Other Miscellaneous Superman Stuff

Review - Tiger Electronics 1996 Superman LCD Game

I just recently managed to purchase a very rare vintage 1996 Tiger Electronics Superman LCD Game. Being a huge Superman fan, I didn't allow this piece of historic Superman merchandise to slip through my hands. During the LCD Game's heyday, I'd been curiously searching for a Superman game but couldn't find any. I'm also a huge fan of Tiger Electronics and I own a number of Tiger LCD games. So finding a Superman LCD game that was made by Tiger Electronics felt like I had just hit the jackpot. But my expectations unfortunately were not met. This review will shed light as to why this LCD game failed to satisfy my expectations.

The Packaging/LCD Game:

Unfortunately, when I bought this item, it came loose without the packaging. So I have no idea what the packaging looks like. Fortunately though, this item came with its black and white Instruction Booklet. The booklet's cover features the art of Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez (or is it Dan Jurgens?). I presume this LCD game originated in Europe because the language used in this booklet is written in United Kingdom English, with translations using French, Dutch, and Netherlands languages. It is also noted in the Instruction Booklet that this product was released back in 1996. The year Superman sported a mullet. The game is powered by a single 1.5V button cell battery. The handheld game's exterior colors sports Superman's traditional Red and Blue colors with yellow colored control buttons to give it an actual Superman feel to it. On the upper right portion of the item there's a picture of Superman in his iconic pose.

The Characters:

Well of course there's Superman (thank God he's not sporting a mullet). He is up against a gallery of rogues namely Parasite, Metallo, Brainiac, and Steel!?! I don't know what Tiger Electronics was thinking and how DC managed to overlook this error but Steel is supposed to be Superman's ally.

Gameplay:

This is what disappointed me. Tiger Electronics has been known to produce advanced graphics that features the character's movements on arms, legs, and other joints. Superman however does not feature this. The gameplay of this LCD game harkens back to the early LCD games where the characters simply move left and right (or up and down in this case) as a whole. But if you are a huge fan of vintage LCD games, then this will not bother you too much. In fact, the game utilizes the traditional game music of vintage LCD games.

Objective of the Game:

Superman must defend the city of Metropolis against his rogues gallery. He must prevent the villains from planting a bomb behind him by utilizing his heat vision to stop the enemies in their tracks before they can outrun Superman and allow them to plant a bomb. Superman simply moves up and down as he tries to hit his enemies with his Heat Vision. But if the enemies successfully plant the bombs behind Superman, he must avoid these at all costs in order for him to stay alive. The game runs for 8 levels with each level getting much more difficult because the villains move faster as the game progresses.

Game Graphics:

Superman is not fast enough as the bomb behind him explodes.

Superman is cornered by Parasite, Metallo, and Steel.

If only Tiger Electronics opted to produce more advanced graphics for this LCD Game's gameplay then this could have been the best LCD Superman game. But then there are only a few LCD Superman games that were released in the market. In fact this is the only one that I know of. And since beggars can't be choosers, I'm just glad that I'm able to own this piece of memorabilia. As of now I still can't make it past level 7. And I thought LCD games were easy. If you happen to chance upon this item in a garage sale or an online auction, then don't let it slip away. This LCD game promises countless hours of fun.