Captain America: Super Soldier: an Alternate Focus Review

Nazi stomping never gets old- especially when it's this much fun.















Y'know, it can't be easy stepping into a freshly minted genre- someone has a great idea, and when it catches, the first thing everyone talks about is how the first adopters of that new genre shamelessly ripped off the originator(s) of the format. What the people doing the talking don't realize is that if no one mimics that new sensation then it will never evolve- instead it will fade away, and something potentially great could end up being lost.


Captain America: Super Soldier is a game outside of the general 'movie tie-ins=BAD' rule- this is a game that borrows from several other games but at the same time, the way it combines and tweaks those elements gives it it's own identity.


Set in a castle complex in- and under- Bavaria, the game provides an open world to explore and tons of stuff to collect- which isn't all that strange(aside from some of the odd places you find certain objects) considering you get intel points- which fuel the game's upgrade system as well as unlocking extras- for everything you collect. It's like getting experience points for exploring the landscape. Story progress is handled in an interesting way as well: while the game takes place in an open world environment, the objectives rarely force you to backtrack- lending the story a(not entirely unwelcome) sense of linear progression and then when the story is over, you're turned loose on the complex to scour the areas for missed collectibles and more HYDRA Nazi goons to pummel. The acting/animation is of note as well; more than once I found myself observing the body language and other small details during cutscenes which really lent believeability to the characters- it did a great deal to invest me in the story.


At first glance, the combat system would appear to have been lifted in it's entirety from Batman: Arkham Asylum, until you realize that the focus, the elements, and the execution of combat are entirely different- Batman focuses on stringing together large combos with various combat moves to raise a multiplier- Captain America is all about achieving the goal (in this case bashing HYDRA Nazi goons) as quickly and efficiently as possible. Also, in lieu of Batman's myriad gadgets, Captain America sports only his shield, but as you progress, the number of ways you can utilize it during combat increases- from the Charging Star we all remember from Cap's appearances in the 'Marvel vs.' fighting series to bouncing his shield around a group of thugs like a pachinko puck on a mission, Cap's shield could occasionally be mistaken for the star of the show(no pun intendid, I assure you). On the whole, stomping bad guys with your shield is weighty and satisfying; counters and fisticuffs are intuitive, if a little imprecise at times; and dodging your way to tricking enemies into shooting, zapping or blowing up their comrades never gets old.

Plaforming is mostly handled by timed button presses- I've found that looking at the indicator on screen is less helpful than observing Captain America in action: when he reaches for the next bar/pole/beam you hit the jump button. It sounds overly simple, but when you complete a whole segment with perfect presses and you watch Cap go flying like an olympic gymnast from one spot to the next, there is a very real sense of accomplishment. At other times, you'll be grabbing onto ledges and shimmying along before swinging from poles to higher ledges to shimmy some more. For the most part, the platforming reminded me very much of 2009's WET, but with the unfortunate drawback of being unable to attack or defend yourself from snipers while on the fly. The strangest thing about that is that even if you're performing a string of perfect presses, enemy snipers will still hit you- I would think that swinging around and keeping on the move would keep you safe from snipers.

Taken as a whole, the game has it's flaws, and it drew some of it's broad strokes from other sources, but those facts don't diminish the fun I had with this game. Smart money says we'll be playing a polished Super Soldier in the future.

*The breakdown:
The excitement factor: 8/10- Once you get the hang of the platforming it can lead to some exhilarating moments, not to mention the unrepentant joy of smashing a Nazi in the face in super slow motion.

The immersion factor: 6/10- Some moments had me listening intently as Captain America was giving a quick lecture on team efforts and all-around wholesomeness, and at other times I was gasping for breath after totalling a particularly lethal robot.

The personality factor: 6/10- Captain America has a couple of lectures to recite on how no-more-special-than-the-average-G.I. he is, and he's got some astoundingly American one-liners, and then there are those other noteworthy character appearances- Madame Hydra is especially noteworthy, personality-wise- that ground the game equally in the movie timeline and the comic lore.

The Hook: With more of a focus on getting the heads cracked faster, and less on being pretty about cracking them, this game is similar to, but stands apart from, it's combat forebearer, Batman: Arkham Asylum.

Over-the-top-itude: 7/10- we've all played super hero games before, but for a guy with no super powers besides his extreme mental and physical conditioning, this game really makes you feel super human- like any videogame worth it's salt should.

I'd give the game five stars, but you'd think I was punning again.