Superhero League of Hoboken

Last updated
Superhero League of Hoboken
Superhero League of Hoboken cover art.png
Floppy disk version box art
Developer(s) Legend Entertainment
Publisher(s) Legend Entertainment
Designer(s) Steve Meretzky
Platform(s) DOS
Release1994 [1]
Genre(s) Role-playing video game
Mode(s) Single player

Superhero League of Hoboken is an adventure and role-playing video game developed and published by Legend Entertainment. Designed by Steve Meretzky, the game combines the superhero, comedy and post-apocalypse genres. It was available on both floppy disk and CD-ROM. It uses 256 color 2D graphics. It was re-released in 2019 with support for Windows, macOS, and Linux. [2]

Contents

Setting

In the future, the world is ravaged by wars, nuclear disasters and pollution. Mutations become common, resulting to individuals and creatures with mutant superpowers who unite in crime and become supervillains. However other individuals decide to unite their powers for the common good and become superheroes.

The game is set in the post-apocalyptic New Jersey-New York-Pennsylvania Tri-state area, where the player controls a team of off-beat and often useless superheroes who battle a number of strange enemies, most notably the evil Dr. Entropy, a human jack-in-the-box with plans to bring chaos in the world.

The missions in the game were typically bizarre and often satirised present-day society.

Characters

Anytime the player can choose their team from a retinue of off-beat characters. The protagonist is the Crimson Tape, whose power is to make organizational charts. His companions are the Iron Tummy, who can eat any amount of spicy food without suffering intestinal distress, Treader Man who is a fantastic swimmer, the Tropical Oil Man, who defeats villains by giving them high cholesterol, the Oxide Man who can damage mechanical enemies such as robots etc.

Every character has three stats which help him in battle: Brawn stat determines weapon damage, Brains affects the effectiveness of super powers, and Toughness is the character's defense.

Each character can be taught or achieve secondary superpowers by drinking colored liquids bought or found anywhere in the game. Superpowers mostly are used in combat, although the superpowers of some characters are just a part of the plot (e.g. for solving certain puzzles).

Development

Due to designer Steve Meretzky's heavy freelance workload during development of Superhero League of Hoboken, he contracted a friend to help with the game's programming in the last months of 1993. [3]

Reception

According to game designer Meretzky, Superhero League of Hoboken sold only 20,000-25,000 copies, which he considered "pretty disappointing." [6]

Computer Gaming World 's August 1994 preview of the game stated that "Legend has gone beyond the boundaries of graphic adventures and interbred their traditional fare with elements of computer role-playing". [7] Two month later in the October issue, Scorpia wrote, "[Superhero League of Hoboken] is lightweight fare, and as such, may disappoint those looking for challenging puzzles. On the other hand, this zany melange makes up what is the first true comedy CRPG ever, and that alone is worth the price of admission." [8]

In the October 1994 edition of PC Gamer US (Issue 5) Trent Ward called the game "an exciting mix of adventure and role-playing, perfect for the gamer who's more concerned with game play than graphics." He stated that it "isn't a game that will change the face of entertainment for years to come, but in the end it really is pretty good fun." [5]

In the October 1994 edition of PC Gamer UK (Issue 11), James Leach summarized Superhero League of Hoboken as "good", but he believed that those who "don't like the surrealism ... will soon get bored." [4]

In the May 1995 edition of Dragon (Issue 217), Lester Smith admitted that "Some people may find a few aspects of the game tasteless." But he thought those elements were minor, and that the game "provides quite a bit of entertainment. Its unique characters, captivating missions, overarching story line, and engaging details of play result in a satisfying sense of role-playing." [9]

Awards

The game was nominated for Computer Gaming World's 1994 "Role-Playing Game of the Year" award. The editors remarked that Superhero League of Hoboken "broke most of the rules", and that its "goofy dialogue and storyline, and well-balanced gameplay, make for a wild ride through designer Steve Meretzky's left-of-center imagination." [10]

Related Research Articles

<i>GURPS Supers</i>

GURPS Supers is a superhero roleplaying game written by Loyd Blankenship and published by Steve Jackson Games. The first edition was published in 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marvel Super Heroes (role-playing game)</span>

Marvel Super Heroes (MSHRPG) is a role playing game set in the Marvel Universe, first published by TSR as the boxed set Marvel Super Heroes: The Heroic Role-Playing Game under license from Marvel Comics in 1984. In 1986, TSR published the Marvel Superheroes Advanced Game, an expanded edition. Jeff Grubb designed both editions, and Steve Winter wrote both editions. Both use the same game system.

