Superman Prototype Analysis

Introduction

In 1999 Titus Interactive brought us Superman for the Nintendo 64. This very game is what some people consider to be the worst video game of all time. The game was received so poorly that it continues to be mocked to this day. What's very strange about this game is that it was in development for over 2 years. The game was not intended to suck, there was a lot going on behind the scenes that we missed.

In 2011 an interview with Eric Caen was posted online. It revealed a lot of information about the company Titus Interactive and about their Superman projects. There's a few questions I'd like to quote from the interview:

The interview reveals that it was pretty well the licensor that made this game so difficult for Titus to create. They are the reason the game was in development for so long and why the final version is so awful.

Now this is where things get a little interesting. In 2011 An early and unfinished prototype version of Superman 64 came out of the woodwork. This prototype version was owned by someone working at RareWareCentral.com. The guy at RareWareCentral uploaded a 14 minute gameplay video and did the first article on beta Superman. For the first time ever we got to really see how the game should've been, before the licensor had gotten to it. Let me tell you it looked awesome. Some began to wonder, when would this get dumped? The guy at RareWareCentral had no intention of releasing the game.

Fast forward to 2013 and the Prototype had changed hands. The new owner is Martin at NESWorld. Due to the guy at RarewareCentral being a complete moron, the mock-up box that came with this prototype was lost in shipping, and the Superman Prototype Cartridge was nearly lost. The RareWareCentral guy was also caught scamming other people with different prototypes. Unlike the RareWareCentral guy (Who does not deserve to be mentioned by name) Martin at NESWorld bought this prototype just so it could be shared with the world. He held a small donation drive, raised a couple hundred, and on March 24th 2013 the ROM was released.

Finally gamers were able to experience a portion of how Superman 64 truly should've been.

If you don't have the ROM yet, go grab it. This page will serve as a database for everything I can find on the Prototype version of Superman 64.

Controls

Beta Superman does actually tell you the controls as seen in the above screenshots. The options menu has controls for Type A and Type B control settings, but both are exactly the same. This might've been the developers attempt at adding an alternate control method that they simply never got around to completing. The controls of Beta Superman differ from the Retail version so I'll go over them here:

Start Button: Pause Game
Analog Stick: Move Superman
A Button: Jump
B Button: Pick Up objects
C-Up: Take Off
L Button: Use your X-Ray Vision
D-Pad: Move Camera around

Z Button: En Garde
The z button is what you use when attacking. Hold down the Z button followed by one of the below buttons to perform that action:

A Button: Use Heat Vision
R Button: Use Super Breath

C-Up: Longfist Punch
C-Left: Uppercut Punch
C-Down: Backfist Punch
C-Right: Overhand Punch
As you can see all 4 C-Buttons are different types of punches. Some punches can be combined. Try pressing two different C-Buttons down at the same time when attacking.

To fly you'll press the C-Button Up. The controls are the same as your standard controls with these exceptions:

A Button: Accelerate
B Button: Slow Down
C-Down: Land

You can't just land in the middle of the sky; you have to be near the ground to land.

One last thing that's probably obvious, you can't use your X-Ray Vision, Heat Vision, or Super Breath if you haven't found any power ups for them.

Story & Introduction

Our story in beta Superman differs from final, and it's a lot better. Metropolis has been covered in a thick Kryptonite fog. Lex Luthor and Brainiac have joined forces. Your friends Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen have been captured. Who will save the day? This looks like a job for Superman! This is the story that Titus intended to have and what the licensor caused them grief over.

The story that we got in the final version was, well pathetic. Lex Luthor has trapped Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, and Professor Hamilton in a virtual world and you need to save them. I understand that the whole goal was rescuing them, but the game also had you rescuing other people between flying through rings. If it's a virtual world then why are we rescuing virtual people? It doesn't matter if they die because they aren't real!

When we first start the game we're greeted by the Titus fox head. He's much more lively as he moves towards the screen and then to our right. The final version just featured a simple Titus logo and nothing as interesting. Virtual Chess 64 featured a Titus logo similar to Beta Superman. That one moved left and right and howled. The Superman copyright screen we get next is the exact same as retail only having 1999 changed to 1998. Our language selector is still here with just French & English. The main menu comes next and it has fewer choices.

Beta version left, retail right.

The retail version has two extra options. These are practice, which is exactly what it sounds like, and Last Game. Last Game is completely useless when you have a Load Game option. The retail version also has a few more choices in the options menu. It has a difficulty selector as well as the Biography's. Seeing as how the Biography's really aren't a game option, they were better on the main menu.

The biography's are a cool feature, but they sure were toned down for the retail version. Some of the descriptions are different though. Beta version is left, retail is right.

