Captain America: Super Soldier

Captain America: Super Soldier brings the legendary shield-swinging heroics of Steve Rogers into realisation. The game is based on the movie that was in turn derived from the comic book series by Marvel Comics. This title is a must for fans of the movie or comic book series; it carries some major cool-factor as you control one of our favorite heroes in stopping an evil plot to take over the world amidst the chaos caused by World War II. Fighting loathsome enemies - some of the classic villains of the Captain America series - and playing as one of the most patriotic heroes out there is sure to be fun for many other gamers out there, too. Does this game fall into the pitfalls that trap many other movie spinoff games? The short answer is yes in some areas, but even though the game does suffer from some of the classic faults of movie spinoff games, it still had enough features to make it into an enjoyable experience for this reviewer, who also happens to be a huge comic book fan (I own between 8-9000 comics - mainly from Marvel - so bear with me as I try to be as objective for this game as possible). Pick up your shields and Captain America costumes and check out the rest of the review.

The Story of Captain America: Super Soldier

The game starts off right in the middle of World War II as the hero Steve Rogers (aka Captain America), who is the symbol of freedom and justice in this catastrophic war. For those unfamiliar with whom exactly Captain America is I’ll break down his powers for everyone. To begin with, Captain America was this scrawny kid that wanted to serve his country during World War II, but due to his lack of physique he was unable to join until being chosen to partake in a science experiment that turned him into the first and ultimate super soldier that he is in the game. Long story short, he gets enhanced in this process and becomes the hero for an entire nation. Now as to what his powers are; they aren’t really flashy powers like Superman and he doesn’t have tons of cool gadgets like Batman, but he does have one unique tool for him that sets him apart from all other heroes out there: his shield. The shield is like an extension of Captain America that is made from special alloys, making it one of the strongest substances on earth, and when wielded by the super human Captain America, it’s one shield you don’t want to be on the receiving end of.  Cap’s main powers are due to the Super-Soldier serum - he now has all the traits of a human, tbut pushed extreme limits of the human body. This means his strength, endurance, reflexes, durability, speed, and healing are all at a rate that is much higher than a normal human being. These abilities are displayed in the gameplay really well and they don’t feel exaggerated or changed just to fit into the game world.

For those who haven’t seen the movie, don’t worry - this game does not give away much of that story. Instead of fighting Nazis, this story has Cap getting entangled with one of the largest evil villain groups in the Marvel universe, HYDRA. The game begins with Cap finding enemy soldiers with high tech weapons that haven’t been seen in the war thus far. Upon investigating these he discovers they are HYDRA weapons and thus begins his charge to put an end to these weapons so they don’t make it onto the battlefield. This brings Cap face-to-face with some very familiar villains from his stories. Madame Hydra, Baron von Strucker, Arnim Zola and the Iron Cross are the main villains that you get to do battle with in the game. The Red Skull does make an appearance, but unfortunately there is never a one-on-one battle with him. Like many games, fighting the bosses requires figuring out their pattern of attack in order to destroy them, thus nothing new, but combat still provides a little challenge in a few cases. I will go on the record by saying the final two bosses were far too easy and a big letdown. The developers tried to make up for difficulty by adding more foot soldiers that were very simple to avoid and destroy at any time I wanted. I was really looking forward to the final boss and after beating him I had the feeling, “is that it?”

The maps offer a lot of opportunities to display the agility of Captain America in ways I don’t remember ever seeing in a superhero game before. You have to travel across platforms in all manners of ways in order to progress through the map, and there is even a system to speed up jumps that increases your energy for special attacks. Moving from platform to platform proved to be rather simple and didn’t make things overly complicated. I will say these movements made Cap look more like a gymnast or monkey than a superhero, but they did add a change of pace to the gameplay.

