Why Are Superhero Video Games Almost Impossible To Pull Off?
The Box Office Effect
Now, superhero films are no new thing. In fact, we can trace back as far as 1941 for the black-and-white serial, The Adventures of Captain Marvel, or 1943's equivalent Batman, released just a few years after Bats' debut appearance in Detective Comics #27.
But it's fair to say only in the last 20 years or less have things really started to take off. The technology boom of the 21st century has impacted film scope massively. Ever heard someone over the age of 50 look upon today's 3D wonders in sheer awe? Given what they grew up on, can you blame them?
It's a poisoned chalice to say the least. Granted, we're extremely lucky to see the Guardians of the Galaxy zipping about the cosmos taking on a Living Planet in IMAX or watching Wolverine eviscerate human meatbags before our very eyes, but it has a trickle-down effect into the gaming world.
Naturally, we come out of the theatre and think to ourselves: "By jove, I can't wait to step into Clark Kent's shoes and fly at lightspeed into Doomsday while shooting my laser eyes and also freezing him with my ice breath while throwing 16 punches per millisecond." Or at least that's what I think.
It's unfortunate that comic-readers have these kinds of big dreams in a way, simply because it's asking so much of the companies crafting these releases. It's great to dream big, but if you don't shoot for the stars, you can never be disappointed.
And that's the name of the game thanks to the magnitude of the modern superhero movie translating into game format: Disappointment. We're so utterly transfixed on becoming what we see on the big screen that when the major (major) majority of superhero games don't realise what we had in our heads, it's labelled a failure.
That's not to say these games can't still be fun. Injustice 2, for example, has likely taken up plenty of hours in many of our lives since it came out last year, but after the initial novelty of playing as our favourites heroes and villains wears off and we strip back the sheen, it can be described as just a very capable arcade fighter that happens to have characters we relate to more easily.
Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series stands as an example of a more role-player-esque title, the kind we really need in this genre to get the most out of said characters of whom we share such fond memories. But again, after the great voice acting and character interaction, it's not the space-faring butt-kickery we need when it comes to stepping into the shoes of people who regularly take on foes like Thanos.
This is where the impossibility of the task arises. No matter how much we hope it to be so, we're so far away from having the expectations that come from other media realised on a console that it simply won't come to fruition.
And the worst part about it all? It's a vicious cycle of advancing technology. Films will get better, but the gaming tech equivalent will always be lagging behind, and so the cycle goes and goes..