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Possibly the greatest Superman game ever, which isn't saying much

August is Super Hero Month for Retro Game of the Week. Join us each week as we look at different oldschool super hero games, good and bad alike.

If you've missed anything this month, you can catch up with the links below. 

Batman Returns (SNES)

Spider-Man (PS1)

X-Men (Genesis)

Silver Surfer (NES)

RETROspective: The Best and Worst Superhero Games

Poor Superman hasn't had the best success when it comes to games. His first game was on the Atari 2600, simply titled "Superman," but it was clunky and intuitive. His fare in gaming since hasn't been much better, with his infasous Superman 64 game often being credited as one of the worst games ever. But there was one game on the SNES which was pretty good. The Death and Return of Superman was developed by Blizzard (yes, the same people who would later do Warcraft, Starcraft, and the Diablo series), published by Sunsoft, and released in 1994 for the Super NES. It defies the odds and actually offers something fresh for a Superman game. 

The story starts off simple: the Underworlders are trying to take over Metropolis, so Superman goes to stop them. Superman can punch, use laser vision, do a smash attack, jump, and even fly (by pressing the jump button twice). The gameplay is typical beat 'em up fare. Superman can pick up and throw enemies or smash them against the back wall. What's stupid is the fact that normal attacks and guns can hurt Superman. Did they stop to think about this? If all the enemies had Kryponite-infused weapons, it would work. Anyways, I just thought it was weird. 

Right away we have a problem: the levels are repetitive and drag on, consisting of the same two or three enemies throughout. You have to fly at times to scale large buildings, but that's the only change-up in the first two levels. And the levels are long. It's also funny to note that the thugs in level 2 look like they came right out of Final Fight. There are short cutscenes between levels which move along the story. For the first two levels, it's just a typical beat 'em up. 

But the real game begins at the end of level two, when Superman dies (supposedly), killed at the hands of Doomsday. But how can a Superman game continue without Superman? Here's what happens: four different Supermen are sighted, and you get to play as each one. Each one plays a little differently, and you're never sure which one you'll play as next from level to level. 

Cyborg Superman can shoot lasers right from his fist, and level 3 begins as a shooter with him flying around and shooting enemies. This begins a trend of many of the levels beginning with shooter sections, which breaks up the gameplay. He'll then land and fight on-foot. Futuristic Superman is slimmer and faster (he doesn't wear the red underwear, but instead has yellow glasses and a big arching cape). Superboy is the fastest and can still throw enemies around. He walks with a downtown swagger. Finally, Steel Superman fights with a long hammer and is very strong. He can swing that hammer with incredible speed and force! These four playable Supermen make the game so interesting, although you'll play as some more than others. 

After level three, we discover the game's real story: Cyborg Superman wants to destroy Metropolis so he can build a new city for himself. Superboy and Steel Superman join together to defeat him while Futuristic Superman goes to the Fortress of Solitude to somehow revive the original Superman. The entire game is actually pretty big: a whopping ten levels, plus cutscenes between each one. This makes the game longer than a typical beat 'em up. 

The shooter sections are a nice break from the repetitive beat 'em up sections, but they don't last long at all. Some of the enemies in the beat 'em up sections can fly, so it's great to be able to fight them in the air; no jump kick needed here. One part of the game that stands out is near the end, where Superboy must destroy a huge missile that's heading for Metropolis. It's a really neat shooter section in which you must destroy certain points on the missile. 

The boss fights are fine, but the game does something stupid here: at the end of most the levels, you'll beat the boss only to have the boss turn around and defeat you. Almost every single time! This makes the boss fight moot! It's just stupid, and after seeing it happen time and time again, it just got on my nerves. But maybe it's just me. 

The real Superman returns for the last level to deal with Cyborg Superman, who is the real villain of the game. The beat 'em up parts may have been repetitive and long, but using the different Supermen throughout did help make the game more fun. However, since there were multiple Supermen, it would've been neat to have two player co-op. How awesome would that be? Two Supermen on screen fighting at the same time! Maybe some day.......

Final Verdict--4 Stars: Recommended

While the game isn't perfect and the combat does get repetitive quickly, I can't help but recommend this game since it's actually a good Superman game. The shooter sections are great, and the four different Supermen really make the game interesting and fun. The graphics are also good, with big detailed sprites--plus the Supermen are not pallete swaps, but instead each one is unique in his movement and fighting style. And all of this came from Blizzard, the company which we all associate with MMORPGs today. It's a funny world we live in. Thank you, Blizzard, for giving us a good Superman game that we can enjoy!

Thank you for joining me this month. Join me next week as we get back into the regular Retro Game of the Week reviews.