List Superman video games

Superman video game for the Atari 2600, the first officially licensed Superman game released.

A number of officially licensed video games based on the character Superman have been created, the first being released in 1979, over a year after the first Superman film. Due to the success of the movie and the continued popularity of the character, there have been many Superman-based games released since.

Over the years, video games based on Superman have attained a reputation for being of low quality.^[1] The most prevalent example of this is the 1999 Nintendo 64 Superman game which is considered to be one of the worst video games ever made.^[2] As a result, later Superman games were given "the Superman curse", which means that there will be negative reception for that game.

Video games starring Superman

Title	Details
Superman 1978 – Atari 2600	Notes: The player takes control of Superman, who must repair the bridge destroyed by Lex Luthor, capture Luthor and his henchmen, enter a phone booth to turn back into Clark Kent, then return to the Daily Planet in the shortest amount of time. To slow Superman's progress, Kryptonite has been released by Luthor. If hit by Kryptonite, Superman loses his abilities to capture criminals and fly. To regain them, he must find and kiss Lois Lane. One of the earliest console games to feature a pause option.
Superman: The Game 1985 – Commodore 64, Atari 400/800	Notes: Originally for the C64 but was also ported to the Atari and many other systems in Europe Superman's enemy Darkseid is also playable
Superman 1988 – NES	Notes: The Japanese version of the game for the Famicom features the John Williams Superman theme.
Superman 1988 – Arcade	Notes: Taito action game that allows a second player to play a red-garbed Superman Features John Williams Superman theme from the film series
Superman: The Man of Steel 1989 – Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, MSX, Amiga, Atari ST[3][4]	Notes: Hybrid action game featuring 3D flying, overhead vertical scrolling and side scrolling sections Features both Lex Luthor and Darkseid as villains
Superman 1992 – Genesis	Notes: side-scrolling arcade game where the player controls Superman through various levels in an effort to defeat various villains, culminating with the evil supervillain Brainiac. In Europe it was released as Superman: The Man of Steel. Superman activity center (1998)
Superman: The Man of Steel 1993 – Master System, Game Gear[5]	Notes: 2D scrolling action game developed by Graftgold and published in Europe only by Virgin Interactive. It is based on the earlier Superman game for the Genesis by Sunsoft.
The Death and Return of Superman 1994 – Super NES and Genesis	Notes: Beat 'em up video game based on "The Death of Superman" storyline
Superman 1997 – Game Boy[6]	Notes: Scrolling action game developed by Titus Software.
Superman: The New Adventures 1999 – Nintendo 64[7]	Notes: Unofficially known as Superman 64, it is a 3D action game in which the player takes control of Superman who must rescue his friends from a virtual-reality replica of Metropolis The game is notorious among critics and gamers as one of the worst games ever made. Common criticisms include poor collision detection, unreliable controls, high difficulty and generally poor execution.
Superman: Shadow of Apokolips 2002 – PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube	Notes: Based on Superman: The Animated Series, cut scenes used cel-shaded animation to emulate the look of traditional animation. The original Superman: The Animated Series voice cast all returned to their roles for the game.
Superman: The Man of Steel 2002 – Xbox[8][9]	Notes: Action game from Circus Freak Studios and published by Atari based on the comic books.
Superman: Countdown to Apokolips 2003 – Game Boy Advance	Notes: From Atari, based largely on Superman: The Animated Series, including its character portrayals, and artistic style. There are bosses such as Livewire, Darkseid, and Bruno Mannheim, as well as goons and other items.
Superman Returns 2006 – Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, Xbox[10]	Notes: Loosely based on the Superman movie of the same name; features the voice and likeness of many cast members. In the game, Superman combats Metallo, who does not appear in the movie, as well as other classic villains For the Game Boy Advance, a different style of game was released to exploit the license. Superman Returns: Fortress of Solitude combines various puzzle challenges (one of which was Sudoku with superpowers) punctuated with short flying action sequences.
Superman The Greatest Superhero ? – V-Smile[11]

