The Death and Return of Superman

Superman games are rarely good, like, it's almost a running joke at this point. For every decent attempt, there's a dozen trainwrecks and the first SEGA game sadly falls somewhere in that messy middle. You'd think controlling the Man of Steel would make you feel invincible but nope, you're mostly stuck running, jumping and throwing basic punches like a guy who forgot his cape at home. Flying is only in forced shooter segments where you dodge stuff with heat vision and even then it feels clunky. Your special moves like the super punch, spin drill or heat ray are locked behind colored icons you have to hunt down and you can only carry one at a time. Grab the wrong one? Tough luck, 'cuz you might hit a dead end and have to restart the whole level. The boss roster is dissapointing too since there are no iconic villains like Lex or Darkseid, which feels like a missed opportunity.

Superman

The Man of Steel

On the plus side, the graphics pop with that classic 16-bit charm and Superman's sprite animates smoothly, which makes the platforming feel decent when you're not getting cheap shotted by enemies that spawn out of nowhere. The soundtrack is decent too, but dude, the difficulty is brutal: one life, three continues and checkpoints that send you back to the start of the stage. The train level alone has ended many a playthrough with enemies on ceilings and floors that drain your health in seconds. Some people dig the challenge, but most just see a mediocre platformer that wastes Superman's potential, which's true honestly.

The Death and Return of Superman

Now, leaving that shit behind, let's talk about The Death and Return of Superman, which some people say is the closest they ever got to a genuinely good Superman game back in the 16-bit era. This one actually follows the comic that shook the entire entertainment industry when it dropped, where Doomsday kills Kal-L and then four wannabe Supermen show up to fill the void, you get to play as all of them: the Cyborg, the Eradicator, Steel, Superboy and the real deal after getting killed by Doomsday. That alone is a huge step up from the previous game 'cuz now you can actually fly whenever you want, just double tap jump and you're airborne. The combat is standard beat 'em up fare with punches, throws, grapples and ranged attacks like heat vision or missiles and slamming enemies into breakable backgrounds never gets old. The sprites are big and detailed, the cutscenes use actual comic art and the whole thing feels like a love letter to the comics which's always appreciated.

But it's still not perfect tho, you'll be fighting the same palette swapped goons over and over and the music, while moody, gets repetitive fast. The boss fights are brutally cheap, with aggressive AI that'll drain your health unless you cheese them with special moves or invincibility frames. But here enters our superpatch, the Resurrection hack, it gives you infinite lives, invulnerability and unlimited special moves. I know making it easier sounds like cheating but trust me, it's the only way to actually enjoy this thing without wanting to yeet your console out the window, but even without it, it's miles ahead of that first Genesis game, at least this one makes you feel like a Kryptonian instead of a dude in pajamas.  

Downloads

Now, to resurrect the true Man of Steel and banish that Genesis abomination to the Phantom Zone, your console must first be liberated from its corporate shackles, homebrew enabled in other terms. Once your system has embraced its true potential, locate the FBI app on your HOME Menu. Activate it, and use its kryptonian vision to scan the power crystal (the QR code) for your chosen version below. This will initiate a direct download of the data straight into your fortress of solitude, I mean, system! When the transfer is complete, the true Superman will rise on your HOME Menu, select it, prepare to save Metropolis all over again, and remember: with great power comes great… wait, wrong franchise. Just download 'em and have fun, okay?

Superman (English)

The Death and Return of Superman (English)

Superman (Español)

The Death and Return of Superman (Español)