“Undefeated” Shows What A Superman Game Could Look Like

[est1992]

The creators of the game demo "Undefeated" have been improving and updating the game for what one could imagine is a full release.

It bases a lot of the powers on the DC Comics hero, Superman, and demonstrates that not only is a Superman game possible, but looks very, very cool.






You can track the progress of the game through their official Twitter linked above.

 

[s y]

Very impressive

 

[NinjaScooter]

That looks pretty damn cool, but I don't think the questions around making a Super man game were ever about how to display his powers, but mores about how you design a game/mechanics around them without resorting to nerfing him.

 

[Nepenthe]

Never knew I wanted a Superman game until right now.

 

[Mr_Zombie]

Gameplay mechanics is one thing, but what people usually have in mind when talking about problems with Superman games is the challenge. In all those superhero games (Spider-Man, Batman, X-Men) you usually go around and beat up the thugs, and this type of enemies isn't nreally a danger for the Man od Steel (unless they all carry a chunk of Kryptonite).

Said that, that demo looks really good and fun.

 

[ezekial45]

I saw some of these making the rounds over the last week. It looks visually impressive, and I have no doubt about it being fun to play, but I don't really see it as much of Superman game because of the level of destruction at work. The big problem that a lot of devs have had was trying to reconcile Superman's optimism and compassion for humanity with being an epic superhero game. The Superman Returns game had the right idea with being about protecting the city, but the execution was very off.

The wanton level of destruction looks cool, but it's not necessary what Superman is about.

 

[shacklecat]

Amazing proof of concept. Having that degree of destruction in a Metropolis-scale setting is the dream.

 

[jwk94]

I really want this for the destruction

 

[Wein Cruz]

Mods on JC2 ten years ago already did this.

 

[bsigg]

Isn't the bigger issue Superman stories? Gameplay seems like something that's been possible for a while but writing a compelling story that accompanies a competent gameplay loop sounds rough.

 

[s y]

I don't get why it's so hard to just nerf him who cares

 

[Sun's Resting Place]

I saw some of these making the rounds over the last week. It looks visually impressive, and I have no doubt about it being fun to play, but I don't really see it as much of Superman game because of the level of destruction at work. The big problem that a lot of devs have had was trying to reconcile Superman's optimism and compassion for humanity with being an epic superhero game. The Superman Returns game had the right idea with being about protecting the city, but the execution was very off.

The wanton level of destruction looks cool, but it's not necessary what Superman is about.

Click to shrink...

That's why this game isn't about Superman at all. It just bases the powers around it.

 

[astro]

I don't get why it's so hard to just nerf him who cares

Click to shrink...

No need to nerf him, there are countless ways you could have enemies that he needs to use his full power against.

Could also make levels where he has to save a crashing plain, a falling space shuttle, people from a skyscraper on fire, a volcano erupting, etc...

 

[SageShinigami]

I think my problem with WB isn't just that they can't get a Superman game out. It's that to my knowledge there's no Wonder Woman game in the works either. Or an Aquaman game. Or a Shazam game. Like, there's so many games they COULD do and all we get is Batman over and over again. Gotham Knights is awesome because I love those characters, but...make some other stuff.

 

[Addleburg]

That looks pretty damn cool, but I don't think the questions around making a Super man game were ever about how to display his powers, but mores about how you design a game/mechanics around them without resorting to nerfing him.

Click to shrink...

Exactly. These types of powers are begging for a sandbox where you can just go around destroying / fucking with stuff, which is inconsistent with what Superman would do. You'd basically have to take abilities away from players in certain situations or position Superman solely in areas where it's okay to destroy things with reckless abandon, i.e. not any inhabited cities.

 

[est1992]

Gameplay mechanics is one thing, but what people usually have in mind when talking about problems with Superman games is the challenge. In all those superhero games (Spider-Man, Batman, X-Men) you usually go around and beat up the thugs, and this type of enemies isn't nreally a danger for the Man od Steel (unless they all carry a chunk of Kryptonite).