Just a small difference here. The beta version left out a word on X-Ray Vision.

The retail version worded his story a bit better.

Part of Lois's description was cut-off. They also changed her picture.

Jimmy's description was worded a lot better for the final version. They also removed that part about being a techno-geek, which was very strange of them to even mention in the first place.

These are the enemies that you see in nearly every level. The description is the same, but the name was changed from Shadow Walkers to Dark Shadows.

Lex Luthor's description was improved for the final version.

Surprisingly, that's all for the character bios in the retail version. It's rather dumb that they end here because you're going to see a lot more characters throughout the game. The beta version has more character bios. These really should not have been removed:

Removing the character profiles was bad idea. The character profiles are a neat extra, as they let you know a bit of extra information about the character. This is especially good for people who haven't seen the Superman Animatated Series and don't know much about these characters in the first place.

There's one more menu change and it's for when the game is paused. The beta version is sorely lacking a resume game option. Sound, Music, Display, quit, and Restart are all here. Restart has changed places though and Music has an extra S after it. The missions part shows your objectives. The retail version has the Story and Controls in the menu, but it's just plain text. It also doesn't explain that you need powerups to use your superpowers. Not very helpful.

Walkthrough

There's a total of 7 levels that are "playable" in the Beta version. If you're stuck, then here are the solutions for each.

Level 1: Metropolis I

As we start the first level we're immediately hit with a Daily Planet Newspaper to bring us up to speed. A gang of Shadow Walkers are attacking an ambulance and it's up to the Man of Steel to save it! Our objectives are to save the ambulance and then defeat the Shadow Walkers.

We start the level high up in the city of Metropolis. There's a total 3 Shadow Walkers spread out and an ambulance heading towards them. The Shadow Walkers will not shoot at Superman at this point; they are fixated on destroying that ambulance. The ambulance actually has infinite health, but the missiles fired from the Shadow Walkers will eventually knock it off the road. When it hits the ground below, you fail the mission. Saving the ambulance is not hard, you just have to fly at it and pick it up. You then carry it to the ground below and set it down. This will complete your first objective.

The second objective is to kill those 3 Shadow Walkers and this is actually much harder than it sounds. With the ambulance out of the Shadow Walkers range, they will now attack Superman. The Shadow Walkers fire homing missiles which can be very hard to dodge. You'll want to attack a Shadow Walker on either end first, don't go for the middle one. Now because these guys take 7 hits each, it's much quicker and easier to just use your heat vision on them. If you try to kill them with your fists the missiles will probably get to you first. Once you've defeated the 3 of them you'll win the mission.

Now if you're having trouble defeating the 3 Shadow Walkers, than I have a few other tips. When the mission starts, immediately go after the nearest Shadow Walker right below you. Those guys are waiting for the ambulance to arrive so they won't attack you yet. You can then rescue the ambulance and have just 2 Shadow Walkers to deal with. If you're still having trouble, then just keep playing. There's a glitch that sometimes happens where after you rescue the ambulance, the Shadow Walkers will not attack you. This glitch happened in the RareWareCentral video and it made this level look easier than it actually is.

Level 2: Park Place I

Now this level is actually similar to a level in the retail version. It was level 8 in that game. We get another Newspaper telling us that Jimmy Olsen has been captured and is being held at gunpoint in the parking garage. Our objectives are to save Jimmy Olsen and stop a Kryptonite Diffuser. We also have just 10 minutes to do this.

Now if you've played the retail version, then you already know where to go. Jimmy is in the exact same spot. There are 3 floors to this level and you start at the top. You want to go to the very bottom floor first. This place is crawling with Shadow Walkers but they are much easier to kill here. Once you get to the bottom floor, look for a large room with just one entrance. That's where Jimmy is. Go in there, kill any Shadow Walkers in the room, and talk to Jimmy. When you get to Jimmy he will thank you and tell you what's up with the Kryptonite Gas. You'll hear an actual voice clip here. Superman says "Thanks, Good job Jimmy." This completes your first mission objective.

The Kryptonite Diffuser is on the second floor so go up one level. Fly around and explore the second floor until you see a Kryptonite Density Meter on the bottom- center of the screen. That's when you know the Diffuser is near. It's being kept in a small room that has 4 lasers shooting out of the ground right outside of it. Step on the laser nearest to the door and the door will open. The diffuser is right there, you just need to freeze it with your Super Breath. Once it's frozen, Jimmy will walk in and thank you. You've completed the mission!

Level 3: Park Place II

This level also takes place on the Parking Garage stage. The Daily Planet Newspaper says that Jimmy has been freed thanks to Superman. The Parking Garage on the other hand is still far from safe. Darkseid is on the loose and there's a Kryptonite gas leak.

