The Discussion Thread: The Greatest Games Event 2017 - FINISH YOUR LISTS

[The_Liquid_Laser]

More hints. 

 

#3 “Since man first walked upright, he has looked to the stars and wondered, ‘Are we alone in this cold corner of space? If something is out there, would it be friend…or foe?’ What would this Earth man think if he could see a desperate space ship, fleeing at a speed faster than imagination? What would he think if he saw the impact of powerfully potent neutronic missiles upon its fragile frame? What would he make of the strange pod that ejected from the ruined remains, just in time to avoid its mysterious inhabitant’s destruction? And would he gape in wonder at the dozen or so strange canisters that burst from its hold and fell towards the atmosphere of our guileless globe? What emotion would pass through his mind as he observed these selfsame containers as they passed through our atmosphere and fell upon the surface of an unsuspecting metropolis? So many questions and so few answers…until now dear viewers…until now….”

Hint 2: This is a real time tactical RPG.
Hint 3: This PC game pays homage to silver age comic books, especially those created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
Hint 4: The developer of this game is actually more well known for a game about an underwater city dedicated to Objectivist philosophy. 
Hint 5: In this game you control up to 4 super heroes on each mission, and you can usually pick which 4 you want to take from a much larger roster.  The super heroes were created by the game developers and do not come from the comic books.
Hint 6: In this PC game you control a Force of super heroes, fighting to protect the Freedoms of the people of Earth from Lord Dominion and his forces.
Hint 7: Director Ken Levine said that one big reason he made this game was that no one had made a good super hero game yet.  Of course City of Heroes and Spiderman 2 would both be released 2 years later.

 

#1  My list so far is dominated by arcade action games and fantasy RPGs.  This is an NES game.
Hint 2:  This NES game set the gold standard.
Hint 3:  The cartridge to this game is so distinct that you can recognize it without even seeing the label.  You might only confuse it with its sequel.