Most Superman games, in fact, pretty much all of them, have traditionally been terrible. It’s a simple question of logic. How, exactly, do you create a game around a main protagonist who cannot die, who can fly indefinitely, and has the ability to break absolutely anything due to having super strength? It’s not a premise that fits into the standard framework of game design, and so you end up with unfocused titles that try but fail to capture the essence of Superman. Plus, there was the Xbox Live Marketplace demo, which was almost universally hated.

The opening – destroying asteroids and learning powers – proved entertaining but not overly inspiring. While what followed – a battle on War World against arena-based foes – was boring and bordered on frustrating. It’s only once you’re free to roam the city that things pick up. The catalyst for this is undoubtedly the first time you see something and ask, “Can I do what Superman in the films/comics would be able to do?” The answer, within reason, is yes. You can pick up just about anything and fly anywhere with it.

The game also cleverly solves the problem of Superman’s invincibility by making it impossible for him to die; take too much damage and you’re merely stunned for a brief moment. Instead there is a Metropolis health bar, which depletes as enemies unleash carnage upon the world, and if you let crisis go unstopped for too long it’s game over.

With the ability to fly anywhere and clever invincibility workaround, Superman could have been a genuinely excellent game. Unfortunately things quickly become very repetitive. While there are welcome side missions, there’s too much emphasis on fighting the same robots over and over again, with the main henchman becoming stupidly difficult later on. The final game is much better than we expected, but it still falls painfully short of what it actually could have achieved.

John Szczepaniak