Superman Countdown to Apokolips with Adam Maresh

Holy Kryptonian catastrophe, comic crusaders! This week on Play Comics, we’re diving headfirst into the digital dumpster fire that is Superman: Countdown to Apokolips for the Game Boy Advance – because apparently someone thought the best way to honor Superman: The Animated Series was to trap the Man of Steel in a tiny screen prison with graphics that make MS Paint look like the Sistine Chapel.

Released in 2003 by the brave souls at Mistic Software (after poor Crawfish Interactive literally died during development – talk about your occupational hazards!), this isometric adventure promised to let players soar through Metropolis while battling Livewire, Metallo, and the fashion disaster known as Kalibak. What it actually delivered was a gaming experience so punishing that even Darkseid would file a complaint with customer service.

Joining us for this digital descent into madness is Adam Maresh from my local shop back when he lived by me – a man who’s seen more comic-to-game adaptations crash and burn than a rejected Justice League movie pitch. Together, we’ll explore how this GBA “gem” managed to score a whopping 45% on GameRankings and somehow convinced IGN to give it a 4.5/10 (which in retrospect feels generous).

So grab your emergency kryptonite antidote and prepare for an episode that’s more fun than actually playing the game – which, let’s face it, isn’t exactly setting the bar stratospheric. Will Superman’s portable adventure redeem itself through sheer nostalgic charm, or will it crash harder than a Daily Planet exclusive? Tune in to find out if this animated series tie-in belongs in the Fortress of Solitude… or the Phantom Zone!

Learn such things as:

• Should we get Golden Age Superman back?
• What powers do you give the man who could have anything?
• Where’s Krypto? I want Krypto! Everyone is always talking about Krypto.
• And so much more!

You can find Adam at a place that even I technically don’t know the location of.

If you want to be a guest on the show please check out the Be a A Guest on the Show page and let me know what you’re interested in.

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Play Comics is part of the Gonna Geek Network, which is a wonderful collection of geeky podcasts. Be sure to check out the other shows on Gonna Geek if you need more of a nerd fix.

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A big thanks to the Kickstarter campaign for Aces and Aros and to the Kickstarter campaign for Starlite for the promos today.

Intro/Outro Music by Backing Track, who still believes in Santa and has no idea how those presents get under the tree.

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