Said that, that demo looks really good and fun.

Click to shrink...

Well that's the thing, Superman doesn't fight normal thugs. He fights people in mech suits, aliens, meta humans, magical henchmen, etc.

I mean think about it, if you were going to Metropolis to rob a bank, and you know Superman is bulletproof, would you go in with a gun? Lol I hope not.

 

[Takamura-San]

Nice, now develop a game concept around a hero that is on god mode, and can't die. Also that penalizes your for destroying the city, and still fun.

 

[SirDante]

I want a Superman game after this...

 

[Platy]

That don't look like superman if he is detroying the city and that is VERY far from what a game could be... it can still become a superman 64 remake =P

 

[ezekial45]

That's why this game isn't about Superman at all. It just bases the powers around it.

Click to shrink...

Yeah, I get that. I was responding more to the OP's comments.

 

[DreamRunner]

Amazing

 

[bsigg]

I think my problem with WB isn't just that they can't get a Superman game out. It's that to my knowledge there's no Wonder Woman game in the works either. Or an Aquaman game. Or a Shazam game. Like, there's so many games they COULD do and all we get is Batman over and over again. Gotham Knights is awesome because I love those characters, but...make some other stuff.

Click to shrink...

It's not like Marvel is much better. Making successful and interesting super hero games is hard. Spiderman from Insomniac and Batman from Rocksteady are anomalies in a world of mediocre/poor super hero games, Marvel's Avengers included.

 

[BioDigital Jazzman]

Isn't the bigger issue Superman stories? Gameplay seems like something that's been possible for a while but writing a compelling story that accompanies a competent gameplay loop sounds rough.

Click to shrink...

Pretty much. Superman isn't really ever gonna die unless you add in plot devices etc. also he's not going to laser civilians in half or destroy cities

 

[Takamura-San]

If I get a Superman with this type of sandbox... metropolis is fucked. Running over people in GTA doesn't compare to the destruction I would cause as superman.

 

[Darkstorne]

No need to nerf him, there are countless ways you could have enemies that he needs to use his full power against.

Could also make levels where he has to save a crashing plain, a falling space shuttle, people from a skyscraper on fire, a volcano erupting, etc...

Click to shrink...

And that definitely works for those special events, but what does the moment to moment gameplay look like? You want to be catching planes and plugging volcanoes every 60 seconds? And even with destruction like this, that isn't Superman-like for moment to moment gameplay. That would be some Team America level nonsense.

The challenge is making an open world combat system that provides a gameplay challenge, fits Superman's desire to protect (not create carnage for the sake of the spectacle), and doesn't resort to kryptonite since... then you aren't really delivering on the Superman fantasy.

 

[SofNascimento]

I'd rather have a Homelander game! Also, this looks pretty great.

 

[BioDigital Jazzman]

A Superman game imo would have to be 1 part saving civilians 2 parts environmental puzzles with a fail state. Ex save this burning building without killing people and minimizing damage. You could go in and freeze the base so it doesn't collapse etc. I just don't know how fun that would be for a mainstream audience

 

[KalBalboa]

I don't get why it's so hard to just nerf him who cares

Click to shrink...

.

Go the Superman The Animated Series route. It's an amazing show and Superman was defeatable as hell in it.

 

[astro]

And that definitely works for those special events, but what does the moment to moment gameplay look like? You want to be catching planes and plugging volcanoes every 60 seconds? And even with destruction like this, that isn't Superman-like for moment to moment gameplay. That would be some Team America level nonsense.

The challenge is making an open world combat system that provides a gameplay challenge, fits Superman's desire to protect (not create carnage for the sake of the spectacle), and doesn't resort to kryptonite since... then you aren't really delivering on the Superman fantasy.

Click to shrink...

No, as I said in my first sentence, there are countless ways for him to have enemies that he needs to use his full power against.

Then you'd intersect that with levels based around set piece rescues.

It does not need to be open world, too.

