Superman (1997)

Look: 10/10 The game is so darn fast-paced, I didn't get to get lost in the horizons much. Conveniently enough, the ending seems to be the different screens of the game, so you get a moment to relish them. And indeed, they are worthy of it! Silhouettes, lush sunsets, and striking contrasts. Lex Luthor, his minions--clearly whom you need to take to jail. Lois Lane--not so clearly how you regain your powers if you ever hit the kryptonite (hot tip). The bridge parts -- a clear and simple plotline of trying to get across the gap as the version of you sans power (Clark Kent, of course). I lovvvve the superman sprite. I can't believe this was released before Adventure (though if I read correctly, it used an Adventure prototype, hence the many similarities).

Sound: 10/10 Wow this is special. The first game of this era that I actually kept unmuted. Raw, harsh, absurd--truly electronic. The sound effects, the "soundtrack," the crunchiness. Perfect.

Play: 9/10 Hm, the toughest rating to decide. It was, especially at first, insanely difficult and ambiguous what to do... and indeed, once I resorted to Googling it, it [seemed] almost too easy ha. But nonetheless, it was one of the few Atari 2600 games so far that I just simply played and played and played till I got it, not resorting to seeking a straightforward guide or playthrough (though I did end up watching one for fun and to confirm that I was hearing the sound correctly). I had to use a straight-up guide for Adventure difficulty 2 and 3, indeed, and for this, I got to 100% completion with just a map for reference when lost (then I replayed it already to try to get closer to the 3 minutes-ish of the playthrough I watched right before the replay). I found the map useless at first, which may have contributed to my pushing through and playing this mostly on my own. It was a nice feeling to want to play a game "raw" again. My best advice, if wanna capture the perfect essence, at least read the game manual and a spoilers-allowed summation of the plotline, so you can just try to work out that you need to capture the bad guys and take them to jail, as well as build the bridge to cross as Clark.. It becomes very fun once that basic understanding is established. The only reasons this isn't a 10 is how clunky the controls are, chaotic the game can be, and unclear the beginning is. It very well may become a 10 on future replays, but just to make sure I replay it before I award a huge perfect score, let's keep this at 9 for now. (Oh, and mind you, at no point is "difficulty" really a thing since you can't be killed; you can, however, lose your Superman ability and just find the non-weapon-wielding feminine-ish? character to regain the powers.

Feel: 10/10 I was excited to play (and finish) this. Though I can't deny the frustration of getting acclimated to it, watching a playthrough and having a map were the biggest factors in falling in love with this game. And in love I became! Not only for its time, but it's truly timelessly excellent. Simple, adventurous, open-world, clever, humorous, accessible, elegant for its time, addicting, and simply fun. And to top it all off, short and ripe for multiple replays, with different restraints, challenges, time limits, etc. Full of possibilities. And wow, an actual ending to a videogame in 1978. In case it wasn't clear yet, I love the sound, love the Adventure-plus graphics, love the item retrieval, love the storyline, love it all. Really impressed by this.

Attachment: 10/10 I will be replaying this now that I fully understand how simple it really is: collect the guys with guns, as well as Lex Luthor, take them all to jail (use a map online if get lost); collect the bridge parts and bring em back to the beginning; then get to the world symbol. Excited when I can do it without a map someday, too.