The XBOX 360 is a masterpiece in gaming entertainment. It has the potential to do plenty of spectacular things with video games. However, there are some games that don't always use the XBOX 360 to it's full potential. Thats not to say those games are bad; its just that if a little more work was but into them, they could have been truly great. "Superman Returns" is a recent title that fits into that category, as it seems to have been developed and released much to quickly. The "Superman Returns" movie was released in the summer of '06, and then in November, the video game was released for a few different gaming consoles; more specifically the XBOX 360.
The storyline of the video game seems to stick with the movie. Although, if you didn't see the movie, there is a good chance you will get lost a number of times with the storyline's overall plot. While playing, you will often ask yourself, "Why do I have to do this, why do I have to do that?" Your first instinct might be "Oh, I must have missed a cut-scene or some dialog", but actually, the storyline is just that vague. Even those of you who have seen the movie may become confused at times with some of the situations and how they tie in with the actual movie. The storyline is there, but then again it seems as though it is not there and its really just a bunch of short stories tied together. Luckily, there is more to look forward to than just the storyline of "Superman Returns".
Anyone familiar with Superman knows that he protects the city of Metropolis from evil doers and "bad" guys. Batman has Gotham, Superman has Metropolis; thats just how it is. Since you happen to be controlling Superman, you are going to get to do everything that Superman is capable of. That means: running at incredible speeds, flying faster then a speeding bullet, lifting massive objects with ease, melting objects with heat vision, freezing enemies with frost breath, using super breath, and much more. Unfortunately, Superman is incapable of leaping tall buildings in a single bound. As a matter of fact, Superman can not even jump at all in this game, which can be quite frustrating at times. However, with all of his other abilities, the average gamer should be satisfied.
Well, all those super powers wouldn't be fun if there were no bad guys to use them on. Fortunately, there will be plenty of bad guys in the city at all times; so you won't have any trouble finding someone to unleash your awesome powers on. Its nice to just have superpowers to defeat enemies, but Superman has more then just flashy powers. He has an entire arsenal of excellent combos that can be used to weaken his enemies.
A lot of the combos will lead players to lots of button smashing, but it is button smashing at its best. Once you have weakened your enemy with all that button smashing, you can finish them off. You could just punch them a few more times, or you could no something more fun. Use the D-Pad to select your Heat Vision power, then target the enemy and set him ablaze. If you're feeling like the villain deserves even more punishment, select "Super Breath", blow the targeted enemy high into the sky, then quickly switch to "Heat Vision" and use it on the enemy. Its truly a wonderful sight to see an enemy falling out of the sky on fire, plummeting to his ultimate doom.
Powers and combos are not your only tool. Another great advantage you have in combat is your strength. Your strength allows you to pick up immense objects and hurl them at nearby enemies, whether they are in the air or on the ground. You can also pick up stop signs, street lamps, traffic lights, etc. and then use that object as a "bat" and bash up enemies with it. You can also grab enemies and throw them where ever you wish; such as off a building, into a building, high into the air, into the ocean, into the ground, etc. You can pretty much do anything with/to an enemy; so the questions isn't "What can I do with this enemy?", its "What should I do with this enemy?"
Even though you have a lot of combat options, don't just assume that the enemies will let you do whatever you want. They will fight back, and they will fight hard. Some of them will in fact be target dummies that won't put up much of a fight, but there will be plenty of enemies that won't be taken down so easily. Some of the enemies will even be vulnerable to certain powers, while others will be impervious to them. There is even an enemy that will get stronger when a specific power is used against it. As a precaution, always be sure you learn the strengths and weaknesses of an enemy you are facing; if not, you'll be in more trouble then you thought.
The combat system is indeed fun and constantly fighting enemies with your powers can provide plenty of entertainment, but there is a problem. You will be basically completing the same objectives over and over. Since the game is done in chapters, you will have to complete a series of objectives to complete a chapter. The problem is not with the quantity of objectives, but the quality of them. Most of the objectives are quite similar, which usually puts a bad taste in the players mouth. Most players will say, "I have already done this! Why the heck do I have to do it again?!" Obviously, you won't say this in the first hour or two of playing, but after awhile you will notice the similarities of many of the games objectives.
Superman is invulnerable; so the question is, "How do you make a game with an invulnerable hero fun?" Well, instead of Superman having a health bar, the city of Metropolis does. When City begins to recieve damage, the health bar will slowly diminish over time. This means if a robot is tossing cars around and setting buildings on fire, the city will lose "health". Thats when you intervene and stop the destruction. However, you are equally capable of destroying the city as well. So if you start picking up cars and lobbing them at your enemies, you might cause some extra damage. Therefore, try to get the enemy into a wide open space. That way you don't have to worry about the surrounding buildings or the passing civilians. The civilians can be a real pain because they will frequently become injured and thats when you must bring them to an ambulance. Fighting villains, saving citizens, and preventing the destruction of Metropolis can get pretty hectic at times, not to mention frustrating; but remember, you're Superman, you can handle it. But, if you get tired of being a hero, play as Bizarro and wreck havoc instead of saving the day.
"Superman Returns" is not the most graphically spectacular game, but then again, its not dull either. "Superman Returns" for the XBOX 360 is definitely better in the visuals department then any of its other ports, such as the PS2 or XBOX versions. The city is also much larger and more detailed in the XBOX 360 version of the game. The PS2 and XBOX consoles seem to have traded detail for space, as each of the buildings look nearly identical and rather plain & boring. As stated earlier, "Superman Returns" had a lot of potential, but unfortunately it was rushed to meet the DVD release and some things didn't get a lot of attention.
Overall, "Superman Returns" (for the XBOX 360) seems like a pretty good game. It does have some weak areas that should have been looked into, but not all games can be perfect. Obviously, opinions will vary on this game; some say it "stinks to high heaven", while other gamers think its excellent. The only true opinion that matters is yours, so just try it out and see what you think.
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