2011 marked the release of Captain America: The First Avenger, a superhero movie starring the patriotic champion as he battles against the Nazi forces of World War II and the minions of the hideous Red Skull. Not missing a beat, Sega also publishes the tie-in video game for the Wii console Captain America: Super Soldier, a satisfying if not numbingly repetitious entry in the beat ‘em up genre.
The Captain America: Super Soldier Wii game loosely follows the plot of the movie it was based on. In the game, you play as Captain America and battle against hordes of HYDRA forces and a variety of level bosses in an effort to stop the Red Skull and Arnim Zola from world domination. Fans of the movie will appreciate the fact that Chris Evans and most of the major cast reprise their role by supplying the voice for their corresponding video game character.
The game plays like a standard beat em’ up. Players mash the attack button in order to perform punches, kicks, and combos. Captain America also automatically adjusts for distance and leaps gracefully in the air while hitting enemies, making your attacks on multiple opponents a neat acrobatic feast for the eyes. In addition, Captain America’s iconic shield is present in the game and can be thrown at will using a targeting system. The shield can also bounce around targets, hitting multiple enemies at once. Players can block and run with the shield as well as use it to deflect bullets and projectiles. Another neat feature is the ability to stun enemies, grab on to them, and use them as a human shield of sorts. The game also allows you to commandeer said enemy from behind and force him to fire his weapon on his allies.
The platforming is pretty basic and straightforward. The Captain can leap across raised areas with ease, swing across protruding poles, climb up walls, and swiftly walk across suspended steel bars. Arrows point the way in case you get lost, and an indicator pops up telling you if you can make the jump or not. In addition, the game does a fine job of giving easy puzzles at first and slowly ratcheting up the difficulty.
Captain America: Super Soldier also has an experience meter which can be filled by performing heroic objectives such as rescuing POW’s trapped in various hideouts all throughout the levels. Once the meter is filled, the player can spend it on a set of skills to further beef up the already nigh invincible Captain America. This leveling up mechanism adds a nice touch of variety to the game.
Captain America: Super Soldier was developed with younger players in mind, so it’s pretty straightforward and easy to beat. Nonetheless, it’s a fun romp, especially if you’re a fan of the beloved hero with the red, white, and blue motif.
Captain America: Super Soldier for the Wii contains extremely mediocre graphics. The models look bulky and the environment is pretty bland. Granted, the game is limited by the console, but considering that the Wii is capable of much better as evident in other releases, it’s disappointing for Captain America: Super Soldier to churn out such below average visuals.
Story-wise, there’s nothing memorable about the game. It follows a traditional tale of good guy versus a whole bunch of baddies set for world conquest. The animated cutscenes in the game and the in-story audio are decent enough, but it lacks the quality that a title bearing Captain America’s name deserves.
The biggest drawback is the repetitive gameplay. the Wii Captain America: Super Soldier game gives the illusion of having so many combat features – which is certainly does have – but considering that you can beat the game by mashing the attack button just takes away the joy of using the more complex maneuvers. Furthermore, the shield targeting system still has some serious kinks that need to be ironed out. A shame, since throwing the shield around easily without any bugs would have been a feature most players would extremely enjoy.
The game can be completed within a few hours. As far as replayability, there is little reason to have another go at it despite the offer of unlockable art and extra goodies.
Captain America: Super Soldier for the Wii is a single-player game only. It does not require any special peripheral other than the standard Wii remote.
Captain America: Super Soldier is slightly better than the multitude of other movie tie-in video games out there, but in the big picture, Super Soldier is just another forgettable beat ‘em up. Fans of the movie and other Captain America enthusiasts will find some value in the game, and younger kids will definitely have a good time with it, but replayability is virtually nil. In the long run, you might want to hunker down and read about Cap’s adventures rather than play as him in this somewhat fun but extremely short-lived entry.