There's one disappointing thing about this level that I need to mention right off the bat. This level cannot be defeated without cheating. The reason for this is because you need your Ice Breath, or as the game calls it, Super Breath. This power up cannot be found anywhere on this level and you don't start the level with any in your reserve. If you're playing the Superman Beta ROM on a flash cart, then you can skip this level and move on to level 4. To do that, pause the game and then hit C- Up followed by C-Down. That in game cheat will automatically complete the mission. If you're playing on an emulator, then you can use the following Gameshark code to make this level actually completable:

Infinite Ice Breath
812128E4 42C0
812128E6 0000

I did truly search high and low for an Ice Breath power up. The developers gave you plenty of the other power ups on this stage, just no ice. If anybody manages to find an Ice Breath Power up, please let me know.

We begin this level out on the highest floor and have 30 minutes to complete it. Now all the objectives on this level are done on the middle floor. Unlike the last level with 1 Kryptonite Diffuser there's 3 of them now.

This level is very straightforward, but it will require some patience. Once you're at the second floor, fly around until you get to a room which makes your Kryptonite Density Meter go off. That means there's a generator nearby. In order to open the door to get to it, you'll need to cover all lasers in the room. These lasers are covered with boxes, crates, or anything Superman can carry. These boxes might be in the same room, or in the next room. Check all corners. Once you get all the lasers covered in the room, you'll be able to get to that generator to freeze it. There are 3 generators all on the second floor so just do this until all the generators are frozen and you'll complete that objective.

Once you freeze the third generator and step out of that room, you'll find Darkseid waiting for you. He's actually a bit more difficult here compared to the final game as he has more attacks. He'll use his own heat vision and he's able to pick things up and throw them at you. You can easily defeat him with your own heat vision. If you've run out of heat vision, then a simple fist fight should do the job. Once he goes down you'll win the mission.

Level 4: Subway I

This is a pretty short mission here. A LexoSkell 2000 (or is it 5000?) has been hijacked and is on the loose in the Metropolis Subway. Superman must defeat it before it destroys the trains and the innocent people onboard. This Subway level was level 12 in the retail version and the objectives in the beta are very different.

You start the level with a 3 minute time limit and quite a distance to travel. You need to fly to the center train stop. It does take more than a minute of time to fly there too. The most annoying part of this level is trying to get in front of that train. The one going towards the train stop is going too slow and the trains going in the other direction keep getting in the way. If you can manage to get in front of that train, then you'll save a lot of time.

Now defeating the LexoSkell can be difficult. You won't have any Super Powers in this level so you'll have to defeat him with your fists. The first thing you want to do is get close to the LexoSkell. If you fly around the room or are too far, then the LexoSkell will fire homing missiles at you and you won't last long if that happens. When you're near, it will attack you on foot instead of relying on its guns. The easiest way to defeat him is to stand there and keep punching the air. It will walk into your punches. The thing may fall down a few times and get back up so don't think its dead the first time it goes down. Once it does stay down, you'll complete your last objective and the mission.

Level 5: Metropolis II

This is a fun mission. Bizarro, thinking he was doing a good deed, has released a bunch of rhinos into the wild. This is a problem though because Metropolis is not the wild and these are actually deadly Rhinobots. It's up to Superman to save the day.

This level takes place in the outside Metropolis and there's a time limit of 10 minutes. Scattered around this area are 8 Rhinobots. Now you can land and fight them, but your attacks don't hurt them. You instead need to pick them up and throw them into the water. Finding them is not too hard as the area where they can be found is not very large. Once the bots are destroyed, you'll complete your first objective.

You'll now need to defeat Mala. Fly to where the LexCorp Truck was and you'll find her. She is capable of flying as well and will attack you in the air. The easiest way to defeat her is of course to use up all your heat vision on her. Otherwise just keep punching. Once you defeat her you complete the mission.

Level 6: Subway II

Ah back to the Subway. At least there's no time limit this mission. Our Newspaper update is unfinished but I can update you. Kryptonite Diffusers have been spotted in the Subway and the deadly Metallo is around. It's up to Superman to save the Subway.

There's two Kryptonite Diffusers in this level and oddly enough you start right next to one of them. In the room you begin in, grab that Ice Breath power up, and then stick the nearby crate onto that laser. That will open the door revealing the first Kryptonite Diffuser. Freeze it solid. Now when you picked up that power up they gave you only a little Ice Breath. If you for whatever reason wasted some and did not have enough to freeze that diffuser, restart the level. Otherwise there's one more diffuser left.

