Superman: The Man of Steel (2002 video game)
| Superman: The Man of Steel | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Developer(s) | Circus Freak |
| Publisher(s) | Infogrames (Under the Atari brand name) |
| Distributor(s) |
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment DC Comics |
| Platform(s) | Xbox |
| Release date(s) | |
| Genre(s) | Action-adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Aggregator | Score |
| GameRankings | 42.28% |
| Metacritic | 44/100 |
| Review scores | |
| Publication | Score |
| 1UP.com | 4/10 |
| AllGame |    |
| EGM | 3.5/10 |
| Game Informer | 4.75/10 |
| GamePro | |
| GameSpot | 6.4/10 |
| GameZone | 4.9/10 |
| IGN | 4.7/10 |
| OXM (US) | 5.8/10 |
| X-Play | |
| Entertainment Weekly | D− |
| Maxim | 4/10 |
Superman: The Man of Steel is an action-adventure video game for the Xbox, based on DC Comics' flagship character Superman. It was developed by Circus Freak and published by Atari in conjunction with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Comics. It is based on the long-running comic book mythos, as opposed to most other Superman games which are adaptations of the character in other mediums besides the source material.
Many portions of the game are given a time limit within which you must complete several objectives. One common theme through the game across several levels requires Superman to travel through large distances across Metropolis in order to put out a series of fires with his arctic breath. Other scenarios within the city call for Superman to rescue civilians by transporting from an endangered area to a safer location, pursue and grab an enemy's getaway vehicle and take it to the authorities, and fight hordes of robots invading the city from Brainiac 13. Several enemies, particularly the robots, have a color-coded reticle through the targeting system, indicating that enemy's particular vulnerability. A yellow reticle on an enemy means that he is vulnerable to physical/melee attack, a blue reticle means that they are vulnerable to Superman's arctic breath, and a purple reticle means that the enemy is susceptible to Superman's heat vision.
Bizarro is the game's first boss, and the first portion of the level against him requires you to chase him through the city and extinguish fires he causes. The boss battle itself follows a formula of attacking while Bizarro flexes, and he is easily defeated by dividing attacks between offensive powers and melee attacks. From here the game then moves to Brainiac himself, requiring Superman to use his X-ray vision and cut off power to the villain's shield. The X-ray vision is rendered into the map, allowing you to see beneath the surface of Metropolis and trace the power sources for Superman to disrupt. Many levels take place outside of Metropolis, but the scenarios tend to repeat themselves. On Mongul's Warworld for instance, you may be required to save detainees from Mongul's prison, which follows the same gameplay method of saving civilians in Metropolis. Fighting the guards from the prison in the air follows the same method as fighting Brainiac's robots in Metropolis, although on Warworld you are tasked with seeking and destroying several of Mongul's ships with heat vision. The Warworld level finishes with Superman moving giant rune stones in order to locate a powerful device of Mongul's, before heading into space.
...
Wikipedia