WB has been "actively trying" to make a Superman open-world game since 2013

GameWatcher: A Superman open-world game has reportedly been pitched, prototyped, and developed at Warner Bros since 2013 - most have been cancelled, but there's hope for the future.

[VileBrute]

I want a superman game ! it can be done.

[nowitzki2004]

Next gen might be the time finally.

[princejb134]

You can always go back and play Superman 64 and fly through rings

[jznrpg]

God I remember that game . This is it?

[isarai]

Im guessing one of the main issues is being able to properly stream being able to fly so damn fast and going from stratosphere ti ground level. A problen that can actually be solved with the inclusion of SSDs on next gen systems. The other big obstacle is having macro gameplay as well as micro and having both be satisfying, i mean when you can stop a mugging, then fly to space and blow up a meteor, then go back to ground level fir an epic boss fight that damn near levels the city, its kinds hard to make mechanics that can scale across all those scenarios and still be fun for each.

[CP_Company]

actually, they can make that he don't fly too much, for example in the beginning of the story they can inject him for example with krypton, and he would get a meter, if you fly a little too much, it fills it up and you drop down.

[isarai]

That sounds terrible, thats like limiting web swinging in a spiderman game to only a limited number of swings before a cooldown.

[ElementX]

What's a superhero game if they just limit your abilities? I've never understood Superman and Kryptonite. Kryptonite comes from his home planet, so there must be a lot of it around there... do all the people writhe around in agony all day? Are they all immobilized and powerless?

[CorndogBurglar]

@ElementX

Kryptonite doesn't just come from his home planet. Kryptonite is literally pieces of Krypton.
But Kryptonite is irradiated pieces of the planet. They have enough radiation stored up in them from their planet exploding that it causes pain, damage, and drains the powers of kryptonians.

So really, it's not just the pieces of the planet that hurt him. It's the radiation within the chunks of his homeworld that hurt him.

[ElementX]

Thanks for the reply. I suppose I could've looked it up online.

[badz149]

@ElementX

I think Kryptonians are "super" everywhere else but on Krypton. and Krypton's sun is a red sun which makes them not super on their home planet. ironic

[milohighclub]

@badz they're super anywhere with a yellow sun.

[rainslacker]

I always thought it was because he gained his powers through the yellow sun of earth, which gave his natural physiology was augmented due to earth's environment. He was able to do even more because of the difference between Earth and Krypton as well. Like, he didn't really fly, so much as float, due to earths gravity being lower than Krypton...although scientifically that never made sense.

Then, when he was around Kryptonite, it caused his regular physiology to revert back to be more normal, due to the radioactive particles affecting his body, which would cause him pain in the process. Kind of like how a sore hurts as it's healing, just amplified.

[SkatterBrain]

dragon ball Z it

[NXFather]

SSDs would allow a cheap emulation of what fans want from a real Superman game but, if you are going more for the NO Man's Sky style then they would work. It is simply too much data too fast for many next gen systems even after the PS10 to handle. Would need a miracle to not get the barebones watered down Supes. Most of the bandwidth even in the PS10 would be eaten up by visual quality. Supes would need to be moving at least 5x faster than what was shown in the PS5 spiderman SSD demo. That is likely at least 36 years away since you have to factor in updated visuals every generation. The raw speed would need to be at least 5x faster than the SSD demo already shown and honestly for Supes that would still be pretty slow but, it would be an acceptable emulation for something that is for a time far removed barring some type of miracle.

[milohighclub]

I think the ssd tech will suffice. No one gives a shit if he is actually going as fast as he should, as long as it feels faster af then it's enough.

[NXFather]

Since we know visual quality will always take precedence, main systems just really need to be shutdown on this one until a time and a land far far away and moved to auxiliary power or backburner.

[milohighclub]

Impliment different mechanics per scenario instead of one must fit all.

[NXFather]

Hence I said cheap emulation. Apparently the devs do or Supes big AAA debut would be old news. But yeah even that new SSD demo was far to slow for those who want the dramatic sense of speed. Or this type of game is too hard to do with all the moving parts in itself even without any great sense of speed which is what I suspect.

[milohighclub]

So you've never experienced a great sense of speed within a game?

