Superman: The New Superman Adventures, commonly referred to as Superman 64, is a 1999 action-adventure game developed and published by Titus Interactive for the Nintendo 64. It is based on the animated television series Superman: The Animated Series, and is the first 3D video game featuring Superman.
In the game, Lex Luthor has trapped Jimmy Olsen, Lois Lane, and Professor Hamilton in a virtual reality version of Metropolis that he created with the help of Brainiac, leaving it up to Superman to save them and dismantle the virtual world. The game shifts between outdoor levels, where the player flies through rings while rescuing civilians, and indoor levels, where the player searches for access cards, activates computers, and battles villains such as Brainiac, Mala, Metallo, Darkseid, and Parasite.
The development of Superman began in 1997 and was largely hindered by constraints between Titus and the game's licensors, Warner Bros. and DC Comics, leaving little room to refine the gameplay. BlueSky Software attempted to redo the game for the PlayStation, but this version was ultimately canceled, as Titus's license with Warner Bros. had expired by the time it was completed.
The game was released in North America on May 29, 1999, and in Europe on July 23, 1999. With three E3 presentations and positive press coverage prior to its release, Superman 64 achieved strong sales and favorable consumer reception; however, critical reviews were extremely negative, criticizing its unresponsive controls, technical flaws, repetitive gameplay, overuse of distance fog, and poor graphics. It is widely regarded as one of the worst video games ever made.
Gameplay
thumb|upright=1.2|Superman carrying a police car in the First Ride level
Superman is a three-dimensional action-adventure platform game in which the player takes on the role of the titular hero, saving the citizens of Metropolis, including Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, and Professor Hamilton, from a virtual reality version of the city created by Lex Luthor. This virtual Metropolis is filled with "Kryptonite fog", an apparent attempt by Luthor to diminish Superman's abilities. However, this is actually distance fog, a technique used to mask the game's draw distance. The indoor levels involve combat, exploring environments to find access codes to locked areas, activating computers, solving puzzles to achieve objectives, and battling villains such as Mala, Metallo, Darkseid, and Brainiac, who is responsible for programming the computers that trap them in Luthor's virtual reality. In early 1997, Titus signed a licensing deal with Warner Bros. to develop games based on Superman: The Animated Series for the Nintendo 64, PlayStation, and Game Boy. The development team for each port consisted of two programmers and six to nine artists. As he explained, "it would stretch the Nintendo 64 to its limits, feature Superman's ability to fly and fight, and include all of his superpowers."
Production
The Nintendo 64 game's development lasted two years. Near the end of development, Nintendo provided technical support to Titus.
Only a few days after the deal was finalized, the Warner Bros. licensing team underwent a change. According to Caen's testimony, the new group immediately disliked Titus and the project, attempting to halt its development. Their first demand was to transform Superman into a Sim City-style game, where Superman would act as the mayor of Metropolis rather than being featured in an action game. Warner Bros. became increasingly coercive after Titus rejected this idea, disregarding any decisions made by the French developer. Often, their rationale for rejection was that Superman would never engage in the activities Titus proposed. Elements that survived, such as Superman swimming underwater, were retained only after Titus staff members presented documentation from the original Superman comics. Some publications unofficially referred to the game as Superman 64 since the 1997 E3 event, as evidenced by its coverage in Game Informer. The 1997 presentation did not disclose that the game took place in a virtual world but did reveal its premise: Superman attempting to save Lois and Metropolis from Lex Luthor's dangerous creation, the Lexoskel-5000. Additionally, it showcased models of empty rooms, a concept model of Lex Luthor, An IGN journalist covering the event found little promise in the game, stating, "For a true fan, the game probably looked great because it was at least something to show, but to the casual observer or the jaded critic, the game just looked poor." However, Animation World Network was more optimistic, asserting that the game appeared to feature "stunning 3D environments, various fight levels, and rescue operations". At the time of the 1997 E3 showing, the release date was scheduled for late 1997, However, the game faced further delays following the 1998 E3 showing due to gameplay criticisms. On August 24, Titus released 3D character models and map sheets of the levels. The magazine GamePro, describing the game as an "E3 showstopper", praised its "good-looking graphics".
