RETRO REBOOT | Superman: The New Superman Adventures (Nintendo 64)
The rest of the game is WORSE than the rings
RETRO REBOOT
"ColonelFancy" Mike Lind
10/6/20265 min read
Developer: Titus Interactive
Published by: Titus Interactive
Release date: May 19th, 1999 (NA)
Compared to other superheroes out there, the Man of Steel has had a rough go of it when it comes to video games, especially in the 80's and 90's. The biggest problem being, what do you do with someone who is impervious to almost anything, can fly, and has immense, godlike strength? Maybe Aquaman and The Flash would be as hard (if not harder) to design an action game around, but the uphill battle for Supes has haunted him. Perhaps few more infamously notorious than the redundantly named Superman: The New Superman Adventures.
Yet, even with its horrible reputation, I still don't think it's the worst Superman game on the planet. Compared to Kemco's Superman on NES, Superman: Countdown to Apokolips, and Superman on Game Boy are far, FAR worse offerings that will have you smash you game device into a fine powder. Yeah, run around collecting keys as Superman. I promise you'll be BEGGING to fly through rings. I stake my reputation on that. It's not a Superman game, but Justice League: Task Force is at least a sub-mediocre fighter, which is worth little.
That is to say, there is little that The New Superman Adventures (more famously known as Superman 64) actually does right. There is a kernel of a good idea, with Lex Luthor (with the help of Brainiac) trapping Superman's friends in a virtual world of Metropolis, and tricking Clark into playing his game. If you're going to look for a way to nerf Superman, there are worse concepts. The flying mechanics DO take some getting used to, as they feel really unorthodox. If I were to give any credit where it is due, there was little like it at the time, so I can at least appreciate the ambition.
That's not to cut it any slack. Getting the hang on flying through rings is possible to do (dare I say even get good at it), but that does not excuse from how frustrating it can be just to grasp the fundamentals, knowing when to accelerate and how to bank. At random, Supes will veer in a random direction and turning around to right yourself will burn three times more of the remaining clock than just cutting your losses.
Superman bounces between the flying segments that involve the very noted rings, and short quick-time event scenarios that require you to save a child, beat up some shadow thugs, and deflecting disasters. Then there's third person puzzling-solving action bits inside of a mainframe that includes debugging codes, finding key cards (FUSEBOX SYNDROME) and escort missions to save Lois, Jimmy Olsen, and Professor Hamilton. I gotta say, having actually beaten this game before, the ring bits are the most relaxing parts of this entire game. As a kid, I didn't get past the opening scenarios and put aside as a waste of a rental. The second I got a taste of the depths The New Adventures dives into, it gets so much more agonizing.
When trying to engage in combat or evading enemy fire, Superman will flail his limbs in whatever direction. The hit detection is unreliable, and the inability to dodge just means Supes' life bar gets draxxed in seconds if you're not careful. It's easier to just grab robots and throw them, rather than trying to duke it out, as the camera feels like another enemy I have to fight against. And what of Clark's powers? You do get his heat vision, which can burn through bosses in a snap. Super Breath to blow tornados away from civilians. They last very briefly, and don't bring enough variety to make a stimulating experience.
Graphics wise, it's pretty substandard for the Nintendo 64. It's flat and very blocky, the digiverse version of Metropolis is covered in a green "kryponite" fog that is supposed to suppress the last son of Krypton's powers, but it looks more like dry ice was poured into Nickelodeon's slime and enough Surge to fill the Caspian Sea. the animations from all of the character models are stiff and restrained, exhibiting no real artistic flare or energy.
From a presentation standpoint, there isn't much of a HUD, besides a timer, Clark's life bar, the occasional power meter, and...that's about it. Instructions are on the screen for less than a second, so you better get a read on what your objective is supposed to be, because those details will never come back unless you die and restart. I guess the best thing can be said, it vaguely looks like the Superman/Justice League animated series alright enough. That does little to make up for the camera constantly zooming in and disrupting my field of view.
Then there's the bugs. This is probably one of the most poorly tested games on the Nintendo 64. At any given point, I'll just glitch through walls while trying to stop a robot from shooting at me. I've taken enemy fire coming THROUGH rooms I'm not even in. I can try to cut a turn fast while flying, and suddenly get lodged onto a building I barely grazed. I don't know how to describe trying to move Superman around on foot other than taking Resident Evil's tank controls on a delay. Picking up objects is a chore. Sometimes Supes just doesn't want to.
Doing even the most basic of actions requires the patience of a saint. And all of the arduous meandering through some of the most agonizing level design and collision detection, only to be met with bosses against Superman's most elite enemies that are over in a handful of seconds. Yup. Just wail on them with those fruitless punches, and send them packing.
As I've stated before, I enjoy some bad video games. Not because I'm contrarian and I think they're genuinely good, but they can provide some amusement for me. Superman: The New Superman Adventures is not one of them. It definitely deserves its reputation, and while still not at the bottom of the septic tank of Superman games, it rests comfortably on the silverfish-infested utility floor. I'd say play it, if you want a robust exhibit of how a game can be designed entirely wrong.