Superman (NES)

Tell us about games you are currently playing. "Quick hit" reviews.
Herschie
Posts: 1183
Joined: April 7th, 2015, 11:44 pm

Superman (NES)

Postby Herschie » July 28th, 2018, 6:22 am

Whoa ho ho! I bet you all had your hopes up that I was playing the N64 version. You saw "Superman". You saw "N". But nope, I played the version with 56 less bits.

Really, this is a bad game that's quite fun, if that makes any sense. I'm sure you all expect by now for me to reference a moment or two I had as a kid as it relates to this game, and so I shall not disappoint. When I wanted to be movie or game characters, I always seemed to miss the point. Instead of Indiana Jones, I wanted to be Colonel Vogel. Instead of Link, I wanted to be the guy saying, "Buy somethin',will ya?!". I didn't even have any sort of entrepreneurial spirit or anything, I just felt like saying that. Instead of Michael Jordan, I was the one in the Patrick Ewing jersey. Very strange, considering I've always lived in Chicago.

In the case of this game, instead of Superman, I'd go outside in a suit and tie and pretend to be Clark Kent. I think it was because I liked the music better when you were on the streets as him instead of Superman. I also remember having that music in the back of my head once when we took a vacation to Washington DC, and I'd be out there walking on the streets. Every now and then, I'd take a vampire cape I had from Halloween the previous year and turn it inside out so that the red would be on the outside. Funny how I seemed to have enough common sense to not want to jump off a house thinking I could fly.

Flying isn't something you'll be doing much of in this game either, since it's basically a way to get from point A to point B in a hurry, much like playing the Recorder in Zelda would get you around faster. There's no combat in the air, and sometimes it seems arbitrary to where you can fly to, if anywhere at all. After awhile, you just say forget it, and have Superman take the subway, just like everybody else. Also reminds me of when I was a kid, because Superman or Clark Kent are about half the size of all the other silhouettes on the subway. Boy does that remind me of my Washington DC trip!

I'm certainly a big Zelda fan, and one of the things I like about that series is how you get clues as to what you're supposed to do next, and where you're supposed to go. I'd imagine that's one of the reasons I love this game so much. You talk to Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, and Perry White at the start of each level, and they point you in the general direction as to where you're supposed to start. After that, it's about defeating bosses and talking to NPCs to get to the next level. Often though, these people are no help whatsoever. One guy doesn't speak English, another seems to be quite fascinated with a green fence for some reason. At least they made an effort to make it amusing.

Aiding you along your way are some of Superman's abilities, such as heat vision, flight, and ice breath. You only have a certain amount of uses, but these can be replenished by killing enemies. Obviously, you can't use any of them when you're Clark Kent. But there is an advantage to being Kent when you're low on energy, because you'll either get blue Kryptonite, which restores your health, or green Kryptonite, which takes away your health. With Superman, it's harder to find the blue Kryptonite, because you're also getting ability replenishments. Of course, if your energy gets low enough, you turn back into Clark Kent, whether you like it or not.

I'm honestly having a great time playing this, and for more than nostalgic purposes. Sure, this game leaves a lot to be desired, but I never had a bad time playing it.

Or perhaps I'm just remembering how it was compared to Touchdown Fever or Bible Adventures.

Return to “Now Playing”