Here’s an episode that, at the time, fans of The Angry Video Game Nerd were begging for – Superman on the Nintendo 64. However, since fans like to call it “Superman 64” James takes this opportunity for a joke he can’t even keep a straight face through – he opens by covering a Superman game for the Commodore 64 home computer!
Now, before we get to the games, I just want viewers to notice something – right after the introduction the scenery changes — the scenes with the C64 are shot in a very dark, wood paneled room you haven’t seen before.
As it turns out, this it he point where James moved fromt he apartment he was staying in at that time to his current home featuring a basement which he converted into the “Nerd Room” (as well as other areas for storage, now converter into “Cinemassacre Video.” So this video marks a transition in not just the series, but in the very life of James Rolfe!
Anyway, back to the episode, James goes over the frustrations of using the Commodore 64; slow load times, arcane instructions to even start up games, and copy protection. The game itself is actually okay, especially for the time it’s from, but it’s nothing great.
After the Nerd gets tired of that, we finally get to Superman on the Nintendo 64. James explains the fan naming scheme of the game, complains about the generic, stock as all hell music, and then gets to the game.
Rings, rings, rings, that’s all the game is is flying through rings. It’s like Pilotwings without the fun! Terrible controls, extremely strict win-fail states, tight time limits, and did I mention the controls? Yeah, they are bad. Then, if you do make it through that, the next level, good luck. You get virtually no time to read the level instructions or to accomplish what needs to be done, or it’s back to the rings.
At the end, the Nerd has enough and at the end throws the game into to the Sun, much like the end of the film Superman IV. Amazingly, this is the only time in the 2 Superman episodes that any parody is made to the subject matter being discussed – a welcome break.
Final Rating – 3.5/5
Much like the previous episode, this one is funny, sure – Superman 64 is notoriously frustrating, but it also didn’t have too much making you want to come back. Honestly, I think the game itself does the episode a disservice – there’s really and truly nothing about Superman 64 that’s remotely likable, unlike some of the other bad games James has covered which at least have some charm to them. It’s just frustration, and that shows.