Head out of this room to where the train tracks are and carry on. Go past the train stop and continue going down the tracks. Pay attention to the entrances you'll see on each side. Go inside the very first left entrance you see. Grab the crate that's inside, leave the room, and then continue on in the same direction you were going. At the second entrance on the left, you'll find a room with a laser. Drop the crate on it just like before. This reveals the last diffuser. You won't have enough Ice Breath to freeze it though. Go back out of this room and take the next entrance on the right. You'll find an Ice Breath power up there. Go back to where the diffuser was and freeze it to complete the first objective.

The last objective is to defeat Metallo. Metallo can be found at the train stop. He doesn't put up much of a fight, just go up to him and keep punching. With little effort, he'll go down and you'll complete the mission.

Level 7: Brainiac's Starship

This is the final playable level and it's only for the most hardcore Superman 64 fans. I assure you this level can be completed, but due to its unfinished-ness it will require some major glitching. Frustration may ensue. If you're up for it, then please throw on the following codes:

Infinite Health
812128D0 42C0
812128D2 0000

Infinite Heat Vision
812128E0 42C0
812128E2 0000

Infinite Super Speed
812128D8 42C0
812128DA 0000

Now why those 3 cheats you ask? Well Infinite Health is for of course infinite health. This level is buggy and there's no way to be sure if you're going to attack first, or if the enemy will. Plus, if two enemies get next to you, they will keep grabbing you repeatedly and you will be unable to escape. That's why we're using Heat Vision as well. Punching enemies is inconsistent so only attack with heat vision. Now if you use heat vision and are careful, you could get away without the infinite health cheat. The last code Super Speed, is purely for glitching purposes. Super Speed was such a dumb idea for a Superman game. You'll be using Super Speed purely to clip through walls. Why do you need to clip through walls? Well this level has lasers preventing you from entering a lot of rooms in the level. You're supposed to be able to complete some task, and then the lasers will disappear giving you more access to the level. This level is unfinished though, so there isn't a way to remove most of the lasers.

So, throw your codes on if you're still up for trying this level. Okay, let us begin.

Now the starting newspaper is incomplete so this level has no story. What I can tell you is that Brainiac was responsible for the destruction of Superman's home planet, Krypton. Superman has somehow boarded Brainiac's Starship so let's get some revenge. This level has no time limit, which is great considering this level takes about an hour to beat.

Our first objective is to find the XV12 module. From start, fly upstairs and kill the crab enemy on the way. You'll get to a room with 3 entrances all being blocked by lasers. There will be another crab enemy here. Killing him will remove the lasers blocking one of the doors. Take your new entrance all the way to the next room. This very strange room has a weird red thing in the center. This part will be very important later, but for now ignore everything here and take that little warp portal that's on the floor. The warp portal will take you to a room that looks EXACTLY the same. I assure you it's a different place though. There will be a crab enemy on the floor next to the portal. Leave him alive and fly away. Fly up to the second floor and take a large entrance. There's two large entrances in this room. One leads straight to lasers, while the other makes a few turns and then leads to lasers. Go for that second one. This is where things become a pain in the ass. The wall straight across from the lasers is where you need to glitch through. You'll need your Super Speed here. Just keep running at the wall. Run back and forth, randomly, whatever. Just keep at it and you will eventually breach through the wall. I've breached the wall in seconds before, but I've also had it take several minutes. The clipping for this game is awful, just keep at it and you'll make it through eventually.

Now you probably either made it through the wall or gave up on this level. Hopefully you made it. Now that you're on the outside, you're now going to have to snake around this level's walls. Staying close to the walls is necessary as there's a lot of blackness outside. It's easy to get completely lost. Across from the room where you just glitched you're going to see some kind of fan with a laser. Head towards that room and then go around it. Once you're around you'll see part of the Thunder Arena. The Thunder Arena is the place you saw in the incomplete newspaper cutscene. Go around part of the Arena and continue to go around the next room that's attached to the arena. You'll see a crab inside, but leave him alive. This room leads to yet another room blocked off by lasers. This room does have something interesting on the floor though. That's the XV12 Module we need! We'll need to get back into the map to claim it. That room with the XV12 module has a path going down. Since we're still outside the map, go down a floor as well. That path leads to a yellowish room with strange pillars on the sides. Go under this room's floor and fly back into the map. Once you're in, back track up to where the XV12 module is and grab it. Objective complete.

Our next task is to destroy all 20 of Brainiac's Robots. Yes, there's 20 of them!!! We have to get around this whole level so this will involve a lot of cheating. In the room where the XV12 module was, use super speed to glitch through the lasers. Remember those crab enemies from earlier? Well they are the Robots. Robot #1 will be here for you to kill. Next, you need to glitch through the next set of lasers into the Thunder Arena. At the very bottom part of the Arena you'll find crabs #2 and #3. There's 4 ways to go when you're in the Thunder Arena. Three of them are blocked off by lasers. Go in the one that isn't blocked. This room leads to a dead end, but you'll find 4 of the robots here. Yes #4, #5, #6, and #7 are in here. Kill them all. Make sure to keep your distance and take them out one at a time because if two of them get between you, you're screwed.

