TheBatman: Arkhamseries has been the gold standard for video game superhero adaptations ever sinceArkham Asylumcame out, and for good reason. It’s true to the source material and evokes the feeling of being Batman while delivering satisfying gameplay. Players get the action and detective work, play with Bruce’s funky, bat-shaped gadgets, interact with the Bat-family, drive the Batmobile, beat down the rogues' gallery, and scare the living daylights out of crooks up and down Gotham. While there is some debate about which game in the trilogy is best, there’s no denying theArkhamseries set the bar.
This bar has rarely been reached, even by the developer that set it, as evidenced by the disaster-class in studio interference that wasSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.Insomnaic’sSpider-Mangames are an example of when another superhero properly gets the"Arkham treatment",but even Marvel’s gallery of spandex-wearing characters don’t get the best projects. TheAvengersgame is an example of this going wrong, proving that it’s not always easy to hit that mark. Still, if any superhero in DC’s library deserves to have a game ofArkham-level quality, it has to be Superman.
Superman Deserves A Great Game
With James Gunn Starting A New DCU With Superman, The Time Is Now
Superman hasn’t really had a great game under his belt, unlike his colleague, best friend, and sometimes rival, Batman. He also hasn’t had a project with theArkhamseries' budget and level of dedication, andthe best game he’s been a part of in recent memory was probably theInjusticeseries, which doesn’t exactly feature the Superman everyone knows and loves. Superman is too big a figure not to have a great game, and withInsomniac working on aWolverineprojectnext, DC needs to get its gaming act together to avoid falling behind.
Superman and Batman are often shown as close friends, despite being polar opposites in many ways. Their friendship started with both being jovial pals in the Golden and Silver ages of comics.
James Gunn’s new DC universe is launching with Superman at the helm, so it makes sense for Warner Bros. to capitalize on this andgive someone like Rocksteady a big bag of cash, time, and a promise not to interfere, letting the developer give Superman theArkhamtreatment. While it would take years to make, if the DCU ends up kicking off, a Superman series of games could be the perfect thing to grow alongside the universe. Still, there are plenty of issues surrounding a Superman project that other games have failed to capitalize on.
How Can A Man Who Is Invincible Be Balanced?
A Superman project hasn’t hadBatman: Arkham’s level of care and money put into it, and it should be possible to make a great Superman game, but it’s definitely harder. Superman isn’t usually all that beatable, and a big part of his character is thathe has the restraint to hold back against lesser opponents, which is difficult to translate into a video game. Bruce Timm’sJustice Leagueseries puts it best when Superman gives his ‘World of Cardboard’speech to Darkseid. The rules are different for Superman.
Without care, this doesn’t translate well into video games, andwith most of Superman’s games constituting movie or series tie-ins, this care isn’t usually put in. The first thing to get right is the traversal—flying and super-speed need to feel good to use. This is usually a more boring problem to solve thanSpider-Man’s web slingingand Batman’s grapple hooks, explaining why it can often feel mediocre. If a Superman project is to succeed, the traversal needs to be top-notch before anything else. Working out how Superman can be hurt should be next.
The Nemesis System & Arkham World Would Be A Perfect Fit For Superman
The Bright City Of Metropolis
While it’s not as famous as Batman’s,Superman would benefit from having his extensive rogues’ gallery roaming Metropolis, and building this city with the same level of care Rocksteady put into Gotham is imperative. It would also be the perfect excuse to finally bring theNemesis System out of hibernation. Perhaps Lex Luthor is building a bunch of robots to kill Superman, and each one has a specific Kryptonian weakness to overcome while becoming resistant to whatever Superman used to dismantle them last time.
Although Superman is weak to Kryptonite, he also has a weakness to red sun radiation and can be damaged by magic.
A Superman project is the perfect excuse for Warner Bros. to get its gaming division back to the golden age that theBatman: Arkhamseries introduced. Virtually everyone who knows about the Nemesis System wants it back, and it’s about time someone other than Batman got some love in the gaming department. It’s all about Superman right now, and now is as good a time as any to make a video game for the Man of Steel. It’s a challenge, but challenges often bring out the best in developers.