In June 1998, GameFan published the first screenshots of completed parts of Superman, showcasing views of interiors, Metropolis, and the 3D model of Superman. The magazine expressed enthusiasm for the game, with journalist ECM noting that other staff members were "drooling over these first-look shots". He suggested that the game "could be one of the hotter N64 titles of the year", even with heavyweights like The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Banjo-Kazooie on the horizon. He highlighted the game's "astounding" visuals—aside from the fog in the Metropolis shots—and stated it was "set to raise the bar on the N64 again" with its "clean textures and smooth animation". ECM also shared gameplay details, mentioning "an assortment of missions numbering in the twenties" and Superman's powers like X-ray and Heat Vision, as well as the inclusion of villains like Brainiac and Bizarro.
In July 1998, Gamers' Republic reported that Superman would consist of 15 stages where the playable character would be "beating up bad guys and solving puzzles while trying to find the kryptonite diffusers in each level." The publication also revealed a four-player battle mode, which it positively compared to Star Fox; it praised the level design and the incorporation of Superman's powers.
In its August 1998 issue, Nintendo Magazine preview coverage indicated that Titus had not yet implemented the non-tutorial ring stages or the virtual world setting within the game's plot. The premise was described as Lex Luthor trapping all of Metropolis citizens in a "deadly Kryptonite fog". Despite this, the magazine expressed optimism for the final product, noting it was "packed with great ideas" and that the four-player mode looked promising.
In the December issue, which had changed its name to Nintendo Official Magazine, a follow-up preview highlighted more of Superman's abilities in the game. These included breaking through bricks, lifting cars and humans, punching, and utilizing heat vision and ice breath. The magazine also announced a North American release date of January 1999, with a spring date set for Europe.
A press release in October 1998 revealed that the release date for Superman 64 was scheduled for November 16, 1998. The announcement also detailed a "huge promotional campaign" that would include in-store promotions, displays, advertising across television, online, and print media. Promotional items planned for the campaign included standees, t-shirts, game footage, videotapes, and oversized boxes.
Superman was one of five Nintendo 64 games showcased at the 1999 Tokyo Game Show.
After the critical failure of the Nintendo 64 version, Titus entrusted BlueSky Software with the task of completely redesigning Superman for the PlayStation. The game received approval from Sony; however, the license from Warner Bros. had expired, and Titus was unable to secure a new one, resulting in the game's cancellation in 2000. According to Caen, after Warner Bros. "forced us to kill the PlayStation version", the company planned to pay Titus a litigation settlement as compensation for its abusive behavior towards the developer. Before the DeviantArt page was deleted, a user on the Internet Archive downloaded the build and made it available on the archive.
Release
NPD Group data reported that Superman was a top-ten seller in North America during the weeks of June 1999. In July of that same year, Titus announced that Superman had become the third best-selling game for the N64. Over 500,000 units were sold. Eric Caen projected in 1998 that sales would reach around a million. Titus also reported that consumer feedback, obtained through a mail-in registration, was "overwhelming[ly] positive", with "more than 70% of Superman's target audience, aged 6 to 11 years, rating the game as an 'A' title".
| Allgame = 1/5
| CP = 55%
| EPD = 3/10
| GameRev = F
| GSpot = 1.3/10
| Hyper = 10%
| IGN = 3.4/10
| JXV = 9/20
| MF = 9%
| N64 = 14%
| NGen = 1/5
| ONM = 49%
| SGP = 3.8/5
| award1Pub = EGM
| award1 = Biggest Gaming Industry "Slick Disaster"
Upon release, Superman 64 was claimed to be one of the worst games of all time by critics.