(Simon was having trouble with his post so I had to post it for him. This is not my (Ashton's) review)
Ladies and gents.
Boys and girls. I'm back on the reviewing train. Whether that's a
good thing or not is beyond me but I can't let Ashton do all the work
(even though it's fun to watch him struggle). ;-)
With the slew of
amazing Marvel films lately, there was always gonna be movie-game
tie-ins. Historically, games based on films (and vice versa) have
been for the most part.....well......crap! Does Captain America have
what it takes to buck the trend of quick cash-ins? Or will this
Avenger completely disassemble (comic geek reference there) your
hopes?
**Please bear in
mind folks that although I'm a MASSIVE comic-book fan, I will be
reviewing this as a game with only mild comparison to the
comics........well, that's my theory anyway!**
GRAPHICS & PRESENTATION
= THUMBS UP SOLDIER! The character models and Cap himself are fairly well done, although Cap himself looks a little scrawnier than you'd expect him to be. The enemies are okay with the classic WW2/steampunk look that was associated with the earlier comic books (well, that theory didn't last long did it)? Facial animations are awful though with all the characters having all the emotive expression of a Thunderbird puppet.
- GIVE
UP NOW CAPTAIN! I'm aware that Cap's shield is virtually
indestructible but when the paint doesn't even scratch and the colour
pallette of the enemies is limited to 3 (at the most), you really
need to start questioning the developers efforts in bringing the
Marvel universe to life. Seriously, this game verges into the 'Gears
of War' style of no colour. It's in-excusable and a real letdown.
- OH LOOK....MORE HOUSES! Really? REALLY?! Could you not think of any suitable scenery apart from WW2 style art-deco houses, pointless alleyways and stereotypical sewers and laboratories? Oh......you couldn't! Well, I guess you better just cut and paste the same generic backgrounds for all the levels. And while you're at it, you may as well make the level design ridiculously inane (more of this in gameplay).
- ONCE UPON A TIME...! What the hell happenned to the story? I'm used to reading some weird convoluted stuff at times but this is just plain dull and stupid (yes, even in comic terms). Red Skull wants to activate a big weapon that's been discovered (yawn) to destroy and.....ya know what.......you get the idea. I'm not gonna insult your intelligence. Terrible pacing, terrible script!!
- OH LOOK....MORE HOUSES! Really? REALLY?! Could you not think of any suitable scenery apart from WW2 style art-deco houses, pointless alleyways and stereotypical sewers and laboratories? Oh......you couldn't! Well, I guess you better just cut and paste the same generic backgrounds for all the levels. And while you're at it, you may as well make the level design ridiculously inane (more of this in gameplay).
- ONCE UPON A TIME...! What the hell happenned to the story? I'm used to reading some weird convoluted stuff at times but this is just plain dull and stupid (yes, even in comic terms). Red Skull wants to activate a big weapon that's been discovered (yawn) to destroy and.....ya know what.......you get the idea. I'm not gonna insult your intelligence. Terrible pacing, terrible script!!
SOUND
- MAKE THEM SCREAM! It's times like this that I wish I had ear-drums made from Vibranium (Vibranium is a completely sound-absorbant metal alloy for those of you who don't know). The voice acting (can we really call it acting?) is awful. The characters have all the emotional spectrum of a drunken snail. There's no panic, no stress....nothing to portray what the characters think or feel. The soundtrack is about as stereotypical as you can get with the usual orchestral score to try and make you feel like you're making a difference on a global scale. It fails miserably. Hell, even the effects of punching, guns and Cap's shield feel remarkably hollow. Damn you SEGA!!
GAMEPLAY
- WHERE AM I? Remember earlier when I said about inane level design? Well, this is where you realise just how bad it really is. Rooms that are needlessly empty, corridors that lead to nothing, linear pathways and levels that try to be smarter than they really are all add up to nothing but pure boredom. The level of interaction with your surroundings is also insanely limited to what the game wants you to do.
- THE 5TH HORSEMAN! Everyone remember Darksiders on the 360? Y'know the game about 'War' that borrowed gameplay elements from games like Legend of Zelda, Portal and God of War? Well, Captain America tried to emulate Darksiders by blatantly stealing the fighting system of Batman: Arkham Asylum and the platforming/wall-running from Prince of Persia. The main difference is that Darksiders was enjoyable because it took those elements and made them its own. CA tried so hard to get it right (and I do genuinely applaud its effort) but just manages to feel slow, clunky and unresponsive. Although, to be honest it's not too much of a problem when the A.I has all the intelligence of a retarded babboon!!
- A.I? Q.A? WTF? OMG!! Did 'Next Level Games' employ a Q&A team? There's a load of bugs in this game that, whilst not game-breaking in their entirety, really manage to p**s you off after a while. An example? Your shield getting stuck in a wall leaving you weaponless. Or how about leaping to a platform that is part of an action sequence, only to fall through the "solid" platform to your death before the game finally realises that you should, indeed, be able to stand on the bloody thing!? These are just a couple of the bugs I encountered and turned a mediocre action game into a test of stamina and willpower (I won in the end).
- WHERE AM I? Remember earlier when I said about inane level design? Well, this is where you realise just how bad it really is. Rooms that are needlessly empty, corridors that lead to nothing, linear pathways and levels that try to be smarter than they really are all add up to nothing but pure boredom. The level of interaction with your surroundings is also insanely limited to what the game wants you to do.
- THE 5TH HORSEMAN! Everyone remember Darksiders on the 360? Y'know the game about 'War' that borrowed gameplay elements from games like Legend of Zelda, Portal and God of War? Well, Captain America tried to emulate Darksiders by blatantly stealing the fighting system of Batman: Arkham Asylum and the platforming/wall-running from Prince of Persia. The main difference is that Darksiders was enjoyable because it took those elements and made them its own. CA tried so hard to get it right (and I do genuinely applaud its effort) but just manages to feel slow, clunky and unresponsive. Although, to be honest it's not too much of a problem when the A.I has all the intelligence of a retarded babboon!!
- A.I? Q.A? WTF? OMG!! Did 'Next Level Games' employ a Q&A team? There's a load of bugs in this game that, whilst not game-breaking in their entirety, really manage to p**s you off after a while. An example? Your shield getting stuck in a wall leaving you weaponless. Or how about leaping to a platform that is part of an action sequence, only to fall through the "solid" platform to your death before the game finally realises that you should, indeed, be able to stand on the bloody thing!? These are just a couple of the bugs I encountered and turned a mediocre action game into a test of stamina and willpower (I won in the end).
WORTH
BUYING?
No! Absolutely not! By all means, rent it if you're an
achievement hunter and want an easy 1000G but this does not do the
film or the comics any justice whatsoever. Nor does it stand up by
itself as a game.
Captain America: Super Soldier was developed by Next Level Games and published by SEGA for the PS3 and Xbox 360. Played for 10+ hours to complete all modes and obtain all achievements. This review is based on the Xbox360 version.
Captain America: Super Soldier was developed by Next Level Games and published by SEGA for the PS3 and Xbox 360. Played for 10+ hours to complete all modes and obtain all achievements. This review is based on the Xbox360 version.
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