<i>Wasteland</i> (video game) 1988 video game

Wasteland is a science fiction open world role-playing video game developed by Interplay and published by Electronic Arts in 1988. The game is set in a futuristic, post-apocalyptic America destroyed by a nuclear holocaust generations before. Developers originally made the game for the Apple II and it was ported to the Commodore 64 and MS-DOS. It was re-released for Microsoft Windows, OS X, and Linux in 2013 via Steam and GOG.com, and in 2014 via Desura.

<i>Champions</i> (role-playing game) Tabletop superhero role-playing game

Champions is a role-playing game published by Hero Games designed to simulate a superhero comic book world. It was originally created by George MacDonald and Steve Peterson in collaboration with Rob Bell, Bruce Harlick and Ray Greer. The latest edition of the game uses the sixth edition of the Hero System, as revised by Steve Long, and was written by Aaron Allston. It was released in early 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Meretzky</span> American video game developer

Steven Eric Meretzky is an American video game developer. He is best known for creating Infocom games in the early 1980s, including collaborating with author Douglas Adams on the interactive fiction version of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, one of the first games to be certified "platinum" by the Software Publishers Association. Later, he created the Spellcasting trilogy, the flagship adventure series of Legend Entertainment. He has been involved in almost every aspect of game development, from design to production to quality assurance and box design.

<i>Return to Zork</i> 1993 video game

Return to Zork is a 1993 graphic adventure game in the Zork series. It was developed by Activision and was the final Zork game to be published under the Infocom label.

Legend Entertainment Company was an American developer and publisher of computer games, best known for creating adventure titles throughout the 1990s. The company was founded by Bob Bates and Mike Verdu, both veterans of the interactive fiction studio Infocom that shut down in 1989. Legend's first two games, Spellcasting 101: Sorcerers Get All the Girls and Timequest, had strong sales that sustained the company. Legend also profited from negotiating licenses to popular book series, allowing them to create notable game adaptations such as Companions of Xanth and Gateway. Legend also earned a reputation for comedic adventures, with numerous awards for Eric the Unready in 1993. As the technology of the game industry changed, Legend continued to expand its game engine to take advantage of higher graphical fidelity, mouse support, and the increased media storage of the compact disc.

<i>Warcraft Adventures: Lord of the Clans</i> Unreleased video game

Warcraft Adventures: Lord of the Clans is a cancelled graphic adventure game developed by Blizzard Entertainment and Animation Magic from 1996 until 1998. Set in the Warcraft universe after the events of Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal, it followed the orc character Thrall in his quest to reunite his race, then living on reservations and in slavery following its defeat by the human Alliance. Assuming the role of Thrall, the player would have used a point-and-click interface to explore the world, solve puzzles and interact with characters from the wider Warcraft series.

<i>Ultima VIII: Pagan</i> 1994 video game

Ultima VIII: Pagan is a role-playing video game, released as the eighth part of the Ultima series. Released in 1994, it is a DOS-only title and is also the first game in the series to be rated M in North America. It was not as well-received as its predecessors, Ultima VII and Ultima VII Part Two: Serpent Isle

<i>Dark Sun: Shattered Lands</i> 1993 video game

Dark Sun: Shattered Lands is a turn-based role-playing video game that takes place in the Dungeons and Dragons' campaign setting of Dark Sun. It was developed and published by Strategic Simulations in 1993. It received positive reviews although released initially in an unfinished state. The game had a sequel, Dark Sun: Wake of the Ravager, in 1994. An online MMORPG taking place in the same setting, Dark Sun Online: Crimson Sands, was released in 1996 and hosted on the T.E.N. Network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boffo Games</span>

Boffo Games was video game developer founded in 1994 by Steve Meretzky, Mike Dornbrook, and Leo DaCosta. The logo was designed by Gayle Syska, formerly of Infocom. Boffo produced two games, Hodj 'n' Podj and The Space Bar, before closing its doors in 1997. Hodj 'n' Podj was originally designed for Media Vision but it divested all of its multimedia interests following a securities-fraud scandal and the title was purchased by Virgin Interactive. The Space Bar was originally to be published by Rocket Science Games (RSG) but SegaSoft bought out RSG and became the game's publisher.

<i>The Space Bar</i> 1997 video game

The Space Bar is a 1997 graphic adventure game developed by Boffo Games and published by Rocket Science Games and SegaSoft. A comic science fiction story, it follows detective Alias Node as he searches for a shapeshifting killer inside The Thirsty Tentacle, a fantastical bar on the planet Armpit VI. The player assumes the role of Alias and uses his Empathy Telepathy power to live out the memories of eight of the bar's patrons, including an immobile plant, an insect with compound eyes and a blind alien who navigates by sound. Gameplay is nonlinear and under a time limit: the player may solve puzzles and gather clues in any order, but must win before the killer escapes the bar.

