Customer Reviews

Superman: Shadow of Apokolips

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Superman: Shadow of Apokolips looks good and is fun to play. The game's cell-shaded graphics are quite pretty, and it's definitely enjoyable to soar above the art deco-inspired skyscrapers of Metropolis. However, the gameplay is disappointing. Combat is simplistic and monotonous. Superman spends most of his time fending off hordes of identical, human-looking "Interbots" while trying to tote around large objects for some reason or other. There are a couple of decent super villain encounters near the end, at least. The game is also very short. I completed it in about 4-5 hours, and completing the game offers no extras or surprises to add replay value.

That said, I enjoyed Superman:SoA, although I think I could only recommend it to Superman fans (like me) or kids who dream of flying like the Man of Steel. The game seems very kid-friendly and easy to control. More sophisticated gamers should definitely try renting it first.

It's fun and charming, but not up to the superhero game standard set by this year's Spider-Man. Hopefully the Superman game's creators will be able to build a more complete sequel on this promising foundation.

I see this as probably the first in a series of Superman games for PS2. I suspect it's [priced]less than the average PS2 game because they didn't include game features like multiplayer. Perhaps this was done to get it out on the market before the Xbox game.

It has many similar qualities to the original Spiderman for PS1 and so in that regard there isn't any majorly new innovation except perhaps the Cel animation- which isn't really new either since games like Robotech already do this.

Still this limited game is quite enjoyable and the implementation is excellent.

Pros:

- Beautiful cel shading in both the game and in the cut scenes.
- Cartoon series voices are intact.
- Flying thru Metropolis' Art Deco cityscape is really cool.
- Supe flies like Supe. He can do loop-the-loops!
- Supe gets most of the capabilities you'd expect: super breath, heat ray, heat burst, xray vision, super hearing, super top-spin, ground stomp, high speed flight. This provides you with a variety of ways to dispose of the villians.

Cons:
- Can't just pick up arbitrary objects- like cars, except in specific cases.
- Can't crash thru buildings in Metropolis.
- No multiplayer mode- would be awesome if you could recreate the duel between General Zod and Supe in Superman II.
- Would be nice if there is a way to quickly turn around 180.
- Does not use the cartoon series sound track.

Following in the footsteps of the other great DC comics PS2 game "Batman Vengeance", Superman roars onto the scene. This is a fun game with a lot of good features and fairly easy controls. There were a few shortcomings in that it's not always easy to figure out what's going on with a particular mission (though they make strategy guides for that), but who isn't thrilled at the thought of flying through Metropolis? The thing I really wish we could have had is the chance to just free-fly through Metropolis with no mission or time limit ala "GTA3". Still the few minutes you get to go at it during the training at the beginning really make for a fun game. And the cutscenes look and sound straight from the cartoon - even better than "Batman Vengeance" - which makes it seem more like a movie than a game. I don't regret buying it, though some parts do get monotonous and aggravating. One major gripe is that you can only save at the end of a level. With each level consisting of 4-5 separate short missions, you can't quit until you finish the whole thing or you have to start all over again. This is confusing given the save function in BV is a lot better than this, but who knows? Other than that major gripe and a couple of minor ones, I would have to say this game is near perfect for a comic book fan like me.

I had wanted to play Atari's Superman: Shadow of Apokolips since I learned it would be soon released, and on a whim I purchased it... and I must say that I was highly impressed! It actually feels like I am in an episode of the Superman cartoon. It's quite brilliant! The only draw backs to the whole Superman experience is that some of the villians are some of the more obscure, save Lex Luthor, his bodyguard Mercy Graves and Darkseid, and sometimes there is difficulty using the flying controls. They take quite some time to get used to. But overall, Superman: Shadow of Apokolips is a fantastic adventure well worth the [money] spent to purchase it.