Video games featuring Superman

Title	Details
Justice League Task Force 1995 – Super NES, Genesis	Notes: Superman is one of the playable characters in this 1995 Sunsoft fighting game.
Justice League Heroes 2006 – Xbox, PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, and PlayStation Portable	Notes: Based on DC Comics' premiere superhero team, the Justice League of America. The handheld Nintendo DS version shares a similar visual style and gameplay mechanics to the console game, but serves as a prequel to its story. Superman is voiced by Crispin Freeman.
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe 2008 – PlayStation 3, Xbox 360	Notes: Combined characters from the Mortal Kombat franchise with those from the DC Universe, including Superman (voiced by Christopher Corey Smith).
Justice League Heroes United 2009 – Arcade	Notes: Scrolling fighter distributed by Global VR in which Superman, Batman, Hawkgirl, Wonder Woman and the Green Lantern are playable characters.
DC Universe Online 2011 – PlayStation 3, Microsoft Windows	Notes: Massively multiplayer online role-playing game featuring Superman (voiced by Adam Baldwin) as a non-playable character, but playable on Legends Mode (PVP Battle).
Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes 2012 – Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo 3DS, Wii, Nintendo DS, Xbox 360, Wii U	Notes: Main role, playable character (voiced by Travis Willingham).
Injustice: Gods Among Us 2013 – Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U	Notes: Fighting game from the creators of Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe featuring Superman (voiced by George Newbern) as a playable character, with a alternative version of the character as the primary antagonist and the original one as a minor protagonist. The alternate Superman became a dictator after the Joker tricked him into killing Lois and his unborn child and nuking Metropolis. In his Classic Arcade Battle Ending, Superman, though pleased with the overcome, feels troubled with the battle with his counterpart, noticing that he would not be the only Superman to go so far astray. After much discussion with his fellow Leaguers, just in case he would go rogue, Superman ingests in himself a remote-release Kryptonite capsule, when triggered, the Kryptonite would permeate his body, killing him. In each week, a different Leaguer is voted to take possession of its remote control, with only Batman, however, being denied a shift.
Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham 2014 – Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii U, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo 3DS	Notes: Sequel to Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes with Travis Willingham reprising his role. He is desgned after his appearance in The New 52.
Infinite Crisis 2015 – Microsoft Windows	Notes: A free-to-play multiplayer online battle arena based on the comic book Infinite Crisis features Superman as a playable character. Superman is voiced by Troy Baker, who previously voiced Batman in Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes and The Joker in Batman: Arkham Origins.

Mobile games

Title	Details
Superman 2011 – iOS[12]	Notes: Action game developed by Chillingo

Unreleased Superman games

Title	Details
Superman III Cancellation date:[13] 1983	Proposed system release: Atari 5200
	Notes: A game based on the Superman III movie was developed for the Atari 5200 but was never released.
Superman Cancellation date:[14] 2000	Proposed system release: PlayStation
	Notes: This was initially intended to be a port of the N64 game, but after that game was such a failure, a totally new game was developed. The game was hit by setbacks and after two years in development, when it was ready for release, Titus Software's rights to Superman had expired.
Blue Steel Cancellation date:[15] 2008	Proposed system release: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii
	Notes: A new Superman game was being created by Factor 5 for PS3, Xbox 360, and the Wii but the game was cancelled when Brash Entertainment went out of business.

References

1. Totilo, Steven (Oct 13, 2011). "The Next Superman Video Game is Excellent". Kotaku. Retrieved June 14, 2012.
2. Casamassina, Matt (1999-06-02). "Superman review". IGN. Retrieved 2009-12-23. (the game) is executed so poorly that it actually serves to butcher the reputation of the prominent action hero.
3. "Superman", The One, Issue 6, March 1989
4. "Superman: The Man of Steel", Zzap!64, Issue 47, March 1989
5. http://uk.gamespot.com/sms/action/supermanthemanofsteel/index.html
6. http://uk.gamespot.com/gameboy/action/superman/index.html?tag=tabs;summary
7. http://www.mobygames.com/game/n64/superman__ Moby Games. "Superman for Nintendo 64," (retrieved on March 9th, 2009).
8. IGN's review
9. GameSpot's review
10. http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/930272.asp?q=superman%20returns
11. http://www.ign.com/games/superman-the-greatest-hero/vsmile-924555
12. McElroy, Justin (December 6, 2011). "Portabliss: Superman (iOS)". Joystiq. Retrieved June 14, 2012.
13. http://www.comicbookbin.com/supermanvideogames001.html
14. http://www.playstationmuseum.com/Games/NTSCUC/SLUS00712/
15. http://www.unseen64.net/2009/03/09/superman-factor-5-x360ps3-cancelled/

External links

• Superman licensees at MobyGames