When leaving this room, go right. You'll want to glitch through those lasers again. You'll see crab #8 there. Once he's dead, glitch through the next set of lasers. Once through, glitch through the other set of lasers in that room. Kill crab #9 here. You'll finally be back in the room with the teleporter. Crab #10 is here. He's the one that you didn't kill earlier. This room has two smaller entranceways that are both connected. Enter through one of them and kill crab #11 who's inside. Go back to where the teleporter is and enter it.

The teleporter takes us back to the room that's similar but also different. You know how you killed crab #11? Well go back into that same room. This time you'll find 2 crabs there. That's #12 and #13. Remember that room that lead to the very first spot where we glitched? Well that leads to crab #14 and if you keep going, crab #15. Now go back to that strange room with the teleporter. (But don't go in the teleporter)

There will be two longish looking things in this room that lead up and down. We've ignored them up until now. The two bottom ones are connected so go down one of them first. Take a good look around down there. This room is home to crabs #16, #17, & #18. When you're done, go upstairs and go to the top floor. One of those upstairs parts leads to crabs #19 & #20. Objective complete.

Brainiac is now here in the level. The final objective is to defeat him! Enter the teleporter. Remember our first glitch? Well we need to do it again. There were 4 entrances in the Thunder Arena and Brainiac is at the only one we haven't been too yet. Once you breach through the wall you'll see that fan and laser again. You need to continue doing all those breaches again. Go past the point where you found the XV12 module and back into the Thunder Arena. When it the Thunder Arena breach through the final set of lasers. When through, take a right and go upstairs. Go into the next room and you'll find Brainiac. We can now attack him. Brainiac's strategy is to shoot his lasers at you and run away when you get close. Punch him several times and he'll go down.

Congratulations! You beat all the playable levels of beta Superman. When you finish this stage you'll be taken to the part where you can save your game, just like usual. Unfortunately once you save your game, the game crashes because there isn't a next level to go to. Give the game a reset, and when you're back at the main menu press C-Up followed by C-Down. This takes you to the credits. You earned it bud! This concludes the walkthrough, though you can try the unfinished levels if you're up for more screwing around.

Multiplayer

There's a little bit to talk about regarding multiplayer. If you have 2 or more controllers plugged in, then when you hit New Game you get an option for multiplayer. The retail version gave you the choice between a race or a fight. The beta version has just one option and it looks like it's for fighting. The options are exactly the same, but character selection has changed.

Both games feature these characters:

The prototype also has these characters:

While the retail version instead has these two:

This is yet another situation where the beta version is superior. Why did they remove Superman as a playable character in multiplayer? I also don't see the point of including a Dark Shadow, those things are everywhere in single player. Mercy Graves is a cool addition, but this is the only time you see her in the retail version.

The beta version's multiplayer levels do load, but only in emulators. They don't work on flash carts likely due to excessive checksum errors that the console can't handle. All you'll see on console is a white screen. If you're playing on an emulator, then you'll see that it's just the same multiplayer. Sadly the beta's multiplayer controls are so unbelievably screwed up that it's unplayable.

Level Differences

Metropolis

Metropolis is this most significant level to be changed between the retail and beta builds of Superman 64. All you did in the retail version of Metropolis was fly through rings, beat a mini-game, fly through more rings, and then beat another mini-game. It was just that over and over again for 7 stages. 7 stages!!! The beta version had some real levels.

The fog in the beta version is white/clear. It's a putrid colour of green in the final version. I realize that it's supposed to be Kryptonite fog, but come on, the green looks awful! If you ever see someone on YouTube playing Superman and the sky is purple, then they're playing on an old emulator. The sky was never purple.

The Metropolis area that you play in the beta version is complete for the most part. I just noticed this one part where they hadn't put the road in.

One of the most important things the beta included was the over-range. This locked you to the general area in which the mission was being played. In the retail version you can fly wherever you want. This isn't a good thing though because it's easy to get lost and not be able to find your way back. When that happens you have to wait for your time to run out just to get back to where you're supposed to be.

That's one more picture I wanted to show. If you're playing the retail version and want to find the spot where the beta version's ambulance rescue took place, then try level 7. Play through the first set of rings, defeat the 4 dark shadows in the mini-game, and then keep your eyes peeled when flying through the next set of rings. The rings will eventually go right past the ambulance rescue location. It's almost scary being in this location. This spot may be of no significance now, but at one point there was a real game going on up here.

