[url=http://ign64.ign.com/articles/121/121957p1.html]IGN64 Superman 64 Preview[/url] said:
Titus' Superman game, based on the animated series of the same name, is a good attempt to make the most out of a powerful license, but the end product falls short in both gameplay and graphics. The fact that it's Superman just isn't enough to make it fly.
The game was approved to be released last November but was delayed due to what we'll call a "lack of faith" in the project. The return to the drawing board has obviously restored enough confidence to actually release the game, but that doesn't mean the game has been done right.
The Superman television show does have a blocky, square-jawed main character but that doesn't mean the blockiness in the N64 game is acceptable. There's quite a bit of fog in all of the outdoor levels (seven of 14 levels are outside) because, Titus says, the outdoor worlds are so expansive. Then there's all of the clipping and jagging going on whenever there's movement. The primary colors are well represented along with a host of greys. In spite of all this, the game looks pretty good.
The control scheme is a little awkward as well, partly because Superman can fly at any time in the game, whether indoors or out. The Z-trigger is jump but when you follow it up with the B button, our hero flies away with the greatest of ease. The Z button also commands Superman to land softly but it takes a while to get to the ground. Use A to punch and the R shoulder button to brake and then hover while flying. The biggest pain in the game is that you can't use the C buttons for all of the superpowers until you pick them up somewhere in the level. What the hell is that? Super cold breath, heat vision and X-ray vision are all there but you've got to earn them if you're going to save the universe.
The one-player game starts off with some very easy missions that more or less serve as a tutorial to teach you the skills you'll need to complete the game. How easy, you ask? The early missions include following a neat little 3D compass to a designated area within a certain time limit. The assumption is that flying is the fastest way to get there and you've got to figure out how to get airborne and get moving. Thrilling.
Flying around in your red boots is pretty fun initially since you can go virtually anywhere and see everything. But it's just not enough to get this game off the ground because eventually, you'll want to do something fun and challenging... and that never happens. We didn't get far enough to face any bosses but I would imagine defeating one of them would be a heck of a challenge with the weird controls. On one mission, we were supposed to freeze an oncoming tornado (what a wacky concept!), and getting the caped wonder into position to do so was nigh impossible. There's very little style or substance and everybody knows that Superman isn't a very compelling character anyway. The guy can super-do anything.........once he gets his power-ups that is.