Superman: Shadow of Apokolips looks good and is fun to play. The game's cell-shaded graphics are quite pretty, and it's definitely enjoyable to soar above the art deco-inspired skyscrapers of Metropolis. However, the gameplay is disappointing. Combat is simplistic and monotonous. Superman spends most of his time fending off hordes of identical, human-looking "Interbots" while trying to tote large objects back-and-forth across the level for some reason or other. There are a couple of decent super villain encounters near the end, at least. The game is also very short. I completed it in about 4-5 hours.

That said, I enjoyed Superman:SoA, although I think I could only recommend it to Superman fans (like me, duh) or kids who dream of flying like the Man of Steel. The game seems very kid-friendly and easy to control. More sophisticated gamers should definitely try renting it first.

I'd give it 3.5 stars if I could. It's fun and charming, but not up to the superhero game standard set by this year's Spider-Man. Hopefully the Superman game's creators will be able to build a more complete sequel on this promising foundation.

I'm an adult who loves video games and this Superman game is Super! Just wish you could actually fight Doomsday

I enjoyed the DC comic cartoons starting with Batman and carrying on through Superman, Batman Beyond, and Justice League. I recently purchased the Superman set on DVD and after finishing it I noticed there was a PlayStation game based on that series so I figured I'd give it a shot since it was so cheap buying used at this point. The reviewers said it was about average, but still fun, so I decided what the heck I'll give it a try. So how did it stack up?

There are a lot of things to like about the game. Your traditional Superman powers are all here. You have heat vision, x-ray vision, cold breath, superstrength, and flight. The control scheme utilizes the controller fairly well and you rapidly be using his powers effectively. The graphics are not the best in the world, but it is only a PS2 and you get basically what you'd expect for PS2. The enemies are somewhat disappointing. There so many different Superman villains that you could have, but I guess they are not actually killing real people 90% of what you fighter robots. There is very little variation, just robots, flying robots, more robots, some tanks, some more robots, etc. There are a few bosses, but not a lot of variety. Most of the timed missions seemed pretty fair.

Where the game really fails is the controls. I haven't seen others complaining about it, so it's possible it's just affecting me, but I don't think it's my controller going bad; other games are working fine. What happens is it sometimes takes multiple presses of a button actually triggered the action. When I want to pick something up as Superman I basically have to stand next to it and spent several seconds pressing the X button to try to make him pick up the item. Also I can never get him to drop out of the air when I double tap the button so he'll land. This can get very aggravating on timed missions. Some of the other super attacks are combined presses of two buttons, but those seem to have a hard time registering. I would have had a lot more fun with this game if the controls were little tighter. Mostly doesn't matter though because you're so overpowered that enemies aren't that much of a threat anyway; you can usually fly away and recharge if damaged. One of the bosses I literally just flew out of his range and shot him with my heat vision as it recharged. He couldn't do anything against me and just sat there while I shot him over the span of 5 to 10 min. Lamest battle ever.

Overall this game is pretty much average. There aren't that many good Superman games so it might be worth giving it a shot, but unless you're getting it just for the Superman license and powers, you can find better PS2 games for about the same price. It is still a decent game, just not an extraordinary one. My personal preference for a Superman fix would be the awesome Justice League Heroes.

This game is so much fun.The flying is fun and the battles are so cool.A game to buy!

I pretty much stayed with the superman history of games, and from the 64 version to this is an impressive leap. I recommend this game to anyone with an imagination, and in the mood for a great adventure.

Hey guys, if you're considering buying this game, then do it. If you feel a little discouraged because of thinking it will be the same as the superman game for N64 then you're wrong. This game is a lot better. It's a lot easier to fly and you can use super powers more freely. You don't have to find little icons for power and health. They replenish them selves slowly over time. You can also fly faster and maneuver more easily than the other game. The beginning levels are designed to help you learn how to use your powers. Another thing that I like about it is you get to do a level as Clark Kent. You can't use your powers as freely as Clark Kent but it is pretty cool. The only draw back is that there are several points in the game where you have to rapidly press the x button to do something like push the support pins back into a dam and to walk into a strong wind caused by a fan at lexcorp. Other than that it is a great game. So have fun.