I mean not 1 single dev has ever come out and said anything about texture loading been an issue as it will limit the speed. Or at least I have never seen one.
The reason there hasnt been a AAA super game is more likely to do with either WB not knowing how to handle him (which is clear by how theyve handled his movies) or not wanting to take the risk.

I think if speed was an issue that would have been the topic of discussion over the last decade in regards to the game.
However, the topic has always been exclusively about him being OP. From dev and consumer points of view.

[NXFather]

In my opinion no. I just meant what they are happy with and the game is probably quite more difficult than they bargained for. Nobody has succeeded so far is all I am saying.

[NXFather]

Don't take my piss in a cup comments too hard bro. I just meant for my standards. Something like Spiderman PS4 would suffice many.

[ApocalypseShadow]

Obviously not trying hard enough. If Superman had a game at the quality level of Spider-Man PS4, it would be amazing. The only acceptable game I enjoyed because it was like the cartoon was Superman: Shadow of the Apocolips. Make a better combat system and a great story, and I'm in. Where you at Rocksteady?

In the meantime, anyone interested, the lastest version of Justice League United came out from Zvitor and his friends. They make awesome fan made 2D beat em ups like Streets of Rage.
https://youtu.be/TEheFPHad3...

You get most of the Justice League and Superman, you get different stories like Death of Superman and you get fun combo systems. Not as many characters(74+) and side remakes like MIW, also by them, but it's an awesome game for PC and Android. Love Openbor.

Don't know the guy but mad respect for him and their work. Hopefully now that this is released, he can help O Ilusionista finish the update on Avengers United Battle Force
https://youtu.be/R0iO40rZFt...
He's adding more Avengers and story like Zvitor did with Justice League. But he's not as fast a developer like Zvitor.

[Spurg]

"Obviously not trying hard enough. If Superman had a game at the quality level of Spider-Man PS4"
HAHAHA....Please...Spiderman rides in the shadow of the Batman games. It clear from the number of mechanics it borrows from the Batman from combat to stealth. I'm surprised that people are not calling Spiderman out for the blatant similarities.

"Where you at Rocksteady?"
Creating a masterpiece that sets a new standard for superhero games unlike certain developers.

[TK-66]

Marvel's Spider-Man is good, but wouldn't definitely wouldnt have existed as it currently does without the influence of the Arkham series.

However, the issue for why they haven't succeeded is clear. It's the open-world part. Superman is not the sort of hero who's abilities thematically fit an open world game. I think this needs to follow a more linear level design and be action focused. You could maybe have some platforming mechanics.

Tl;Dr: Open-world has become overrated since this gen because everyone just tries to make their game open-world without actually understanding the design required to do it effectively.

[JEECE]

Sorry you don't have a PS4. Try out Sunset Overdrive. The "I happen to hate the game I don't have access to" thing feels a little 2010 (I'm sure you felt the same about all the PS3 fans who coincidentally thought COD was way better than Halo and Gears during that time).

[Spurg]

"Sorry you don't have a PS4. Try out Sunset Overdrive. The "I happen to hate the game I don't have access to" thing feels a little 2010 (I'm sure you felt the same about all the PS3 fans who coincidentally thought COD was way better than Halo and Gears during that time)."

So your answer to what I said, is I don't own that console....nice try. Maybe next time try proving me wrong.

[JEECE]

@Spurg

I can't really "prove" an opinion wrong, especially when it isn't legitimately held. You claim Spiderman plays like the Arkham games (it doesn't, beyond inherent similarities in third person games) and imply that you have given both series fair consideration (no one believes that). You would know if you'd played both that Batman feels much heavier, while Spiderman feels far more fluid, which is actually appropriate as each game feels true to each character.

Your criticism is also funny because there are legitimate criticisms you could have made if you'd actually played it.

I know it sucks that such a big release wasn't multiplatform, especially since it's such a big IP. It definitely would have been cool if Insomniac had made it for 2K or something (assuming that they didn't ruin it with MTs) so everyone could play it.

[BehindTheRows]

Games inspire games. It happens. Halo, for example, wouldn’t have existed without games like 007 (N64) and Perfect Dark. Forza? Not without Gran Turismo. That’s the beauty of competition.

[CorndogBurglar]

@JEECE

Come on on, bro. You can't honestly say that Spider-Man PS4 is nothing like the Arkham games outside of few inherent similarities found in all 3rd person games.