<i>The Elder Scrolls: Arena</i> 1994 video game

The Elder Scrolls: Arena is an open-world action role-playing video game developed and published by Bethesda Softworks. The first game in the Elder Scrolls series, it was released for MS-DOS on March 25, 1994. The game follows the player trying to uncover a conspiracy against King Uriel Septim VII.

<i>Quest for Glory: So You Want to Be a Hero</i> 1989 video game

Quest for Glory: So You Want to Be a Hero is a 1989 adventure game/role-playing game hybrid, designed by Lori Ann Cole and published by Sierra On-Line for MS-DOS. It is the first game in the Quest for Glory series, and has been credited for being a genre-defining game, as it tried to mix graphical adventure gaming with role-playing-like elements such as statistic building that would actually affect the ability to accomplish certain parts of the game. The game has a satirical and silly tone. Ports for the Amiga, Atari ST, and NEC PC-9801 were released in the early 1990s. A VGA remake, titled Quest for Glory I: So You Want to Be a Hero, was released in 1992 for DOS and later in 1994 for Mac OS.

<i>Entomorph: Plague of the Darkfall</i> 1995 video game

Entomorph: Plague of the Darkfall is a 1995 action-adventure role-playing video game by Strategic Simulations, Inc. It was re-released in 2013 on GOG.com.

<i>Hodj n Podj</i> 1995 video game

Hodj 'n' Podj is a 1995 computer board game and minigame compilation developed by Boffo Games and published by Media Vision and Virgin Interactive. It was designed by Steve Meretzky, previously known for adventure games such as The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Hodj 'n' Podj features 19 minigames based on peg solitaire, Pac-Man, Battleship and other games. These may be played separately or within an overarching fairy tale story, which follows the suitors Hodj and Podj in their attempts to rescue two princesses.

<i>Al-Qadim: The Genies Curse</i> 1994 video game

Al-Qadim: The Genie's Curse is an action role-playing game for the personal computer set in the Al-Qadim campaign setting of Advanced Dungeons and Dragons. The game was developed by Cyberlore Studios and published in 1994 by Strategic Simulations. The game combines role-playing game and adventure with a simplified interface; the player's character is a young corsair trying to clear his family's name, rescue his betrothed and determine who has been freeing genies from their masters. The game was re-released in 2015 on GOG.com with support for Windows, macOS, and Linux.

<i>Knights of Legend</i> 1989 video game

Knights of Legend, released by Origin Systems in 1989, is a fantasy role-playing video game.

<i>Alien Logic: A Skyrealms of Jorune Adventure</i> 1994 video game

Alien Logic: A Skyrealms of Jorune Adventure is video game based on the Skyrealms of Jorune role-playing game. It was developed by Ceridus Software for MS-DOS and published by Strategic Simulations in 1994.

<i>Ravenloft: Stone Prophet</i> 1995 video game

Ravenloft: Stone Prophet is a fantasy role-playing video game developed by DreamForge Intertainment for MS-DOS and published by Strategic Simulations in 1995.

References

  1. ↑ "CES Report part 2". Computer Gaming World. September 1993. p. 18. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Superhero League of Hoboken".
  3. ↑ Shif, Gil Alexander (November 23, 2000). "Steve Meretzky". Computer Games Magazine . Archived from the original on March 24, 2005.
  4. 1 2 Leach, James (October 1994). "Wacky". PC Gamer UK . No. 11. p. 79.
  5. 1 2 Ward, Trent (October 1994). "Superhero League of Hoboken". PC Gamer US (5): 62, 63.
  6. ↑ Rouse III, Richard (2005). Game Design: Theory & Practice Second Edition . Wordware Publishing. 192. ISBN   1-55622-912-7.
  7. ↑ Wilson, Johnny L. (August 1994). "The Toxic Humormonger". Computer Gaming World. pp. 46–48.
  8. ↑ Scorpia (October 1994). "Red Tape and Rubber Chickens". Computer Gaming World . No. 123. pp. 49, 50, 52.
  9. ↑ Smith, Lester (May 1995). "Roleplaying Reviews". Dragon . TSR, Inc. (217): 94–95.
  10. ↑ Staff (May 1995). "The Computer Gaming World 1995 Premier Awards". Computer Gaming World . No. 130. pp. 35, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.