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> Results: Superman Returns
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The ESRB Found:
Violence: GamerDad found lots of punching, heat vision, cold breath, destroyed buildings, and more. But no blood, gore, or anything you wouldn't find in a comic book. Look around the site. Can you tell I like Superman? Guilty as charged, so I was particularly excited to play Superman Returns. The ability to guide the Man of Steel through a virtual Metropolis with the ability to use all of his awesome powers? Nice! Despite gorgeous graphics, a plot not based on the movie but instead based on 60+ years of Superman lore? A brilliant play mechanic that takes away Superman's health bar and replaces it with the health of Metropolis (the only way to lose is to NOT be a hero)? Awesome! But the controls are spotty, the pacing is poor, and the game is far too challenging to be much fun. Without much of a tutorial, Supes is thrust into the skies of Metropolis and has to alternately freeze and burn meteors. Then, just when you want to start exploring, you're sent to Warworld for an interminable combat sequence that's going to send every mainstream gamer screaming away from the consoles and back to the funny books. Later you'll just grow bored as you rescue kitty cats, interact with a Metropolis that doesn't really notice you much (you can pick a citizen up and strand them on the highest building and they'll thank you for it) and freedom of movement that alarmingly quickly becomes "Why am I flying around again? So I can fight another wave of robots and rescue some more kitty cats?" Another problem is that Superman's powers are so great you can't NOT hurt the city. Punch and you'll knock innocents and bad guys around. Use your Super-Breath and watch as the bad guys and all the parked cars on the block go flying. It's too bad, this should have been so good. Especially given the fun to be had from Activision's Spider-Man and Hulk games, that offer similar freedom of movement. Admittedly once you unlock Bizarro and are encouraged to lay waste to Metropolis things get more fun. But not fun enough. Go away Superman! (But do come back with a better game please.)  
It's nice to see a game where the goal is not destroying property, but saving it. Kids might get frustrated because the way the game is built, you're ALWAYS hurting the city. The game is violent, but only in a high-fantasysuperhero way. In fact, the movie is far more disturbing than anything you'll find here. The ability to unlock Bizarro might bother some parents (the goal becomes destruction) but again, it's handled in a comic book way.
Other Platforms: Xbox 360: Best looking version by far. Xbox, PS2: Decent graphics, otherwise the same as above. DS: Smaller in scope, but just as mediocre. Comments? Chat about it in our forums! Format For Printing | Tell A Friend | Digg | Slashdot | del.icio.us | Buy This Game Home > Review Archive > Video Games > Results: Superman Returns |
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