The Death and Return of Superman

"Yes, a good Superman game WAS produced."

The Death And Return Of Superman is one of my all-time favorite superhero games. In fact, it should be noted that this is one of the few good comic-book-based video games out there. It’s based on the “Death Of Superman” storyline that took place in the pages of the Superman comics back in the early 1990s. You get to play as Superman, the Cyborg, Superboy, The Man of Steel, and the Eradicator in this side-scrolling beat-‘em-up.

Graphically, the game is beautiful. The Death And Return Of Superman succeeds in making the game dark and moody, and it really makes the overall game experience better. You feel like you’re actually playing the comic book! The character models are great. Superman really looks like Superman, Doomsday really looks like Doomsday, and so on. The backgrounds are dark and moody, which helps with the atmosphere of the game, even though they are a tad simple. Still, the game delivers graphically in ways the Genesis version doesn’t.

The sound is great, as well. The in-game music is pretty darn catchy. It has a sense of urgency and panic, which really suits a game in which you’re a superhero attempting to save the world from certain doom. The punches and thuds of bodies are great, as well, as are the sounds of explosions and guns. There isn’t any dialogue except for Doomsday’s laugh, but even his laugh is great.

The controls are smooth, quick, and responsive. You can attack, jump/fly, use a “power crystal” that clears all of the on-screen enemies, or use a superpower to stun your opponent. The game makes excellent use of the Super Nintendo controller, so you won’t be fumbling with the controls.

Being a big comic book fan, I found the gameplay to be great, but I might be a tad biased. When you get right down to it, this game is a side-scrolling beat-‘em-up. Nothing fancy or complicated about that. The game is challenging, but not ridiculously so. Personally, I found this game to be one of the better beat-‘em-up games out there, but if you are not a fan of that particular genre, you might want to stay away.

Probably the only thing this game lacks is replay value. Once you’ve beaten it, you really have no motivation to play it again, unless you’re a big Superman fan. A multiplayer mode would have given this game tons of replay value, but oh well.

If you’re a fan of Superman, you owe it to yourself to pick this game up. It’s easily one of the best superhero games out there. If you are not a big fan of Superman, I see no reason why you can’t enjoy this game. The Super Nintendo version is almost exactly the same as the Genesis version, except the SNES version has prettier graphics and sound. But regardless of what console you get this game on, I still encourage you to get it.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 02/18/03, Updated 02/18/03