The Captain heads to the 3DS with mixed results…
Become Captain America, the ultimate Super-Soldier, as you face the Red Skull’s army in this gripping original third-person action adventure set in the darkest days of World War II. Wield Captain America’s legendary shield to take out enemies at a distance, interact with your environment, and deflect incoming fire back at foes as you traverse Hydra’s massive castle to save the world from Cap’s villainous archenemies.
Captain America: Super Soldier for the 3DS is a port of the console versions, which is rare for a handheld game and while that would be impressive to most games, it doesn’t quite work as well as I had hoped. The 3D effect is the only thing extra to those who have the console versions, but even they have 3DTV support, so why should you get this version? Well besides having the convenience of playing the game on-the-go, there isn’t a compelling enough reason to pick it up and the price tag of £35 is pretty steep for what’s on offer.
The game itself isn’t that bad; it rips off Arkham Asylum’s combat system but is a linear experience, which is unfortunate. Since the console versions came out, Arkham City has already come out, so I find the timing of the 3DS version questionable as it can’t really compete with the Dark Knight’s latest outing, but of course there is no handheld version of it, at least not for now…
I would have thought with the extra time handed to the portable version that they would add some different modes, but instead it’s a straight port which is disappointing. The 3DS effect is nice, but alas the visuals haven’t had an upgrade…which is a shame considering the 3DS does have quite a bit of extra horsepower in it than most realise. It looks very average, but the cartoony style of the game is somewhat charming. Voice-acting is cheesy and the soundtrack is a mixed bag.
The problem with the game is that it feels far too average and predictable; you essentially go from point to point with no backtracking unless you missed an obvious collectable. It’s a shame they went for the typical route of a tie-in instead of taking a chance like Rocksteady did, but I guess that’s to be expected and unfortunately the result isn’t the best. Instead what we get is a game that is short and forgettable.
The Verdict
Captain America: Super Soldier isn’t the worst film tie-in, but it’s not memorable in any way. I wonder why the 3DS version was delayed for so long considering the console versions had 3D support already, but either way it’s bad timing for them to release it now and as a result, I’d keep out of Cap’s way this time round.
