - not to mention the lives of thousands of innocent people, and not even Superman wants that on his conscience. Still, filling in the application form for job seekers allowance could be a laugh.

As well as the stock superpowers of Heat Vision, X-Ray Vision, Super Speed, Super Hearing and Super Breath, the lycra-clad hero can also fly, as we all know. The good news is that EA is making a big thing about this handy skill, promising "revolutionary new mechanics" that will allow you to take full control in flight, unleash devastating missile-like attacks on your unsuspecting foes, and performing all manner of fancy aerial manoeuvres that will have the city inhabitants cheering, clapping and taking (presumably quite blurry) snapshots as you pass over their ant-like heads.

It sounds like there's a lot of fun to be had from just hooning around the city, but we're looking forward to more info on the bad guys and how well equipped our flappy-caped hero is to deal out some justice.

Superman Returns: The Videogame is out in June.

Picture of Paul.

About Paul Loughrey

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Comments (21) Latest comment 6 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Kazzahdrane #1 6 years ago

    I'm interested to see if they manage to make a fun challenging game with a main character who is essentially invincible.

    Of course, as long as it's better than Superman 64 the fans will be a bit pleased.

  • DB2k #2 6 years ago

    the current CGI trailer looks wank.

  • mcmonkeyplc #3 6 years ago

    hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

    Inter-resting

  • steviepunk #4 6 years ago

    "The sprawling metropolis of, er, Metropolis is apparently being 'brought to life' in the game for the first time, thanks to a 'go anywhere, do anything' gameplay mechanic that lets you explore all 80 square miles of the place at your leisure and most definitely hasn't been been inspired by GTA. No sir."

    Come on, you can't just imply anything that tries to be open and free is copying GTA.
    Well, not unless Superman gets to car jack and shag his 'hoe' Loise (via a 3rd party mod of course ;) )

    not sure how 'free' a 'go anywhere, do anything' game can be when you HAVE to be a hero, I think that concept only really works if you have rules in the world and you have the choice to follow them or break them.

  • funk #5 6 years ago

    you forget the kryptonite, i suspect that shall provide ample challenge...though it may be overused

    it all sounds interesting, but can they actually make it well...


    /begins to wonder if everything is by EA

  • Razz #6 6 years ago

    Dirtbox specalist reporter!! O_O

  • LFace #7 6 years ago

    Wasnt the open "Free to go anywhere do anything" gameplay style derived from an old Atari 800 game called something like "The Big Apple: New York City" where you wandered around, oddly enough, new york, and could go into buildings which were quite surreal and if you were at certain places at certain times extra stuff happened... my memory is a bit hazy on the game but I recall it was fairly cool.

    Showing my age a tad there..

  • the_dudefather #8 6 years ago

    sounds like the newer spiderman games

    im guessing an 7/10 or 8/10 based on absolutley nothing :p

  • Rociel #9 6 years ago

    Blackdog, you may force me to show you my nerd powers. Superman has vision powerful enough to see indivdual strands of DNA, heat vision that's as strong as the sun, ice breath, can survive in deep space, has endured having building dropped on him, and the more powerful varients of him can throw planets around. And here's the real doozy, pre-Crisis (I'm not even going to try and explain) he could go back in time. Little more than equaling steel and flying.

    Anyway, obligatory liscenced game joke. 'Superman Returns The Game? I'm thinking of doing the same thing' *applause*

  • dudefella #10 6 years ago

    Let's take a look at some recent games based on DC comics movies!

    Catwoman: Movie shit, game shit.
    Batman Begins: Movie good, game mediocre.
    Superman Returns: Who knows? The games seem to be improving, let's hope it's decent. But the cynic in me thinks 'EA in crap movie adaptation shocker!'

  • mattigan #11 6 years ago

    Sounds interesting, but it will be broken and therefore rubbish.

    Mark my words


    MMMWWWWWAAAA HAHAHAHAHaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!

    etc...

  • Sabre #12 6 years ago

    Will it be better than Superman 64?

  • Mr_Whacker #13 6 years ago

    So can you just zip to any point in the city at (near) the speed of light? I'd like to see the frame rate on that.

  • terminalterror #14 6 years ago

    "I'm interested to see if they manage to make a fun challenging game with a main character who is essentially invincible."

    The people you have to save aren't. Hopefully they'll make the game far more about that than just giving all the generic bad guys kryptonite guns or something.

  • el_pollo_diablo #15 6 years ago

    The problem with Superman is he's boring.

    I vote for a game based on.. THE TICK.

  • kangarootoo #16 6 years ago

    @LFace

    "where you wandered around, oddly enough, new york, and could go into buildings which were quite surreal and if you were at certain places at certain times extra stuff happened... my memory is a bit hazy on the game but I recall it was fairly cool. "

    LOL, was that the summer of '73 or something. Perhaps it was all just a fungus induced dream.

    If you take that quote and apply it over the top of some footage of yourself explaining to a police officer how you ended up on top of a fountain wearing a fireman's helmet, I think it works quite well.

    I'm going to nick this paraphrased version "my memory is a bit hazy... but I recall it was fairly cool" and use it often. :)

  • Darkedge #17 6 years ago

    Superman is a Dick
    http://www.superdickery. com

  • Gurgeh #18 6 years ago

    Not so long ago Justin Timberlake was pencilled in to play Superman...

    Here's hoping the film is the train wreck it deserves to be.
    Edited by 1 at 02/03/06 @ 10:52

  • kangarootoo #19 6 years ago

    "Here's hoping the film is the train wreck it deserves to be"

    What a bizarre thing to say. Surely, if it wasn't the train wreck "it deserves to be" then it would in fact be a good film, and that would be a good thing right?

    "I hope this is shit, so then I can whine about how shit it was"

  • mortykun #20 6 years ago

    Agrees that superman is a dick

  • Redeye #21 6 years ago

    "Will it be better than Superman 64?"

    Beating yourself repeatedly with a hatchet is better than Superman 64...
    Edited by 1 at 02/03/06 @ 16:56