Captain America Super Soldier PAL iNT WII-GXC

Captain America Super Soldier PAL iNT WII-GXC
English | Platform: Wii | Release: April 9, 2012 | Publisher: SEGA | Developer: High Voltage Software | 4.34 GB
Genre: Action

The majority of movie games are just awful. Still, I approach each one with an open mind, thinking it might be one of the shining few examples of what cool things a developer can do with a popular license if they just put some time and effort into it. Games like GoldenEye 007 for the Nintendo 64, Aladdin for the Sega Genesis, or Spider-Man 2 for the PlayStation 2.

Don't get me wrong, Super Soldier, developed by High Voltage Software, isn't a terrible game -- it's just so mediocre it almost hurts to play. Very loosely following the events of the forthcoming movie, Super Soldier follows the Marvel hero's quest to foil HYDRA's evil plans and go head-to-head with their leader, the Red Skull. This might sound cool, but the gameplay itself is just not interesting. I'm all for simple beat 'em up games, but here the simplicity feels less like an artistic choice and more like a cop-out. Even the slight RPG elements, which amount to earning experience stars for new Cap skills, are a bit too shallow to add much to the experience.

I basically spent the entire adventure spamming the attack button. Fighting creates combos automatically, with no input from the player. This is too bad, since layering different attacks for cool combos would have helped make the gameplay more engaging. You can use your shield to stun enemies or tap Z to counter, but the majority of your time will be spent executing the same melee moves over and over again. Holding down the C button initiates Focus Mode, allowing you to target foes to throw your shield at. From what I played, this mode is pretty much broken. It randomly refused to let me target certain enemies, making for an extremely frustrating gaming experience, and ultimately making me give up on the mode altogether. Given that Cap's shield is arguably his most defining weapon, it's unacceptable that this part of Super Soldier doesn't work.

Unfortunately, the additional modes offered do little to make up for the main game's shortcomings. The Zemo Challenges, which can be found throughout the game, are redundant and aren't actually challenging. You can unlock concept art, but it's not cool enough to make spending the extra game time worth it. While the graphics are okay, they're not nearly what they should be. There are far better looking games on the system, and these graphics just scream 'rush job.' For a full release, Super Soldier is far too short, clocking in at only a handful of hours, with essentially no reason to replay once you've finished.
 

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