“Superman: Shadow of Apokolips” was officially released in 2002 (same year The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers came out) on PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube. It received mixed reviews from critics and gamers alike. As I’ve mentioned on my review of Creature Commandos’ first season, I got plans to see James Gunn’s Superman set in the DC Universe intended to be the first film in a story arc within the rebooted cinematic universe titled, “Chapter One: Gods and Monsters.” Before I see the highly anticipated film, I wanna share my thoughts on Superman: Shadow of Apokolips.
Strong & Weak Qualities
Strong: Voice Actors from Bruce Timm’s ’90s cartoon including Tim Daly, Clancy Brown, Dana Delaney, Lori Petty & Malcolm McDowell reprise their roles and they all did a terrific job for their respective voiceover performances.
The plot centers on Superman trying to stop Darkseid’s robots from taking Earth and squaring off with opponents like Metallo, Livewire & Parasite.
Graphics has the look and atmosphere depicted as cel-shaded animation mimicking the cartoon.
Gameplay/Mechanics
- Presented as a mission based third-person action-adventure game, you play as the Man of Steel doing what he does best.
- You can fly, shoot heat vision/fireballs, unleash ice breath, see through walls via x-ray vison, punch foes and pick up objects as melee weapons.
- You can enable cheat codes.
Weak: Mission designs are often poorly constructed. When I was a kid, I had an unpleasant time pushing the pins back to prevent the dam from collapsing. I rapidly pressed the X button on my PS2 controller. No response. I pushed harder. Left me a sore thumb. I couldn’t take it anymore, so I had to use my parents’ computer in the living room obtaining cheat codes. It was dial-up internet.
Combat’s underwhelming lacking combo moves. Just punches, landing on the ground, ramming using flight and a spin attack.
Enemy variety consists solely of robots and military vehicles. At least “Superman Returns” tried adding aliens. The tornado as a boss battle is absolutely bonkers.
Another level I despise, a stealth mission with Clark Kent infiltrating a lab without his suit. Superman’s not Batman. He doesn’t need to sneak around.
Soundtrack is forgettable. Not as memorable as John Williams’ iconic score or Shirley Walker’s opening theme from Bruce Timm’s cartoon.
Superman lacks superspeed. He runs like a normal person. As if the developers never read the comics or cartoons.
There are only five boss battles. You get Metallo, Livewire, Parasite & Kanto. Lower than “Kingdom Hearts.” YIKES! That game had epic bosses and legit combat.
Metallo serves as the final boss rather than Darkseid. A wasted opportunity to duke it out with him. His planet’s on the game’s title, Shadow of Apokolips. A bait-and-switch like the trailer for “Snow Dogs.” People were expecting talking dogs causing wacky hijinks. What did we get? Just a dumb comedy featuring Cuba Gooding Jr. tormented by sled dogs. The dogs only speak in a dream sequence.
The game’s too short. Approximately 5 hours long. It doesn’t feel super at all. If I had Superman’s ability to spend the Earth around in time, I would suggest better writers and developers who really give a crud about Supes.
The Final Verdict: D-
Superman: Shadow of Apokolips is another terrible Superman video game. It’s not worth every penny. The Man of Steel has yet to have a great solo game. “Superman 64” remains as the worst. It gave me horrible flashbacks playing this at an early age. Last time Superman got a solo game was Superman Returns. Another stinker. Warner Bros. Interactive need to get their act together. Make a Triple AAA game that’s on the same level as the Batman Arkham series. If you wanna play a better DC game featuring Superman, play “Injustice 2” or “Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham.”
Nickthemoviecritic.com 