 

[SageShinigami]

It's not like Marvel is much better. Making successful and interesting super hero games is hard. Spiderman from Insomniac and Batman from Rocksteady are anomalies in a world of mediocre/poor super hero games, Marvel's Avengers included.

Click to shrink...

I would agree that it's "hard" if they were making them and they sucked. They aren't making them, at all. Iron Man VR? How about an Iron Man game first, then do VR later.

Marvel's Avengers for what it is is enjoyable from a gameplay perspective, it's a failure from a bugs/endgame perspective. So it CAN be done, they're just choosing to do other things instead.

 

[est1992]

These Superman game threads are always funny because there's one side that thinks a story is do-able but game mechanics can't work, and there's another side that think game mechanics are fine but there's a story problem, and then there's people like me that see both.

We just gotta get y'all to see both lol

I saw some of these making the rounds over the last week. It looks visually impressive, and I have no doubt about it being fun to play, but I don't really see it as much of Superman game because of the level of destruction at work. The big problem that a lot of devs have had was trying to reconcile Superman's optimism and compassion for humanity with being an epic superhero game. The Superman Returns game had the right idea with being about protecting the city, but the execution was very off.

The wanton level of destruction looks cool, but it's not necessary what Superman is about.

Click to shrink...

As long as the threat is credible, which should be to for any game, then it's fine. Let him bust some shit up, he'll still save people along the way.

Nice, now develop a game concept around a hero that is on god mode, and can't die. Also that penalizes your for destroying the city, and still fun.

Click to shrink...

He's died like 5 times in various media in the past 5 years lol, and he's about to die in the comics again. He gets beat up all the time, that isn't a problem.

And as for destroying the city? If you have a credible threat, that ain't a problem:

 

[SofNascimento]

Never knew I wanted a Superman game until right now.

Click to shrink...

I feel like a Superman game can be similar to the first WW movie. In the sense that I remember a lot of people saying that WW movie couldn't work, that there would be no audience or that she wasn't interesting and what not. And there are similar things that I hear about a Superman game, that you can't do it because of his powers or it wouldn't be fun.

But if someone makes a great Superman game then that would change.

 

[Juan]

Looks impressive, but apart from the fun it's giving in the instant, would it be really fun to be that powerful for a few hours? I would see myself having random fun like the one I can get from wandering around a place/a city in a GTA, but not sure I would stick for hours and hours (ofc, it depends the challenges the creators can present you against).

 

[bsigg]

If I get a Superman with this type of sandbox... metropolis is fucked. Running over people in GTA doesn't compare to the destruction I would cause as superman.

Click to shrink...

It would be better suited for a The Boys game, rocking the hard rated M rating because of the amount of collateral damage you could have from simply running through a city.

 

[Mivey]

I mean think about it, if you were going to Metropolis to rob a bank, and you know Superman is bulletproof, would you go in with a gun? Lol I hope not.

Click to shrink...

What if the gun has Kryptonite bullets? 🤔

 

[Keyser S]

Megaton Rainfall gives me hopes too, but it is hard to do full game with such an absurd powerful unkillable hero...

 

[NinjaScooter]

I feel like a Superman game can be similar to the first WW movie. In the sense that I remember a lot of people saying that WW movie couldn't work, that there would be no audience or that she wasn't interesting and what not. And there are similar things that I hear about a Superman game, that you can't do it because of his powers or it wouldn't be fun.

But if someone makes a great Superman game then that would change.

Click to shrink...

I think the difference is the challenges involved in a Superman game surround the challenge of creating an enjoyable gameplay loop and mechanics to support an entire game. Not saying its impossible. With what you are describing with Wonder Woman, its apples and oranges. Comics and movies are much more similar mediums, so creating an interesting and appealing Wonder Woman movie isn't all that different from the challenge of creating an interesting and appealing Wonder Woman comic arc, which has been happening for decades.