Park Place

The beta's Park Place levels are mostly the same compared to the single retail level. Of course the retail level is still crappy like you'd expect. The changes made are minor here.

The beta version was planning something that never got finished. At the beginning of the level you see some lasers across the floor and a few gates. I've tried covering the lasers with crates and nothing seems to happen. The purpose of the lasers will never be known because Titus decided to just delete them for the retail version. Also, the entry and exit signs have swapped places.

Now this is something the retail version improved. There's a large square shaped room in Park Place that has some powerups in it. It also allows you to access all the different floors. Oddly enough all the entrances had this wall you had to go around. The camera always had trouble following you through these entrances so Titus decided to just get rid of them for the final.

That's about it. The final version does have cars placed throughout the top floor. It being a Parking lot does make this appropriate. You also had to break a wall in the retail version to get to Jimmy.

Subway

Titus screwed up big time here. This was an exciting couple of levels in the beta version. The retail version had it dumbed down and simplified to the point where it's crap. In the retail version you start at one end of the subway. You have to fly all the way to the other end, then all the way back to where you started, then back half way to where the train stop is. You'd kill the Lexo-Skel, and the exit to the level would open up in the roof. This is just pathetic as you don't have to go in any of the side rooms and the majority of the enemies can just be ignored. There isn't even a villain to fight. Subway I in the beta version was meant to be a quick level, but Subway II was more exciting as you had to search around and fight Metallo. There are a few notable differences to the level layout.

Some of these side rooms in the beta version had these holes you could drop down. This was an underground part that was connected to a different part of the Subway. There's no such thing in the retail version as they covered these holes. The third picture is what the underground part looks like.

All rooms had doors in the retail version, while the beta version only had them if there was a Kryptonite diffuser or something important behind them.

This one is a bit of a goof up in the beta version. There's these exit doors that are supposed to tease you. They stay open and when you get near them, they close. In the beta version the opposite happens so you can actually exit through them. There isn't much to see as they lead nowhere.

The beta version is unfinished with the ends of the subway. They had invisible walls blocking them off. They probably left it like this because they may have wanted to eventually make the Subway longer.

Brainiac's Starship

What a strange level the Starship is! In the retail version, this level just plain sucks. The glitches are insane and there's so many of them! It takes over half an hour to complete and even if you do everything right you'll still probably have to restart a few times. Even with the beta version's Starship level being incomplete, I still think it's more fun. It doesn't have nearly as many glitches as retail. You'll also don't have to go everywhere in the beta version as you had to enter every single last room in retail. This level was probably going to be entirely different than what was planned. Here are a few changes I noticed:

The beta version has this strange glass that sticks out. It's difficult to fly around and it's an improvement that it's gone.

The floor right above that last room has all this weird alien stuff. It's only in the beta version though as the retail just left these rooms empty. You don't even have to enter this room in the beta version.

In the same room there's this odd thing up top. I'm not sure what its purpose was. In the retail version they removed it and just left a hole in the wall.

The beta version also had these parts which would lead to a lower floor. They're glitchy though so don't use them. They were covered in the retail version.

Other changes to this level involve Brainiac being fought in a different spot, and one less room in the retail. One of those upstairs parts was covered. The cover looks real obvious too.

Dam

Now we're getting into the really unfinished levels. You'll need to use the level modifier code to reach the next four levels. Our first is the Dam which is so unfinished that there's no collision setup. As soon as you start the level you're going to just fall straight through the floor. If this were any other game we wouldn't be able to see very much but thank goodness Superman can fly. There's a few changes to this level that really make me wonder what Titus was planning.

The computers in the very first room are different and not broken. It looks like you didn't have to activate them after all.

There are also extra ways down. In the retail version this room is where you collected the super breath. In the beta this room lead you all the way down to where the Dam workers were being held. There was another way down on the other side which lead you to the spot where that first door was that would eventually lead you to those workers.

If you were wondering how to get down the elevator, then you can just fly down it very slowly. The rest of the level is still down there. There are a few enemies in that next room, but they don't attack you, they're just there for testing. Both rooms on each side appear to be the same. The electric eel is down in the water below. He just swims in place and is unable to hurt you. You'll also hear a different water flow sound in that area.

LexCorp

LexCorp is pretty incomplete, but at least you don't have to fly everywhere like the Dam. There are a few changes here and there, but for the most part I think this level would've played out the same.

When you start the level you're greeted by, Parasite! Yes nice to see he's in this game. Parasite is able to punch, fly, and lift objects. There are no mission objectives so killing him will complete the level. At the last part of the retail version you fight Brainiac, so maybe Parasite was the planned enemy.