Battle Mechanics

At first glance, the battle mechanics seem really simple, with melee attacks, grapple moves and shield-throwing, but as I got into the game I found that there was a subtle depth to the fights that those who wanted to try them out were sure to enjoy. To start off, there is a counter-attack system that at first is a bit difficult to get the timing down on, but once mastered adds a fun variance to the fights that takes away from the repetition. Also, there are a few special attacks that can be utilized by having the right amount of energy accumulated for the attack. There is a single attack that does considerable damage on the targeted enemy. This is the easiest to use and probably the one used most by me, as it took the least amount of energy. A fun attack is weaponizing an enemy. This allows you to grab an enemy and turn their weapon on their allies, which is always fun. For times where there are just too many enemies, there is super soldier mode in which Cap's attacks become very strong and you move a little faster than your enemies, making it easy to destroy an entire mass of enemy soldiers.

This game forced me to do one thing I rarely do in games: block attacks. It’s a must in this game, as the shield is as important as the character of Captain America. You have to learn how to time blocks to return enemy attacks in boss battles and to take out snipers. This takes some adjustment for players like me that like to just play offensively, but by the end of the game I would consider my blocking skills on a pro level after using it so many times. There is one area in the game where you don’t have the shield and I came to miss it very quickly.

As you gain experience you can unlock nine battle techniques. There doesn't seem like many techniques to learn, but as the game took me just under six hours to complete, nine unlockable techniques worked out just right. These techniques enable you to dodge attacks and later counter-attack after the dodge. It increases the number of enemies that your shield can strike with each throw. There are also some new attacks that can be unlocked. I found these new attacks to be a bit disappointing. They required time to charge up, thus making you stand still for a second or two before they release the attack. Although these attacks were stronger, they were difficult to use as they just slowed down the fighting that should be filled with agile dodging and striking. I found myself only using these attacks to knock down bigger enemy grunts so I could finish them off faster. 

Enemy AI Not The Sharpest Knife In The Drawer

Enemy AI is nothing to write home about. They use simple, straightforward attacks that focus on what they see and overuse the same tactics for attacks. I will say that using a surprise attack on an enemy is pretty funny the first few times you see it - you tap them on the shoulder then smash their face in when they turn around. The only thing I think I would have found funnier is if Cap would have snuck up behind enemies and then given the unsuspecting enemy a wedgie till they passed out. Also, when you knock an enemy down they may get back up, so you have to learn to watch if they are still moving in order to deliver a ground blow to finish them off. Even the boss AI proved to be very predictable and their attacks were easily avoided. Some better AI would have been nice, but it wasn’t the worst I have ever seen in a video game.

The quality of the graphics was pretty good. When deflecting bullets back at enemies, you can see a little spray of blood where the bullet or projectile struck them. Also, when a grunt soldier hits your shield when you are blocking, they will shake their hand like it is hurt. It's little actions like these that really add to this game and many people may not notice all the subtleties that are added into this title. There are even two ways that Cap will throw his shield, which I really liked. He would either throw it frisbee-style from his side or above his head in an arc. The cut scenes were well done, with voice acting from the actors in the movie and dialogue that went well with the storyline that tied it into the movie really well. A little more story would have been nice, with more content to really draw the player into the game.

 Extra Content

This game does have some extras that fans of Captain America may enjoy. There are two unlockable costumes, Ultimate Captain America and Classic Captain America, which are a nice addition. There are also challenges that help to add a little more difficulty to this title and give some extra experience so players can unlock new skills faster. There are unlockables for concept art and extra film reels that are unlocked by collecting items left all over the map in the game; these are a little funny to me as they are heirlooms, film reels, and other items you just wouldn’t expect an evil mastermind organization to just leave lying around all over their base. I guess HYDRA doesn’t like to organize their belongings or hide them.

 Conclusion

This game was far better than most that are based on movies. That said it will not appeal to everyone and those it does appeal to may not want to buy it. It’s more of a rental as it doesn’t take a long time to finish and there is little desire to replay it once it has been beaten. For those that enjoyed the movie, like comic book super heroes or just can’t get enough Captain America, this game is one to check out. It’s obvious that the developers knew this game would appeal to a certain audience and tried their best to make a game that would be enjoyed by them. Also, throwing the shield is pretty fun, especially once it’s leveled up to hit five enemies at once. Captain America loses a lot without the shield and that’s what makes this game stand out for me from other hero games. Captain America: Super Soldier is no game of the yea,r but it’s a good title for those that are willing to give it an honest try and already have an interest in the game and its protagonist.

Written By Paul Miller

Editor comment