 

[LewieP]

Looks more like a City Destroyer game than a Superman game. I struggle to see how Superman that can destroy anything and everything around him, and does so on the player's whim, is true to Superman.

 

[est1992]

Looks impressive, but apart from the fun it's giving in the instant, would it be really fun to be that powerful for a few hours? I would see myself having random fun like the one I can get from wandering around a place/a city in a GTA, but not sure I would stick for hours and hours (ofc, it depends the challenges the creators can present you against).

Click to shrink...

Yeah it definitely comes down to the challenges they present. That's why I feel a Superman game should be like all the other superhero games, an action one.

I know people on this forum think a Superman game should be about saving people and making choices and whatnot, but that just isn't what the general populace would want or expect out of a Superman game title. They want to punch bad guys and save the world.

I feel like a Superman game can be similar to the first WW movie. In the sense that I remember a lot of people saying that WW movie couldn't work, that there would be no audience or that she wasn't interesting and what not. And there are similar things that I hear about a Superman game, that you can't do it because of his powers or it wouldn't be fun.

But if someone makes a great Superman game then that would change.

Click to shrink...

I remember a time when people would say that an Avengers movie couldn't work. Look where we are now. A Superman game is entirely feasible, it's just that people overthink it. Like way too much.

 

[CrunchyFrog]

I saw some of these making the rounds over the last week. It looks visually impressive, and I have no doubt about it being fun to play, but I don't really see it as much of Superman game because of the level of destruction at work. The big problem that a lot of devs have had was trying to reconcile Superman's optimism and compassion for humanity with being an epic superhero game. The Superman Returns game had the right idea with being about protecting the city, but the execution was very off.

The wanton level of destruction looks cool, but it's not necessary what Superman is about.

Click to shrink...

This. Supes doesn't just go around blowing shit up for no reason like he does in these vids.

 

[Nappuccino]

I need a superman game that is 40% being Clark Kent and trying to navigate interpersonal relationships and his work life, 40% Supes hanging out and helping people, and 20% beating up big robots and supervillains after negotiations fall through.

 

[arkay]

Wish we could've learned what Rocksteady's Superman pitch to WB was.

 

[BioDigital Jazzman]

Hasn't it been shown that gamers don't like punching robots to death all the time? Supes isn't going to punch humans so that's out of bounds. That leaves aliens and robots

 

[BioDigital Jazzman]

I need a superman game that is 40% being Clark Kent and trying to navigate interpersonal relationships and his work life, 40% Supes hanging out and helping people, and 20% beating up big robots and supervillains after negotiations fall through.

Click to shrink...

See I would find Clark Kent persona interesting and fun but that's not gonna sell big numbers

 

[est1992]

What if the gun has Kryptonite bullets? 🤔

Click to shrink...

Then they better have good aim lol

This. Supes doesn't just go around blowing shit up for no reason like he does in these vids.

Click to shrink...

It's more of an example of the kinds of things people complain about. "How do you make flight fun?" Its looks fun here. "You can't do all that destruction" well they are here.

These things in conjunction with set pieces and combat, which this game already has, is a good example of what to expect.

 

[Ojli]

Honestly, those videos didn't look that fun to play.

 

[Jedi2016]

The trick is how to make an interesting game out of it.

 

[Nappuccino]

See I would find Clark Kent persona interesting and fun but that's not gonna sell big numbers

Click to shrink...

I definitely see it as more a AA game than an AAA game.

 

[est1992]

Hasn't it been shown that gamers don't like punching robots to death all the time? Supes isn't going to punch humans so that's out of bounds. That leaves aliens and robots

Click to shrink...

He'll punch metahumams and humans in mech suits.

Come on guys it's not that hard to imagine lol. It's the same thing they've been doing in cartoons, comics and movies for years.

 

[Jogi]

Just basically do Smallville the game. He begins coming into his powers. He doesn't have to start as a seasoned vet. I honestly don't think it'd be that hard to do, but for whatever reason everyone who does anything with Supes makes him evil. So damn annoying.