To your right there are some extra chairs in the lobby. These are the ones that Parasite can lift. The retail version also added a painting on the wall.

In the first room you'll find that the computers aren't coloured. That's the part of the level that may have differed a little. Also, the glass between this room and the next is not breakable. You still can enter the second room from the other door though.

This room of LexCorp has its own level modifier for some reason. I had it labelled as LexCorp II in the codes section. The computers in this area actually have chairs in front of them.

Also, there were different pictures on the wall instead of static. That static in the retail version doesn't move, it's just a still picture.

You'll find Lex Luthor in different parts of this level. He's protected by some kind of shield so you can't hurt him. He looks like a cardboard cut out. The final version of the game had him in the final room with Brainiac.

This is the final room. The beta version looks so much better because that's how it looked in the show. You almost expect Lex Luthor to be sitting behind his desk with Mercy Graves standing to his right. The retail version just plain sucks. Lex is here behind a shield. You'd fight Brainiac, but when you beat him he just escapes. There are also notes on the table that spoil every upcoming boss fight.

Warehouse

The Warehouse would've probably played out a little bit differently, and would've had a different boss instead of Metallo. Otherwise it should've been more of the same. I noticed a few odd differences though.

Right when you start the level you'll notice the different floor texture. There's a few different floor textures in the level. To the side is this danger area with smaller bars in the retail. It's also harder to see what's inside in the retail.

The large room you'd go to next has no ramp leading up to the second level. You probably wouldn't have had to rescue Lois from there.

The Kryptonite Diffuser had different lasers around it. The lasers are red in the retail version and green in beta. Considering how they could've been kryptonite lasers, I think it they were better when green.

This is the room where you fought Metallo in retail. There's only one computer here in the beta version. Two more were added for retail.

This mirror has tiles over it in the beta. Looks cool, but the retail version's basic mirror looks better.

Some computers are in this room in the beta version. They're absent in retail.

S.T.A.R. Labs

Lastly we have the star labs. This is the second most incomplete level. Collision is here, but only sort of. You start this level where the bottom part of the elevator is, right before the long tunnel. The elevator behind you isn't working so you can't go up. If you go all the way to the other end of the hallway then you'll find you can't fall down as there's an invisible floor. If you want to explore this level, then you'll want to throw on Super Speed and glitch through the wall like you did in the Brainiac's Starship.

There are some differences in this level though. In the retail version you had to go underwater, kill some crab enemies, and grab a keycard in a small tunnel. The beta version planned to have a path come up and connect that tunnel right to floor near where Professor Hamilton is. This opening was covered in the retail version. That's probably the biggest difference.

In the top part of this level you were able to see a tunnel that had some kind of energy going through it. This tunnel has no such energy in the beta. The room that the tunnel leads to has just one computer in it in the beta instead of the 3.

Lastly, the cage where you trap Parasite inside in the retail is different coloured. That whole surrounding area is coloured differently as well. It's hard to explain.

Audio Differences

The background music that was used in Beta Superman and Retail Superman is almost the same. The order of which track went with what level has been mixed around though. The Beta version of Superman does have one track that's exclusive and does not make an appearance in the retail version. You can hear that track here. The track sounds different from the rest of the music. That's not a bad thing though. That track was used on Brainiac's Starship and since that's the final level, I think it would've worked great there.

I went through all the sound effects between these games and I did notice a few differences. Beta Superman does have a few extra sounds, mostly voice clips. Oddly enough there's some sound effects that are in both games, but they aren't actually used anywhere. All of the Beta sound effects that aren't in the retail version can be heard here.

Misc Differences

• In beta Superman you have a mission objectives screen. This is so helpful! This really should not have been cut.
• Bosses in beta Superman have their own health meter. Again, this really should not have been cut.
• As you might've noticed in some screenshots, the camera has Superman centered in the beta version, while Superman is lower in the retail.
• The beta Shadow Walkers take a lot more hits to kill than in the retail.
• The health powerup has the exact same pick
• up sound effect as all the other super powers in beta.
• There's an extra powerup in Park Place II that doesn't appear in the final game. It's an hourglass that adds 1 minute of time to your time limit.
• Most powerups in beta Superman only fill about 1/10 of your meter. They aren't very generous.
• In Beta Superman, the shadow walkers walk around a lot more. In Park Place they'll go back and forth guarding a spot. Some will shoot you and then run away.
• The large robots seen in Brainiac's Starship of the the retail version, are in the files of the beta version. They just aren't used anywhere.
• Lexo
• Skel robots are controlled by people. They don't just work by themselves. The beta version explains that one was hijacked by a Shadow Walker, but the retail version never mentions who's inside them.
• The XV12 module was increased in size and turned into an enemy for the retail version. It was used on Brainiac's Starship.
• The draw distance is limited in the retail version. You can see much further in the beta.
• Something I didn't feel was worth pointing out all the time in this guide is where crates, boxes, and other pick
• up objects are. These levels are different and of course these objects will change with it.

