This is one game we weren't too impressed with at E3, so it's a nice
surprise how much we like it now. It's easy to forget that along with the
broken promise of great E3 games which turn into puddles of plop by Fall and
games that were stinky then and stinky now, are a few games we raised an
eyebrow over that surprise us by beating the odds. It may not quite be
'super,' but Shadow of Apokolips deserves heavy props.
Graphics are definitely the best part of Superman: Shadow of
Apokolips. Gone are the days when we were content to watch Supes flying
around in profile, but that was strictly 2D anyway. 2D or not 2D, that is
the question... With the advent of 3D and especially a jacked up engine and
an interface sporting some supercool (no pun intended) cel-shading that
makes this game feel like playing a cartoon, Shadow of Apokolips is
almost more fun to watch than to play. The music tends to get in a rut and
stay there, but many of the voices are recognizable from the TV show.
Favorites such as Malcolm McDowell doing Metallo and Lori Petty doing
Livewire bring back memories of Superman on The WB, and it's great they made
it into the game.
Gameplay:
Superman fans will be thrilled from the first moment when their favorite man
in tights makes an appearance on screen. There is something so great about
putting Superman through his paces, and if you were a fan of the Superman
and Batman hour on television years ago, you can remember how exciting it
was to see some new plotlines and stories played out against really nice
animation. Heck, we're in the middle of a veritable Superman frenzy right
now with the hint of a movie on the horizon and the reality of a great show
on the WB right now. So, what better than a kickin' game?
The story in Shadow of Apokolips follows Clark/Superman as he
investigates the strange appearance of 'super' weapons, in the hands of
Metropolis' worst crooks. Somewhere just behind the mayhem is Lex Luthor,
of course. But, other villains get involved in the action, and the real
culprits are sitting back observing on Apokolips, hoping Superman will fail
so they can take over a defenseless Earth. The game moves in chapters, each
one presenting a villain for Superman, and broken up into little segments
that sometimes can be solved by brute force and other times require finesse
and brainpower.
Other than playing through the entire story, which is engaging, you can go
back and replay specific levels once you've completed them. All of
Superman's cool powers are contained in the game, including X-Ray Vision,
Heat Vision, Flying (of course!) and Super Breath. Many gamers will be so
wowed by the chance to fool around with these Super Powers that any of the
blemishes of Shadow of Apokolips won't matter one bit. For the rest
of us, while there is definitely a solid game under here, there are also
some gotchas.
Difficulty:
It may be obvious to you, but it didn't occur to me until I'd played
Shadow of Apokolips for a while, but Superman isn't the easiest
videogame character to work with. For one thing, he's indestructible. He
doesn't die, doesn't get hurt except by Kryptonite, and he's immune to most
things (bullets, bombs, etc.) that were seemingly invented to deplete health
bars on game characters. So, how do you make this game anything other than
an interactive cartoon? Well, time limits are a good start. And, for some
people, the frustration of having the same segment time out again and again
and again because you can't even understand what you're supposed to be doing
with Supes will be a deal-killer. The objectives aren't always crystal
clear, which leads to a lot of loading and reloading as you buzz around
trying to figure out what you're supposed to be doing. Say what you will
against linear gameplay, but at least when there's only one thing to do, you
don't get sidetracked...! Okay, I'm kidding with that last comment, but it
would have been nice to see a more detailed list of objectives, or just some
indicator of what type of action Superman is supposed to be performing. The
tight constraints placed on you even in the early missions don't make the
game more realistic or challenging, just frustrating.
Game Mechanics:
Level design could have used a great deal of work, but the controls are
almost perfect. They take a little getting used to, and aren't without
plenty of room for error. But, as each Super Power is needed, it is
introduced and explained and you have a chance to practice. Keeping track
of all the ways you can pound an enemy into submission is actually a little
difficult, but in moments where a special move or action is required, you'll
even have some prompting at times on which button to press. Hovering up and
down is controlled by one analog stick, the other stick orients your view,
and pressing a shoulder button makes Superman fly. Several attacks are
possible, but some deplete your Super Power gauge to the point that you have
to take time out to recharge. And you never have time. The sensitivity of
the analog control comes out as you see flying speed increase slowly, and
also when you realize that controlling certain weapons like Heat Vision is
tied directly to using a certain amount of pressure.
If you liked the Batman and Superman animation from Warner Brothers that has
been released sporadically over the last 10 years, you owe it to yourself to
give Shadow of Apokolips a try. Sure, it has some weak moments and
frustrating limitations keeping it from being a 'great' game. But, even for
those who might not think of themselves as huge Superman fans, the creative
design and execution throughout Shadow of Apokolips makes it a good
PS2 game, aimed at dedicated fans or those out shopping for something
different.
This is one game we weren't too impressed with at E3, so it's a nice
surprise how much we like it now. It's easy to forget that along with the
broken promise of great E3 games which turn into puddles of plop by Fall and
games that were stinky then and stinky now, are a few games we raised an
eyebrow over that surprise us by beating the odds. It may not quite be
'super,' but Shadow of Apokolips deserves heavy props. 
Superman fans will be thrilled from the first moment when their favorite man
in tights makes an appearance on screen. There is something so great about
putting Superman through his paces, and if you were a fan of the Superman
and Batman hour on television years ago, you can remember how exciting it
was to see some new plotlines and stories played out against really nice
animation. Heck, we're in the middle of a veritable Superman frenzy right
now with the hint of a movie on the horizon and the reality of a great show
on the WB right now. So, what better than a kickin' game? 
It may be obvious to you, but it didn't occur to me until I'd played
Shadow of Apokolips for a while, but Superman isn't the easiest
videogame character to work with. For one thing, he's indestructible. He
doesn't die, doesn't get hurt except by Kryptonite, and he's immune to most
things (bullets, bombs, etc.) that were seemingly invented to deplete health
bars on game characters. So, how do you make this game anything other than
an interactive cartoon? Well, time limits are a good start. And, for some
people, the frustration of having the same segment time out again and again
and again because you can't even understand what you're supposed to be doing
with Supes will be a deal-killer. The objectives aren't always crystal
clear, which leads to a lot of loading and reloading as you buzz around
trying to figure out what you're supposed to be doing. Say what you will
against linear gameplay, but at least when there's only one thing to do, you
don't get sidetracked...! Okay, I'm kidding with that last comment, but it
would have been nice to see a more detailed list of objectives, or just some
indicator of what type of action Superman is supposed to be performing. The
tight constraints placed on you even in the early missions don't make the
game more realistic or challenging, just frustrating.
Level design could have used a great deal of work, but the controls are
almost perfect. They take a little getting used to, and aren't without
plenty of room for error. But, as each Super Power is needed, it is
introduced and explained and you have a chance to practice. Keeping track
of all the ways you can pound an enemy into submission is actually a little
difficult, but in moments where a special move or action is required, you'll
even have some prompting at times on which button to press. Hovering up and
down is controlled by one analog stick, the other stick orients your view,
and pressing a shoulder button makes Superman fly. Several attacks are
possible, but some deplete your Super Power gauge to the point that you have
to take time out to recharge. And you never have time. The sensitivity of
the analog control comes out as you see flying speed increase slowly, and
also when you realize that controlling certain weapons like Heat Vision is
tied directly to using a certain amount of pressure.