SUPERMAN
Original Release: Taito, 1988, Arcade
Flipping back and forth between beat-em-up and shooter, Taito's middling arcade release is still probably the best of a really bad early crop of Superman games that lasted into the 64-bit era
Superman (Arcade, Taito, 1988)
Where to Buy: eBay
How to Emulate: Arcade Emulation Guide
Review by: C. M0use
Taito's swipe at making a Superman game is nominally a beat-em-up, but it's very timing-based. Kinda like Kung Fu Master, except you and the enemies all can fly. Yep, Superman is not only finally flying in a game, he does nothing BUT fly. Waves of mook enemies that generally take only one to three hits flood onto the screen constantly from both directions, and Supes wants to time his punches to bat them away before they slip in and damage him.
This constitutes only the first two parts of each stage, however. Each of the game's five stages concludes with Superman flying through a level that is much more sh'mup-like and taking on the ultimate boss there. Supes fire his heat vision continually here to act as your typical sh'mup projectile ... no idea why you can't use this in the beat-em-up levels, where you are relegated solely to punching enemies and kicking them in the jimmie.
Oh, and Taito totally threw logic/canon out the window to shoehorn in two-player action, giving Clark a red-shirted clone named, uh ... Mark Tent. Not that this makes the game any more enjoyable in any way. Now, as compared to the very rancid history of Superman games, this might actually be the best of the early ones, since it is basically playable if a little tedious and repetitive. But Superman still wouldn't be done justice in game form for a very long time.
The one main point of interest here for classic gaming enthusiasts is that Taito's regular beat-em-up team from the late 80s/early 90s handled this one, including fan favorite sound team Zuntata. Who apparently had license to use the soundtracks from the films, so you get to hear the Zuntata take on the Love Theme from Superman!
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