Thursday May 18, 2006 E3 Report: Comic Book Super-Hero Games

With the annual San Diego Comic-Con coming up in just a few months and several huge super-hero movies being released this year and under production for the next few years, the gaming industry is itself jumping into the world of super-heroes at this year’s E3 as well. Although the numbers are small (in comparison to how many FPS games you’ll find), the games are just as unique and just as well made as many other metacritic-toppers out there. This year’s line-up includes Warner Brothers’ Justice League Heroes for the Xbox and Playstation 2; EA’s Superman Returns for the Xbox 360, Xbox and Playstation 2; and Activision’s Marvel Ultimate Alliance for all systems, including Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.

I’ve ordered this list by my top favorites from the show. Some may disagree with this, as I saw the Marvel Ultimate Alliance game getting numerous “Best of E3” nominations. However, I think the important aspect here is that it isn’t the graphics that are supposed to make a game superb – it is the gameplay above all – and from these games these are what I felt had the better gameplay. In addition, this is not meant to be as subjective as it is, but rather an outlook at the upcoming super-hero games.

Warner Brothers
www.JusticeLeagueHeroes.com
Justice League Heroes stood out as one of the most polished and well designed super-hero games at E3. The game focuses around two-member teams that battle their way through a story laid out by comic book writer Dwayne McDuffie. Although there is not an additional multiplayer mode above 2-player co-op, the game provides an incredibly vast number of gaming possibilities with the scenarios presented. During the first run through of a mission, certain required super-heroes will be teamed up, however if the mission is replayed, any of the 7 playable super-heroes can be chosen and teamed up to fight the mission over.


The fighting system is very intuitive and designed to be very quick and easy to learn. All of the models and combat styles are unique per character – there are no re-used animations. Warner Brother has looked to create a game that above all is focused on not disappointing the fans and staying very true to characters as they are in the DC world. The 7 characters: Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Zatanna, and Martian Manhunter, are all very unique in their own customization possibilities. There is no need to learn abilities, as the characters naturally make sense to have all of their abilities already. In addition they’ve added a “second wind” which, given that they are super heroes, is the “second chance” to recover health. In addition each character can be leveled and customized to the player’s wishes. All of these aspects are part of the excellent gameplay that has gone into Justice League Heroes. It is quite hard to describe each element without actually seeing how well they tie together while playing the game.

Although Justice League Heroes is only being released on current-gen systems (not the Xbox 360 or Playstation 3), it doesn’t mean that the game can live up to the expectations of the other super hero games on the showfloor. Getting hands on with this game I was able to actually see that it is definitely fun and above all true to the comic book universe. The customization aspects and various controls from health to the heroic meter (which allows you to get into a heroic mode and kick some major ass) are all very unique additions to the game. Check out the screen shots from it and definitely pick up a copy when it hits retail this fall.




EA
www.ea.com/superman_returns/
Along the outer wall on the gigantic EA booth was the highly anticipated game for the upcoming Superman Returns summer movie. Although the game is only 40% complete in its production (according to the graphic constantly displayed in the lower left corner), it certainly has promise. Following the often-used sandbox style of gameplay, Superman Return’s (the game) is set in a virtual Metropolis with 8000 buildings in 80 square miles. EA has created a very cool flight system that is Superman’s primary method of travel (obviously!) around the virtual Metropolis. The flight system in action was visually quite awesome. It reminded me of the scene from Matrix Reloaded when Neo flies through the city with the cars and debris trailing him. Superman’s speed breaks the speed of sound, and in addition to slick sound effects, the screen blurs as he navigates around the massive Metropolis with ease.


The primary abilities that Superman has for missions are his heat vision, freeze breath, super breath, x-ray, and super strength. These all come into play when completing the stated “20-30 hours of playable content.” EA decided that Superman cannot die in the game, however as his duty is, Metropolis (yes, the entire city) has a health meter of its own that is the primary health bar. The environment is entirely destructible, as demoed by picking up the Daily Planet’s globe and hurling it down through the city streets. A large amount of the environment can be grabbed by Superman and used to defeat his foes. There are also unique combo moves, such as the 12,000 fists, that can be used by Superman in fighting the 9 super villains found in the game. Out of these 9 super villains, 2 were created specially for the game with DC’s assistance.

Although the game visually was far from completion, Superman Returns looks to really shake up the super hero gaming genre in the same way that the movie will shake up the super hero movie genre (or so we hope). The sandbox gameplay may be something that is overused by EA in their games, however putting this in the unique universe of Superman whose powers are just awesome amounts to a fantastic game in the end. Even from the reactions of other observers nearby, everything that EA is putting into this game is incredibly exciting. Look forward to playing this beauty of a game this fall.


Activision
www.MarvelUltimateAlliance.com
The preview screening that they showed for Marvel Ultimate Alliance garnered a number of “Best of E3” nominations, but I am guessing largely for its visuals than its gameplay. The presentation was live gameplay on a Playstation 3 development kit and did look smooth and high-definition, but of course that isn’t everything. The game is being referenced as an Action / Role-Playing Game with over 140 Marvel characters and villains. The game places 4 characters in missions to battle against enemies and defeat the villains. There are only 20 playable characters, which include: Spider-Man, Wolverine, Blade, Ghost Rider, Thor, The Thing, Elektra, and Captain America (and more).


The gameplay is fairly simple consisting largely of your team of 4 characters, which are interchangeable/selectable at the start of each mission. Powers for each character as well as upgradeable outfits and looks can all be unlocked. Each character has a few signature-moves unique only to them that you will be able to use. The missions will be based on a few epilogues, where decisions that are made throughout the game will affect the entire Marvel universe and story and have a dynamic outcome on the end of the game. In addition to regular co-op, there is competitive co-op which allows the players to fight to see who can kill more enemies and get higher scores. There are also Marvel comic missions that are historical missions based off of the Marvel world and will use only one hero.

Although the scale is quite vast (140 characters), the game was not overly impressive. The gameplay was rather confusing and dull, with your 4 super-heroes running around scattered across the screen amidst a sea of enemies. Watching the demo it was often confusing seeing where the heroes were and properly attacking them. The angle and camera movement was also distracting especially in comparison to both Superman and Justice League Heroes. This isn’t to say that DC Comics based games are better, it’s just that this one based on the Marvel universe isn’t the top-of-the-line. There was another sad showing when they demoed the Atlantis level and actually said that “as a videogame” they have the ability to come up with fake nano-technology that allows your superheroes to breathe underwater without additional equipment and fight just as they would on normal ground. Even the water atmosphere was no different – just a murky blue background and the occasional floating bubbles. Although the hopes were high for this game, it just isn’t “making the cut.” It will be released this fall, most likely at launch for the Playstation 3.




Activision
www.x-mengame.com
This really isn’t counted because Activision was not showing it at their booth, beyond a stationary display. That may have been because the game was released yesterday (May 16th) and there was no need to show a game that was going to be released in a few days (don’t we just love E3). On that note, it is another super hero game that was upcoming but is now released. If you really want to find out all the details about this game, head to your local games store and check it our or get all the details on the game’s official website: www.x-mengame.com. And don’t forget to see X-Men 3 in theatres next Friday!

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