EA dates Superman

Electronic Arts announced today that Superman Returns, an action game based on the recent movie and 60-year-old comic book, will be released for the Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Xbox 360 on November 20. The video game's arrival will coincide with the DVD release of director Bryan Singer's film Superman Returns later the same week.

EA's contribution to the book on the Man of Steel is intimately hooked in to Superman lore and history. The 100-plus missions have mainly been scripted from the comics, and the villains are all the traditional rivals, such as Lex Luthor, seen in print and in theaters. Additionally, EA managed to secure the rights to voices and likenesses from the recent movie.

All of Superman's signature powers in gameplay--super strength, fiery eyes, chilling breath, and faster-than-a-speeding-bullet flight--will be at players' disposal. Superman's invincibility is further accented through the unusual absence of a health meter. Instead, players will have to monitor the Man of Steel's stamina, which will be depleted with every use of a superpower. Approaching the sun will rejuvenate the character, and the game will re-create 80 square miles of the city of Metropolis.

The PS2, Xbox, and Xbox 360 versions of the game are rated T for Teen. The Nintendo DS and GBA release is rated E for Everyone. Curiously, EA's announcement did not mention the GameCube version of the game; requests sent to EA to clarify its status were unanswered as of press time.