Superman Returns fails to soar, EA unscathed
by James Ransom-Wiley 
{ Dec 6th 2006 at 2:55AM }
QA testers neglected to tell EA Tiburon that Superman Returns: The Videogame just isn't any fun. Or, maybe they did, and EA just assumed the brand would sell itself, regardless of game quality. Wrong.According to Bank of America research analyst Michael Savner, "sales of Superman Returns have been disappointing." But even a 'Super-dud' failed to crush EA's spirits. That's because Madden and FIFA are expected to gross $242 million in sales for the quarter. Hence, company share prices are up.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
McWeen @ Dec 6th 2006 3:03AM
LOL is that Doomsday killing Superman from the issue where he "actually" died?
Amos @ Dec 6th 2006 3:03AM
That game irks me. So much untapped potential...what I wanna know is, where did the creativity go that came up with things like a life bar for the city instead of Superman in the first place? They must've lose their edge on their 10th 80 hour non-overtime work week. EA strikes again!
Werbal @ Dec 6th 2006 3:06AM
Hey, a boring game adaptation for a boring movie. At least it was faithful.
E.J. @ Dec 6th 2006 3:32AM
what really irked me about EA and this game is that they found a way to make the 360 demo decent-looking and made the final product as buggy and choppy as possible.
this was supposed to be an improvement to spider-man 2.
an IMPROVEMENT, I SAY!
but alas, EA delivers in its own fashion.
I wouldn't be surprised if Army of Two turns out to be a poor mash-up of Rainbow Six Vegas and Gears of War.
Shogan @ Dec 6th 2006 3:47AM
EA doesn't deserve any of these bigger franchises. All they care about is profits, and while that's true for any company, EA will put out weak product knowing the name will sell it through. Marvel Nemesis, Superman, SSX On Tour, etc. All had HUGE potential to be great games, and EA just ruined them.
dribbles @ Dec 6th 2006 7:12AM
The reason EA keeps doing this is because idiots keep buying their yearly roster updates, which EA mistakenly thinks deserve to be called new games. Now if people would just stop buying these worthless, heartless and soulless "games", then maybe EA will be forced to change its business model. Doesn't really matter to me as I won't be buying ANY EA "GAMES" EVER AGAIN.
Duscrom @ Dec 6th 2006 5:47AM
"They must've lose their edge on their 10th 80 hour non-overtime work week. "
Woah, you saying that isn't how the game industry works? Crap that changes everything.. or nothing... Dude, anywone working on anything other then crappy licenced games works 80+ hour weeks. That's the cost of doing something you love for a living... you know, making GAMES.
My Roommate's worked in the industry for 5 years. His 9-5 company, made games that rank around 30-50% ranking.. the one he worked 80 hour weeks for, made Saint's Row.
Insomnia Bob @ Dec 6th 2006 4:46AM
Tiburon means shark. ...or slow midsized car. I forget.
Lousy foreign languages...
It's a shame, this game had some promise. The idea of a superman game where you get all your powers off the bat, and get to fly around and wreck metropolis was cool...but in practice, it fell way short.
Oh, and then there's the HIDEOUS dialog. They should have put in a 'moronic script off' option.
Dave @ Dec 6th 2006 5:36AM
I HAVE TO SAY IF ITS MADE BY EA DONT BUY IT.
E.A SUCK DONT PLAY THE GAME
1up_clock @ Dec 6th 2006 11:27PM
Doomsday strikes again.
crono141 @ Dec 6th 2006 8:38AM
Dribbles,
Not even Spore?
FrankTheCrank @ Dec 6th 2006 8:46AM
It's the Superman Curse...haha.
Fogel @ Dec 6th 2006 8:53AM
Since when a game from EA is supposed to be good ???
and i totally agree with Dribbles :)
FatOprah @ Dec 6th 2006 9:20AM
A mediocre (at best) game based on an underperforming movie and they're surprised that it isn't selling as well as they hoped?
Rob @ Dec 6th 2006 10:03AM
A bad movie adaptation? What's next, news that the sky is blue? Water is wet?
Diahrrea Man @ Dec 6th 2006 9:58AM
Heh, so it's Superman 64 all over again? Figures...
STILL WAITING FOR GOLDEN SUN 3 DAMMIT!
Comtar @ Dec 6th 2006 10:14AM
Maybe if EA put enough money and talent behind Superman Returns, it would have been a loss for them if it failed.
You don't think Konami would be hurt if MGS4 bombed? Or Capcom with DMC4? Square with FFXII? It's because those titles have the biggest budget trying to horde all their resources and talent to make it a smash hit. EA has no idea what that is like to make a real AAA title. They just pump out titles so they can pump out titles. Maybe when EA actually SPENDS the money it takes to make a REAL GAME WORTH PLAYING. People will find respect for them again.
Cry Havoc @ Dec 6th 2006 10:24AM
Winning. Eleven.
That's all that needs to be said.
LaughingTarget @ Dec 6th 2006 10:25AM
Superman Returns isn't that bad. The problem with the sales is they missed the movie premier. Suffice to say, movie tie-ins always do best when released at the same time (or a few days in advance) of the film they tie in with. If they release later, the company risks people forgetting the title entirely or the movie not being well-received, which will harm sales.
Mal F4cti0n @ Dec 6th 2006 12:47PM
Dribbles and Fogel,
Yes!
I have been yelling at people for over a year to STOP BUYING THE MADDEN UPDATES EVERY FREAKING YEAR!
If they suddenly stopped making bank on the shitty yearly updates, they would be forced to make an effort and reinvest some of the profits to actually making a good game. Or maybe releasing every-other year.....I hate EA.
Shaf2k @ Dec 6th 2006 11:37AM
who is suprised by this story?
StoneGold @ Dec 6th 2006 11:40AM
The real question is what is Time Warner going to think? Remember a couple of months ago, around E3, TW said that if their licensees keep making crappy games, they're going to have to pay extra for them? I think it was basically a direct threat to EA about the Harry Potter games. At the time, Superman Returns was actually looking pretty decent. But this should make things interesting.
The ZeroCorpse @ Dec 6th 2006 1:07PM
Hmm... Let us make a video game out of a movie that was panned by critics and Superman fans alike! Why not base a movie on a box-office dud? Yeah! Great idea!
Where's the forthcoming EA release of "Gigli: The Movie Game", then?
Defective DVDs @ Dec 7th 2006 5:26PM
I was looking forward to this game. Unfortunately, reviews have shown that EA didn't deliver. It had so much potential to be good, but I'm not buying it now.
Chris3242 @ Jan 3rd 2007 2:30PM
The problem is just like Dribbles said they don't put enough money where it will do the game some good. The game has potetial, for instance not being able to change into clark kent what gives EA the right to decide fans would't like that! and Further more I think the wrong game company was working on this project, I think RockStar (GTA) should have took this, you should be able to, in a free open world decisde if you want to fight crime today, maybe I just want to walk around as clark, and if the danger intrigues me than I can duck into an alley or a phone booth and hit a button and change into super man than!!! the real theme music comes on, how Flippin cool would that be.
and actually stop bankrobbers and actaully enter buildings. And whos saya that clar or superman can't drive a car (gta). Real fans should give ideas for games like superman. The game is not cursed they are just lazy!!!!!!