Captain America: Super Soldier
Score: 70% ESRB: Teen Publisher: Sega Developer: Next Level Games Media: DVD/1 Players: 1 Genre: Action/ Adventure
Graphics & Sound: Captain America: Super Soldier doesn't stray far from the template laid out by Arkham Asylum. This, however, is a positive, although following the same blueprint doesn't always end with the same result. It's the videogame equivalent of a cover band; all the words are there, but the "spark" is missing. Super Soldier is an odd mix of really good and really bad visuals. Captain America, as well as most of the main cast, looks fantastic. His fighting animations are focused on super human acrobatics, showcasing lots of flips, rolls and other cool moves. Punches have a nice weighty feel, and shield throws are amazingly tight. Cap's shield deserves special recognition for it's battle-scarred reflective sheen. Environments don't fare as well. Areas are big, but are sparse in details. Textures are flat and lack personality. For lack of a better description, areas feel like designed videogame levels rather than a working facility. They're not terrible; they just feel sterile. Super Soldier gets high marks for assembling most of the film's cast. Chris Evans, Hayley Atwell, Neal McDonough, Sebastian Stan and J.J. Field all reprise their roles and do a good job. Evans is a particular stand-out, considering the wooden dialogue. The game's soundtrack is also enjoyable and manages to capture the film's "big adventure" sound.
Gameplay: Captain America: Super Soldier isn't a direct play-by-play of the movie's plot. Instead, it takes place somewhere in the film's second act "action montage." This is a clever idea, since it allows the developers to tell a different story, but also build on the Captain America mythos. The story finds Cap and the Invaders assaulting a HYDRA base housed in the castle of long-time Captain America villain, Baron Zemo. The plot also pulls in other Cap villains Arnim Zola, Iron Cross and Madame Hydra. Red Skull also shows up, though if you're looking for a chance to go toe-to-toe, you'll be disappointed. Though entertaining, the plot is still tied to the film's status quo, so there are no big surprises. Instead, it serves as a fun bit of fan service for Captain America fans and a way to move Cap between areas in the castle. Gameplay follows a standard beat 'em up formula, but pulls in Arkham Asylum's linear exploration. Each area is connected, allowing you to backtrack through areas in search of hidden trophies. Some offer intel, which serves as a form of experience allowing Cap to earn perks, while others unlock video and diary entries filling in the backstory. Collectables are everywhere, but are mostly around to provide padding for the woefully short (around 5 hours) campaign. The extras (especially the Zemo diaries) are interesting, though you never have to search hard for items. There are actually more hidden items in the game than you're required to collect to complete a collection, which takes some of the motivation out of searching for everything. After completing the main story, you can take on a set of Challenge areas. There's a nice bit of variety to the tasks. There are a couple of basic, "Beat everyone up" tasks, as well a neat Pac-Man styled mission through a hedge maze. These are fun, and I was surprised at how much time I spent with them, though they aren't game extenders, by any means.
Difficulty: I'll stop short of labeling Captain America: Super Soldier a cakewalk, but it isn't much of a challenge. As the sub-title implies, Captain America is pretty "super," and can take on troops with relative ease. The only really troublesome troops are snipers, though only because the timed shield block ability is a tricky tactic. The on-screen visual cue doesn't always match up to the actual in-game timing, so even if you hit the button in time, there's no guarantee you'll get the save. Bosses offer more of a contest. Every boss is based around patterns, though even when you know what to do, you're never completely in the clear. Much of the problem involves not knowing you can perform certain actions. Nearly every boss has a hidden Quick-Time Event (QTE) associated with it, though you're never reminded or tipped off on how to activate it. The only reason I mention this is you're usually reminded about less consequential in-game actions. Even if you know when to activate a QTE, the timing is off. This, unfortunately, is part of a bigger problem.
Game Mechanics: Most, if not all, of Captain America: Super Soldier's problems are related to mechanics. Although the game does a great job of pulling some of Arkham Asylum's best tricks, they aren't as well executed. During E3, I was picked on for referring to Arkham City's controls as being "crunchy." Every button press felt right with little delay between the button press and on-screen action. Super Soldier is the exact opposite. There isn't a huge delay between press and action, but there's enough of one to disrupt combos or throw off timed actions like the shield block or counter attacks. Even special attacks, like a multi-bounce shield attack, never work the way you think they will. On the plus side, once you adapt to the timing issues, combat is every bit as satisfying as Arkham Asylum. Moves look cool and you feel like a super soldier, especially after activating special moves. To access special moves, you need to fill a gauge tied to how well you execute combos and timed moves. The system offers incentive to avoid button-mashing, but with the "soft" feel hurts the sense of satisfaction. Cap also has access to a tactical view, a version of "Detective Mode," that highlights objects in the area and offers hints on how to complete areas. I'm still not sure how much I like the idea, since it takes away some of the exploration and problem-solving I enjoy in games. It's not exactly handholding, but it lends an artificial feel. This is particularly noticeable during platforming segments. Cap can only climb, jump and swing on certain objects in the level. He can't climb on every crate - just those marked by an orange glow. It's fake and works against the game. Captain America: Super Soldier is a much better game than it probably should be. It's certainly the best of Sega's Marvel licensed games, but still falls incredibly short of the mark. Captain America fans will enjoy the game, but only as a weekend rental.
-Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker
Related Links: PlayStation Illustrated's Review of Batman: Arkham Asylum Buy Captain America: Super Soldier on Amazon
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