EA Expands SUPERMAN RETURNS Film World
At A Glance
- A game producer talks Superman, superheroes, and building Metropolis.
Fans of Superman have been waiting a lifetime for a good videogame adaptation. While that wait has unfortunately been delayed until this fall, Electronic Arts is making sure that this summer's biggest movie hero will fulfill fan's dreams of becoming the Man of Steel. Chris Gray, executive producer of SUPERMAN RETURNS™: THE VIDEOGAME at Electronic Arts, took some time out from overseeing the massive team of 150 people working on the new game, to talk about Superman's return to the videogame space.
Xbox 360 opens up a completely interactive Metropolis.
Despite the fact that the game features the voice and likenesses of Brandon Routh (Superman/Clark Kent), Kevin Spacey (Lex Luthor), Kate Bosworth (Lois Lane), Parker Posey (Kitty Kowalski), and Sam Huntington (Jimmy Olsen), Superman Returns is not a port of the movie experience. Gray said the essential plot elements of the film will be a story thread in the gameplay, but the team had begun work on this game in 2004 before director Bryan Singer began work on the movie in 2005.
"DC Comics has a wealth of mythology surrounding Superman, so we decided to explore this rich landscape in the game," said Gray. "Characters from the DC universe like Bizarro, Metallo, and Parasite all appear in the game."
"The entire city is at your command in this game.
You can pick up a traffic light and use
it to bat away your opponents, or pick up a car
and throw it at an enemy."
To connect the dots between film and game, the nefarious activities of these super villains directly link to Lex Luthor's plot for world domination in the film. Gray said that from the game's opening sequence, film fans will find a different experience in the game. That bodes well now that filmgoers will experience the movie this summer, while gamers will have to wait until the fall to experience Superman at home.
Superman battles on the streets of Metropolis.
It's a Bird, it's a Plane …
From the early gameplay, that wait should be worth the extra time. Gray and his team have created a fully functioning Metropolis for gamers to explore as Superman. This massive city rises high into the sky with towering skyscrapers and stretches across 80 square miles of landscape. Every inch of this city can be explored by Superman, and that will be a requirement, as Metropolis serves as the battleground on which players will face off against super villains and petty criminals.
"Superman can fly faster than a speeding bullet, which means you can go from one end of the city to the other in less than two minutes," said Gray. "The best place to see the sheer scale of Metropolis is to fly to the top of the hyper sector and take in the view."
One of the unique challenges that EA faced with this game is that Superman starts the game with all of his powers. That challenge has been the kryptonite of many previous Superman games, because an invincible hero makes challenging gameplay difficult. Gray said that the development team takes the concept that Lex Luthor uses in the film (which is being kept secret) and expands it for the game, which opened up unique gameplay opportunities.
From Comic to Game
Conflict is essential to any videogame. While Singer's film may pack plenty of conflict for a two-hour experience, Gray needed much more for the longer, interactive experience. Bringing in additional villains and offering unique challenges throughout the city of Metropolis helped open up the game world.
One of the focuses in creating the game was to tell as much as the story as possible within the game world. The action comes fast and furious, and the last thing most gamers want to do is stop and watch an in-game cut scene. To enhance the game's story, Gray worked with director Singer and the writers of the film to keep the essence of the game within the direction and tone of the film.
Superman comes armed with all of his superpowers.
The Next Generation Superman
According to Gray, working on the Xbox 360™ game showed him the possibilities of next generation gaming. He said this game will offer a first glimpse of what next-gen technology can bring to superhero games.
"The entire city is at your command in this game," said Gray. "You can pick up a traffic light and use it to bat away your opponents, or pick up a car and throw it at an enemy."
Naturally, while these huge fights are taking place, real-time damage to the city will explode around the combatants. Every destructive throw will wreak damage on the city streets and buildings. Gray said Xbox 360 brings more of everything to the game world—more cars, more people and more special effects. The end result is a game that feels more real on Xbox 360. Xbox® fans will get the same story and gameplay, just not the same visual punch.
Article by John Gaudiosi