I've got a PS4, so before you even try that trollish crap, let me just throw that out there. I'm a huge comic book fan, have been reading comics for 30 of my 37 years, and I've and played finished all of the Arkham games, Spider-Man, and both of the Mordor games.

Name one thing that Spider-Man did that Batman didn't. And here, I'll name a bunch!

1. Combat system is identical.

2. Unlocking gadgets. (Spider-Man isn't even known for using gadgets outside of his web shooters, Spider-Tracers, and his belt light. Which means they felt the need to create all those other gadgets so that he could have other things to use while fighting. It's exactly like Batman, except Batman is known for having all kinds of crazy gadgets at all times.)

3. Traversal. Yes, Spider-Man web-swung. Batman cape glided and used his grapelling hook. But at the end of the day they were similar, even if the mechanics were different. They both centered around a specific mechanic that kept your character in the air as long as possible and made travelling faster. In Arkham you shot Batman's grapnel (Spidey's web shooters), and slung yourself forward, then cape glided, then shot your grapnel again, then cape glided, rinse and repeat. It's not that different aside from Spidey being more agile and quicker.

4. Mission setup. Riddler Trophies? Osborne Science outposts? Come on, it was the same thing.

5. They both had mini-puzzles to complete. Batman with his hacking tools and radio wave device. Spider-Man with his thing that let him find new elements, or whatever that was.

6. They both had alternate vision modes for seeing enemies through walls and other invisible things. (Batman's detective mode, Spidey's Spider sense.)

And this is the nail in the coffin:
7. You could literally take Spider-Man from his game and insert him into the Arkham games as an additional character, and he would fit right in. With everything. Or vice versa. Put Arkham Batman into the Spider-Man game. But they wouldn't even have to change anything. The mechanics are the same. The unlockables are the same. The missions are laid out the same. The combat is the same.

The only reason I would say Spider-Man is a better game is because its newer and the controls feel more clean and fluid.

But your only argument you were able to make in defense of Spider-Man is that the two characters felt different. Batman felt heavier. Spider-Man felt more smooth. Well yeah. They should. But that doesn't make two games different. Look at fighting games. There are tons of characters in fighting games that all feel different. It doesn't mean they are in different games. For instance, when Avengers comes out, I would expect Hulk to feel heavier than Captain America. But they are still in the same game. So Batman feeling heavier than Spidey is NOT a good argument for how the two games are different lol.

At least Mordor tried new things, like the nemesis system, and building your own army for castle battles in the sequel. Mordor felt very similar to Arkham and Spidey also, but did plenty to separate itself. Spider-Man did not.

[isarai]

Stealth sure, but combat is pretty much a better version of Spider-Man 2s combat. Spider-Man had couter centric freeform combat before batman did, batman just made it less clunky

[JEECE]

@CorndogBurglar

1. Not really. Both are third person combat games, sure, but Spiderman feels faster and more fluid. You try to distinguish shadow of Mordor, but that's the game where the combat feels just like Arkham.

2. This is your only legitimate argument. It's a logical leap to assume Gadgets are because of Batman, but I'll give it to you since all your other arguments are so weak.

3. This is, in contrast to number 2, your weakest argument. Web slinging is an essential part of the Spiderman character, and has been in Spiderman games since prior to the Arkham series. Poor showing.

4-6, and really 7 as well, because the "nail in the coffin" argument isn't even a substantive point. You are just pointing to things that appear in tons of third person action games. It had collectibles? Total copy of banjo kazooie! It has puzzles? Total copy of uncharted! It has a night/heat vision analog? Total copy of Splinter cell! It takes place in a city? Total copy of GTA! You use a controller to play it? Total copy of every other game!

Honestly Spiderman feels far more like infamous second son that it does the Arkham games.

[TK-66]

@JEECE

"You claim Spiderman plays like the Arkham games (it doesn't, beyond inherent similarities in third person games)"

Yes, zero similarities in the combat. He only real difference is counter/dodging. Also, Arkham is not heavier as the free flow combat system is much smoother and the transition between movements is much better. The gadgets/skills in Spider-Man are also broken. After you're half way through the game, you can effectively get at least 6 free takedowns with the right skills equipped, and just shoot gadgets out all day long to web enemies up and then knock them into walls. It was a pitifully easy game even on the hardest difficulty, and Insomniac need to completely rework the balancing for the sequel.

