I was waiting for this. When I started looking at the various games based on Superman, I knew going in that it would be difficult. Superman's reputation with terrible video games was already very well-known. I kept looking anyway, hoping to find that one game that managed to completely beat the curse on the character. While I didn't find an absolutely fantastic game revolving around the Last Son of Krypton, Superman: Shadow of Apokolips came damn close to it.
This game is based on the Animated Series. The plot involves an alliance between Lex Luthor and Darkseid to take down Superman. It's thin, but it works. What sells it is the look and sound. The cel-shading is used to great effect. It looks in every way like the cartoon boosted to three dimensions. The character designs are perfect, even for the small characters like Lex's valet Mercy. The characters also sound perfect as the original voice actors from the show like Tim Daly, Dana Delany, and Clancy Brown return for the game, providing the same stellar performances. This is as authentic as it can possibly get.
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The gameplay works as well. Each of Kal-El's powers are mapped to a button, and you have full use of them. A stamina bar does keep you from going hog-wild with them, but it recharges itself when the powers are left alone. The flying mechanics are very smooth; anyone who's played a flying game before would have no trouble. Superman's not invincible in this game, but his health bar does restore itself when he stays out of danger for a little bit. The gameplay isn't perfect, though. Picking up objects is a little finicky; you have to be in just the right spot which can be a little irritating during timed objectives. The X-Ray Vision can also be a pain to use; if you're not in just the right spot, you can't see through anything. Enemy lock-on is also very herky-jerky, randomly switching targets in the middle of a fight.
The mission structure is the best of all the Superman games I've played (though that isn't saying much). There are multiple objectives per stage, and some of them have time limits. Strangely, objective markers are only displayed sometimes; I'd actually gotten lost more than once. Fortunately, this game has checkpoints between objectives, eliminating the frustration I had with the other games. Repetition does set in by the halfway mark. Get used to fighting the same enemy types and rescuing the same civilians over and over again. I also don't care for the quick-time events that pop up here and there, but, thankfully, they don't show up that often.
Superman: Shadow of Apokolips is the best Superman game I've ever played. I know the bar is set very low for Superman games, but this one clears it without breaking a sweat. It looks and sounds like an extension of the Animated Series, and, while not perfect, the gameplay is enjoyable enough. Out of all the games to feature the Man of Steel, this is the one that deserves not to be imprisoned in the Phantom Zone. Check it out!