Cheats & Codes

Due to this game being unfinished and all, cheating is sort of necessary. Here's all the codes and cheats I could find. If you find any more please let me know.

In-Game Cheats

Skip Level
Pause the game and press C-Up followed by C-Down. The level you're on will instantly count as being defeated.

View Credits
When at the title screen press C-Up followed by C-Down.

Gameshark Codes

Level Modifier
Only use one of the level modifier cheats at a time. The game will crash if you use any more. Once the cheat has been entered, start a new game and you will start at the level you chose. Make sure to turn the code off before you complete the level, otherwise once you finish you'll be taken back to the same level instead of onto the next one.

All Levels Unlocked
Before you can use this cheat, you need to start a new game, beat the first level, and then make a save file to your memory card. Once you've done that, turn this cheat on, and when you resume your game pick the save file you just created. All the levels will be unlocked.
800cb621 0010

Infinite Health
812128D0 42C0
812128D2 0000

Infinite Heat Vision
812128E0 42C0
812128E2 0000

Infinite Super Speed
812128D8 42C0
812128DA 0000

Infinite Super Breath
812128E4 42C0
812128E6 0000

Infinite X-Ray Vision
812128DC 42C0
812128DE 0000

Q & A

Send me any questions you have about beta Superman. I'll post the answers here.

Where can I download this ROM?
Try the NESWorld forums.

Are there any rings in this game?
There are no ring levels and we haven't found any rings in the files of the prototype. The rings are 100% missing in action in Beta Superman.

What do you think made Titus decide to have so many rings in the retail version?
Back in the day, Titus advertised that they were going to have 14-16 levels for this game. We saw in this prototype that they created the Subway and Park Place locations, but then made two different levels out of each. It's likely that when the licensor made them restart development they didn't have enough time to make two levels out of each stage so they had to opt for these rings. The ring stages didn't take Titus any effort to make so slapping out 7 stages of them was easy. It's very likely that having rings in the final version of Superman was an original idea of Titus, but they probably planned to make them a training stage or maybe just have one level of them. Not 7 friggen levels of rings as seen in the final version.

Which levels are worth playing?
I would recommend playing levels 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6. Although level 3 does require a simple cheat to complete, the level is tedious with the constant carrying of objects. Carrying things is also glitchy and you may end up having to restart. Level 7 is also a nightmare, I wouldn't recommend it.

Why does Level 3 not have any Super Breath Powerups?
The level technically does, but we can't get them to appear. One look at the ROM reveals that there are 3 different spots where a Super Breath powerup is supposed to be, but none of them are showing up for some reason. They might have to be triggered somehow. I've spent hours fooling around on that level; I honestly don't know why they don't appear.

How do I remove the lasers on level 7?
The very first few can be removed by killing the crab enemies. The rest cannot be removed. The level is very unfinished though, so you'll have to try glitching through.

How do I glitch through walls/lasers in level 7?
I was hoping you wouldn't ask. Throughout the level we need to glitch through walls, as well as lasers. When it comes to these locations, I find if you keep running back and forth against a wall or set of lasers, you will eventually go through. For the part where you have to glitch through the wall, try running straight at it, and then when you hit the wall and stop, immediately turn around and try walking away from the wall. The clipping in this game might pull you backwards through it. This doesn't work on the lasers though; you just have to keep running at them. Sometimes I can breach the laser in 5 seconds; sometimes it takes a couple of minutes.

How do I glitch through the lasers on level 7 when they're hurting me?
You can't, you'll have to restart the level. The lasers are not supposed to hurt you, it's a glitch.

Conclusion

Titus Interactive was not the greatest developer in the world, but they still produced some cool stuff. Though the final version of Superman on the Nintendo 64 sucks, this beta version proves that they knew what they were doing, and were on the right track to making an excellent Superhero game. Had the game continued on the path it was going, it still would not have been a hit, but it would've been a safe and average game like intended. I'm glad I had the opportunity to play the beta version. Though the reputation of Superman 64 being awful will live on, I do hope people see this page and understand that it's Warner Bros. & DC Comics who needs to be blamed and not Titus.

Special Thanks & Sources

This page was not possible without the help of the following people:

Martin: Thanks very much for releasing this ROM. Your generosity is greatly appreciated.

SubDrag: Found all the Gameshark codes and dumped the audio. He was a big help in writing this article. He's a cool guy, thanks very much.

Thanks to the guy who wrote this interview.

Written by Kevin Ames
July 6 2013