You cant claim Spider-Man didn't take heavy influence in its combat when you even have the exact same basic enemy types, lots of skills that are basically borrowed from Akrhams skill tree, and basically a copy the free flow combat system. The only things that are different is removing counters and making dodging the only method of avoiding attacks, changing the takedowns to a meter system which stacks, and removal of the ground pound. The Arkham free flow system does almost everything better than Spider-Man because it was clearly the framework for Insomniac, and they simply tweaked things to try and have them fit a Spider-Man theme but in the end they just removed things.

"Your criticism is also funny because there are legitimate criticisms you could have made if you'd actually played it."

Amazing how you dont mention them yourself... Boss fights being lackluster, the web slinging lacking the depth found in SM2 and SM3, and easy combat.

"Honestly Spiderman feels far more like infamous second son that it does the Arkham games."

LOL, okay. When the critics of the ga,e are giving far more detailed analysis of the games mechanics we can see you're not actually a fan of this game. The people you're labelling as "haters" have talked more about the substance of this game than you in this thread.

[CorndogBurglar]

@JEECE

The combat system is exactly the same. You only mention how Spider-Man feels faster and more fluid. Again, stick someone like Batman or the Hulk in as a 2nd playable character. They would feel slower and heavier than Spider-Man, but the combat system would still be the same. It's still the same buttons to do the same type of things..

Press X to do a normal attack. Rapidly press X and in the direction of an enemy and Spider-Man instantly attacks that person, regardless of how far away they are. Batman does the same thing.

Press Triangle to counter attack. All enemies give you a very noticeable signal that they are about to attack. Press triangle and counter them.

Press Circle to do a Special Attack. Batman did a cape swipe that stunned enemies and NEEDED to be done to heavy enemies. Spider-Man did the same thing.

Using gadgets. Hold a trigger and press different attack buttons to use gadgets.

Everything is based around a combo counter. Get your combo high enough and you can perform an instant finisher.

They even had the same types of enemies with the same strategies needed to beat them. You want to take out the guys with guns first during stealth. Then there were shield guys that you needed to double tap the jump button to either jump over (Batman) or slide under (Spider-Man). Your heavy enemies that needed to be stunned. Your shock-stick guys that needed to be disarmed.

I mean come on. It's the same Combat system, despite Batman feeling slower.

And there's nothing wrong with that. Arkham, Spidey, and Mordor are all great games.

[toddybad]

Spiderman does borrow from Batman yes.
But Spiderman's traversal system is epic.
Both Spiderman and Batman games are brilliant.

[badz149]

@CorndogBurglar

so...you've not played Spider-man PS4, right? because if you did then you would know more than half of your explanation about the game play is WRONG!

"Press X to do a normal attack. Rapidly press X and in the direction of an enemy and Spider-Man instantly attacks that person, regardless of how far away they are. Batman does the same thing.

Press Triangle to counter attack. All enemies give you a very noticeable signal that they are about to attack. Press triangle and counter them.

Press Circle to do a Special Attack. Batman did a cape swipe that stunned enemies and NEEDED to be done to heavy enemies. Spider-Man did the same thing.

Using gadgets. Hold a trigger and press different attack buttons to use gadgets."

only the 1st one is close to the truth but still not quite but the others are total LIES! I would know because I've finished the game 3 times.

[AizenSosuke]

If Saitama can get a game why not supas

[Knightofelemia]

Make a decent Superman movie first then concentrate on a game

[Araragifeels]

I did enjoy Man Of Steel and it's a decent Superman movie.

[Knightofelemia]

Only Superman movies I liked were Superman 1 and 2 with Christopher Reeve after 2 the franchise went down hill

[milohighclub]

They were cheesy as fuck and they tried to milk the name for 4 movies. 2 unbelievably shit for the cash in.

Man of steel was the best superman movie, best portrayal of superman and Clark, the best story, the best effects, much more talented cast.

[nowitzki2004]

Well they had good Superman movie, but gaming was almost nothing back then.

[ChristopherJack]

Different people, different teams.

[Butters360]

Cavill Superman picture looks good. We do need a Superman game.

[DaniMacYo]

They can do a really good DBZ game maybe there’s hope for Superman, you probably have to reduce his speed and super powers like they do with the Dragon Ball Z games. They are fast and powerful but not as extreme as the show.

