Captain America: Super Soldier.

Super Soldier is proof that Movie tie in games don't have to suck. I know the relevance of this game is really only as relevant as the movie and the movie really isn't that relevant any more but I waited for this to come down in price for the fear that I'd suck being that it was a movie tie-in and then by the time I had it, I had loads of other games to finish and this is really the first time I've sat down to play it.



For the most part CASS is made up of you VS Hydra, although most Hydra goons require more than just wailing on them, for the most part most Hydra goons can be taken down with well timed dodges and counters rather than say DMC's shit where enemies just won't die unless you hit them from behind or some crap like hitting switches or whatever (although the fucks with shields can be a pain in the arse). So it's satisfying that even with tougher enemies, as long as you keep your wits about you, you can still take them down and you aren't fiddling trying to run behind enemies or whatever shit. And because of this, it just does a really good job of making you feel like Captain America.

Despite being a movie tie-in CASS feels much closer to a comic book adaptation of Cap. His spring in his step which was strangely missing from the film is back, allowing you to leap and flip away from enemy assaults quickly making you feel like comic Cap as you flip over an enemy and twirl and smash him in the face with your shield (it also makes you feel fucking badass). True to the whole comic thing too, your main enemies are Baron Von Strucker and Madame Hydra both redesigned to a certain extent to fit the WW2 steampunk nazisploitation feel of the game (and they look awesome) and movie Red Skull and Zemo just make cameos.

Platforming is a joy in this game, because it's more like a series of quicktime events rather than actual platforming and so far I've tried to screw up...and couldn't. It makes such a nice change from DMC where I may get stuck on a puzzling platform section for an hour, here on CASS I just tap A a few times and onwards with hitting people in the face with my shield! (which is what we all came here to do, right?)

The story is pretty simple stuff Captain America VS Hydra in WW2. The game isn't really that story heavy and I really don't think story even particularly matters, story only ever seems to be there to put the player in heroic situations or give him an excuse to take down a room full of guys with a well plotted shield toss.

That isn't to say the game is perfect, the combat could do with a lot of tightening. There is a slight time delay in button presses and the game does have a tendency to play itself often feeling like you aren't in control at all, you tap a few buttons and Cap is flipping around and throwing his shield - I mean it looks awesome but I would like to feel a little more in control. But I'm just glad they managed to capture Cap's fighting style so perfectly either way.

Cap also has a lot of 'critical moves' - these can range from a 'super' punch or kick cracking someone's helmet and taking them down with one mighty whack, to selecting multiple targets in a room, letting your shield loose and watching the carnage unfold or turning enemies weapons against them and more. These all look really cool and are satisfying to pull off but aren't really necessary since every enemy will fall down eventually no matter what way you choose to wail on him.

There are also vague RPG elements as you can upgrade Cap as you go along, but you're only ever given three choices at any one time and you have to unlock all of them to get the next set so it isn't really a choice, you just choose the order and these range from how many times Cap's shield bounces to giving him special abilities. Plus out of the 9 unlockables, 6 are just variants of the first three and in the end I didn't even bother unlocking them all because there was just no need.

And in itself I guess that is a problem because that is basically your whole game. You walk into a room, beat up some guys, do a quicktime platforming section, break a code, go into another room full of guys and repeat. Personally I didn't mind this because the combat is satisfying, the platforming is frustration free and games that are easy enough to just kick back, relax and enjoy are rare these days but in a market where we have multiple choice conversation systems, deep character relationships, political commentary stories and all of that you can't help but feel like CASS is a little basic or outdated.

The biggest problem is the length of the game, being that the game removes all frustration and makes itself so playable it actually becomes quite easy (which is enjoyable for me but I know how much you hardcore faggots like frustration for some odd reason) so I finished the game under eight hours in the end, I think, with the game only having eighteen chapters which I personally think is inexcusable for a full priced game in 2011, luckily I picked up a copy for about £12 and that was a couple of months back so it'll probably be even cheaper now (or just rent it for a weekend like I mentioned above).

The game looks okay but nothing special, it's detailed and HD enough to not look like some cheapass rushed together POS but most of the environments are big but not really filled with anything so they can often feel quite bland and environments have a tendency to blur together because of this and about the only changes you may note are when walls are green and when they are grey - this becomes even more noticeable towards the end of the game which has you backtracking rather than going to new environments. It's also quite interesting to note that this game is goreless, when you take enemies down they're shown to be defeated by their helmets falling off and them dropping their weapons. Feels like I'm playing a cartoon.

The only real difficulty found in this game is through the odd design choice of how you replenish health. It's the self replenishing style, but instead of hiding behind boxes and waiting for it to recharge, it wont recharge during combat and there are no health potions either. You can recover small amounts of health doing Critical Moves but for the most part combat is just a grit your teeth stick it out kind of thing, encouraging well timed dodges and counters.

You unlock a lot of shit as you go, mainly concept art (does anyone ever care about this shit?) you can also pick up film reels and stuff, they are interesting and stuff I suppose but they didn't make me care quite as much as say...BioShock's audio diaries which truly enriched the world. What is really awesome though is there are two unlockable costumes. WW2 Ultimate Cap and Classic Cap and these aren't just aesthetic, they come with extra bonuses too. Although I know they are both fitting the WW2 theme of the game and I'm still glad there are unlockable costumes I just feel slightly disappointed they limted it to a WW2 theme because they could have included loads of other (much more interesting) Cap costume unlockables like maybe Skrull Cap or maybe the Ultimate Cap with the Photonic shield. Although I am still grateful they gave us unlockable costumes at all and ones that have a direct impact on gameplay but...I'm a Brit, never satisfied.

So do I recommend it? CASS isn't a game changer (arf) but the devs clearly love the franchise and it shows and it's a shame a game all about fun and accessibility just feels so dated compared to modern games because this is what gaming is all about to me, a pass time to unwind too. So, much like Cap, CASS feels like a relic from the past and much like Cap, it's a welcomed one. If nothing else, this deserves a weekend rental.

Think About It!

-Locke