Captain America: Super Soldier

Who else saw a game to run in parallel with a Captain America movie coming? Everybody? Thought so. Marvel releases video games alongside their film like bacon in a cheeseburger. It's not absolutely necessary, but it does throw something intriguing into the mix - it can also be too salty or burnt to crisp. In short, there are many ways to screw it up by adding it in - so is Captain America: Super Soldier good bacon?

The game is based on the character in the film The First Avenger. It's worth noting the film was actually pretty good, adding extra pressure on the developers to create something that runs in tandem with its quality. You can't get away with releasing just another average Marvel game, can you?

All-American Hero...Kind Of

As it turns out - you can. There doesn't appear to be any sort of synonymy between the Marvel film's quality and the games. That's a shame, really. So what makes Captain America: Super Soldier just an average offering. Well, we can start with the bigger picture of the game.

Super Soldier doesn't offer much in the way of expanding on the film. Many cinema-goers would enjoy the movie then feel like they want to be Captain America - immersing themselves in the game presenting a playable version of the hero. What it feels like is that you are a well-defined character dropped into a clay-built Bavarian castle with no real rhyme or reason to be there.

The lighting in the environments is dire, the modeling is really not up to scratch, and the gameplay leaves a lot to be desired. The short campaign features some uninspired puzzles, monotonous achievements, and a storyline that does absolutely nothing to complement the cinematic experience. Captain America: Super Soldier's saving grace is the combat that actually dishes out some entertainment. There is satisfaction in beating up the hordes of enemies with your shield and applying finishing moves with slow-motion uppercuts. There is variation as well that allows for stealth approaches and to use the enemy assets against them.

Remove the Super from Solider

It may have been a choice just to focus on the core element of combat - being what makes Captain America great in the first place. All the surroundings in gameplay simply take the sting out of what could have been something great.

The developers have clearly used Batman: Arkham Asylum as a framework to create the game. However, they have forged a playthrough that by no means lives up to its success.

Pros

• Combat is well-rounded and varied
• Finishing moves are satisfying

Cons

• Visuals are incredibly bland
• Short campaign
• Uninspired puzzles and interactivity outside combat