GamerNode: Columns - Holy Metacritic, Batman!

Holy Metacritic, Batman!

For the purposes of my argument, I'm simply going to ignore the LEGO title that takes advantage of the various instant-success comic book franchises so readily available to game developers as of late. Games like Spiderman 2, Arkham Asylum and other games we've loved and are valiantly hoping to love become our internal marking criteria when we engage with the characters whose role we play in a game's storyline.

Everyone wants to be a super-hero, when you think about it. Deep down, you know you'd love to fly, turn invisible and throw cars at bad guys, or even -be- a bad guy. But when you can't feel the wind rushing past your mask, and you've replaced arm gestures for the right trigger when slinging webs all over Manhattan, is it really possible?

Most folks would say no. The only titles in which you can be a true hero of your own creation are in MMO titles like City of Heroes, where the fleeting feeling of strength, heroism and, most important of all, immersion, are often shattered by a random "lol" in the background. I suppose this is the price for trying to create a solitary immersive experience for yourself on a server full of "leet kids". Strive to be a heroic Dwarven warrior, the most powerful in all the land, and it's only a matter of time before a heroic Dwarven warrior two levels -above- you steals your kills and asks for gold in Chinese.

So where are we able to be super-heroes of our own worlds? The established ones are already there. Marvel has Spiderman, DC has Superman, and before you ask about games centred on Batman, Iron Man and The Punisher, let me remind you these men are vigilante forces of justice. No mutant powers, just a lot of money or a veteran's history in Vietnam. We can respect and adore them for what they do, but they are still bound by laws. Not homicide or arson, but the boring-to-games-developers laws of physics and thermodynamics.

• (0)
• 
• 
• 
•