[KyRo]

Another open world game. Yaaaay/s 🥴

[HighPlayer28]

Its not that.hard to make a great Superman game. I would make sure you progress into Superman by playing as Teen Clark Kent 1st and doing missions around town and your school to save people and build relations which will have consequences. I will make sure that all the villians will be diverse in the game from Super villains like Doomsday and General Zod to human terrorist like Lex Luthor.

[Count_Bakula]

I don't know. I think it's just too big for a developer and current gameplay limitations. Well, at least to do it right. It'd be a disappointment if it's just Metropolis like Arkham City or Spidey's NYC, fly place to place kinda fast but not really, land, melee some henchmen, aliens, or robots with eye beams, cold breath, ect., maybe change to a new open-world "level" as you advance through story. But all the while Supes' speed and general power level is dramatically reduced for the sake of getting just some kind of Superman game out.

I just think a dev would have to go nuts, think outside the box gameplay-wise, go really big, and doubt that would happen. They could do smallish open-world zones with DBZ combat and flight as people have said, but..meh, that's still not enough. What's in my head, what I'm thinking that would do Superman justice in a modern game I really don't think can be done right now from development standpoint. It'd just be some DC Universe Online or some crap gameplay that's a shell of Superman with great graphics and effects. Don't bother.

[Kostche]

they should just use the dam comics for lore, have the first game be linear with his orign ejected from Krypton comes to earth and him growing up to final scene which is when he truly becomes superman, that way his powers can be limited

second game have him gathering justice league, that can be open world game, with introducing other characters into the dc game world villans and heroes and his love Interest Lois Lane

third game, have the justice league stomped by Doomsday and you can have one the most iconic battles in video game history Doomsday and Superman where he makes the ultimate sacrafice for mankind

its not hard ffs

[milohighclub]

Teen Clark should be memory sequences/ story dlc not a whole game. If I spend 60 on a superman game and dont get to be superman I'll be getting a refund.

Fuck the justice league. Do their own game. I'm not waiting all my life for a decent superman game for it to just be a justice league game.
90% of the justice league suck balls. Take em deep.

I'd like the 3rd game if you removed justice league in the opening scene.

The thing that makes superman so relatable for a lot of people is that he was alone. The lone survivor, the lone alien on a strange world... may as well throw in superbly, supergirl and fucking krypto.

[UhOh]

Not to insult but, that makes you sound lonely.

[milohighclub]

I grew up with 3 brother who had a different dad. I never new mine. I grew up feeling like an outsider. Superman helped me through my childhood.

[NXFather]

Sorry man.

[autobotdan]

Up up and away!

[GameStallion]

Superman is just too OP as a character. They should kill him again & bring him back with most of the same, but reduced powers.

[onodle]

You can get around the one punch system by giving the people he is trying to stop kryptonite bullets or something along them lines. Rescue missions could be a case of a one time button combination press. Or they are hidden behind lead rooms! I think the BIGGEST issue is the fact he can fly through anything. You need an open world game IF it's set on earth where you can fly through any building, any object and have it all work - I think that's the hurdle they are / have been working on. If I can't smash my way through anything like superman would - what's the point of having his abilities.

[toddybad]

Give it to the guys that made Spiderman

[Donnie81]

Someday they will make a good Superman game. It just takes the right idea. I think they could do a take on Superman vs the elite. It’s a good story with tough enemies to challenge him probably

[Bleucrunch]

This will be rather tough to do....He's SUPERMAN for crying out loud.

[contra157]

Cause it's a lame idea for superman

[Enigma_2099]

There are these three kids from Osaka. They could give you some ideas.
https://www.youtube.com/wat...

[ApocalypseShadow]

Yup. I posted this a while back and thought it had great potential to be a Superman game. You got kids doing better than most developers with their design ideas. Love Indie and fan made games.

[Fraggle1987]

There is one sole reason why this game hasnt been made yet:

To properly do a superman game you must demonstrate his power which means huge destructability to everything in the world. This is very hard to do as is so resource intensive. Hopefully the new consoles can allow this to be finally done.

[hanko14]

its called superman 64 :P

[star129]

Superman is more vast and more dimentioned of a Superhero then most believe he is.