Superman: Shadow of Apokolips
From TDK
With image rendering in classic cartoon styling, voice acting by Hollywood personalities and appearances of many of the favorite Superman characters, Shadow of Apokolips promises to be a familiar delight to all types of players. Gameplay includes puzzles, tests of strength, civilian rescues, and even a level as Clark Kent. As Superman, you'll get to demolish an army on Inter-bots, then dish out the punishment on classic supervillains like Lex Luthor and Livewire.
- Amazon Sales Rank: #12772 in Video Games
- Model: 742725235809
- Released on: 2002-09-24
- ESRB Rating: Everyone
- Platform: PlayStation2
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: .50" h x 5.25" w x 7.25" l, .20 pounds
Darkseid, the most evil being in the galaxy, has enlisted the aid of Lex Luthor in his quest to destroy Superman and take over the world. By providing Luthor with highly advanced Apokoliptean weapons technology, Darkseid has enabled Metropolis's reigning supervillain to create an army of nearly unstoppable Interbot robots with serious firepower.
Superman: Countdown to Apokolips offers nonlinear, mission-based gameplay that combines action, stealth, and puzzles. Based on Superman: The Animated Series on the Cartoon Network, the game gives you full access to all of Superman's powers as you roam 15 enormous, fully interactive levels brimming with usable objects. The voice acting is provided by the original cast of the animated series, and the sweeping orchestral score is worthy of an epic adventure. The game's supervillains include Livewire, Parasite, and Metallo. An advanced enemy AI makes squad-based tactical decisions in the heat of battle.
Good attempt at what will likely be more games in the future
I see this as probably the first in a series of Superman games for PS2. I suspect it's [priced]less than the average PS2 game because they didn't include game features like multiplayer. Perhaps this was done to get it out on the market before the Xbox game.
It has many similar qualities to the original Spiderman for PS1 and so in that regard there isn't any majorly new innovation except perhaps the Cel animation- which isn't really new either since games like Robotech already do this.
Still this limited game is quite enjoyable and the implementation is excellent.
Pros:
- Beautiful cel shading in both the game and in the cut scenes.
- Cartoon series voices are intact.
- Flying thru Metropolis' Art Deco cityscape is really cool.
- Supe flies like Supe. He can do loop-the-loops!
- Supe gets most of the capabilities you'd expect: super breath, heat ray, heat burst, xray vision, super hearing, super top-spin, ground stomp, high speed flight. This provides you with a variety of ways to dispose of the villians.
Cons:
- Can't just pick up arbitrary objects- like cars, except in specific cases.
- Can't crash thru buildings in Metropolis.
- No multiplayer mode- would be awesome if you could recreate the duel between General Zod and Supe in Superman II.
- Would be nice if there is a way to quickly turn around 180.
- Does not use the cartoon series sound track.
Look, up in the sky!
Following in the footsteps of the other great DC comics PS2 game "Batman Vengeance", Superman roars onto the scene. This is a fun game with a lot of good features and fairly easy controls. There were a few shortcomings in that it's not always easy to figure out what's going on with a particular mission (though they make strategy guides for that), but who isn't thrilled at the thought of flying through Metropolis? The thing I really wish we could have had is the chance to just free-fly through Metropolis with no mission or time limit ala "GTA3". Still the few minutes you get to go at it during the training at the beginning really make for a fun game. And the cutscenes look and sound straight from the cartoon - even better than "Batman Vengeance" - which makes it seem more like a movie than a game. I don't regret buying it, though some parts do get monotonous and aggravating. One major gripe is that you can only save at the end of a level. With each level consisting of 4-5 separate short missions, you can't quit until you finish the whole thing or you have to start all over again. This is confusing given the save function in BV is a lot better than this, but who knows? Other than that major gripe and a couple of minor ones, I would have to say this game is near perfect for a comic book fan like me.
Fun game, but lacking depth
Superman: Shadow of Apokolips looks good and is fun to play. The game's cell-shaded graphics are quite pretty, and it's definitely enjoyable to soar above the art deco-inspired skyscrapers of Metropolis. However, the gameplay is disappointing. Combat is simplistic and monotonous. Superman spends most of his time fending off hordes of identical, human-looking "Interbots" while trying to tote around large objects for some reason or other. There are a couple of decent super villain encounters near the end, at least. The game is also very short. I completed it in about 4-5 hours, and completing the game offers no extras or surprises to add replay value.
That said, I enjoyed Superman:SoA, although I think I could only recommend it to Superman fans (like me) or kids who dream of flying like the Man of Steel. The game seems very kid-friendly and easy to control. More sophisticated gamers should definitely try renting it first.
It's fun and charming, but not up to the superhero game standard set by this year's Spider-Man. Hopefully the Superman game's creators will be able to build a more complete sequel on this promising foundation.
