Day Late and a Dollar Short Game Review - Captain America: Super Soldier

Early hype on this game was positive. The game play looked impressive, and the combat system was completely ripped off from Batman Arkham Asylum. So it had to be fun … right? A week or so after it was released, I shelled out 50 clams for the game. This was something I've only done a few times in my adult life.

It came out... and it was labeled as a mediocre shovel-ware game. The critics aren't wrong, and with a meta critic average of 61 it wasn't going to win any awards.

The graphics are subpar for the end of the generation. The game assets seemed rushed as the attention to detail was pushed aside in favor of only delivering what the contract says it needed to deliver. While some character models are interesting as they tried to mix modern technology with WW2 elements, most are run of the mill. I assume they were given production notes and concept art from the upcoming movie as it had the same feel as Zola's army men.

The combat system is what you get when you try to quickly copy a Rockstar, Take 2, and Batman game. It's slow and unresponsive, and while some of the quick time events are nice and detailed, others suffer from poor camera and placement of models. “Wow, Cap sure did, somehow, kick that dude in the face from 10 feet away.”

The story is boring and easily forgettable. I ended up finishing the game and I can't even remember the name of the first boss battle (it was Baron Von Wolf something... I had to look it up). Give it a week and I'll forget the whole thing, just as I did when I played it 9 years ago. I spent most of the game going, “I don't remember a thing about this game.” I do like the Zola robot at the end of the game though... from what I can remember that is...

Don't even get me started on collectibles. It's almost like an intern was told to … just place some stuff around each level - we don't care, just make sure you have X Y Z placed. It's also impossible to pick up some items. How many times do I need to run around a crate to get a “pick up” prompt?

Put all these three elements together and you get a game that deserves most of the bad reviews.

With all its faults, I still have a good time playing. The levels are interesting enough and I've had to run around looking for the next level more than once. While that is poor level design, I've discovered a few areas I wouldn't have otherwise, and the game itself has more secrets than you would think. I still have no idea where all 22 anti-aircraft guns are.

Sure, the combat is generic and doesn't work all the time, but I had a good time beating up Marvel Nazis. There is a satisfying “ringing” when you hit an enemy in the head with your shield. Although I poke fun at the art direction, I'm a sucker for giant mechanical machines that appear all over this game (some of which I wished were in the actual movie).

So, should you buy a copy of the game, and if so how much should you reasonably pay for it?

I recommend passing: If you can get a copy for 5 bucks grab it. Otherwise it would be better to just fire up a copy of Batman: Arkham Asylum and enjoy a superior game.

If you're still up for getting a copy, check out eBay.

Available on PS3, XBOX360 (not backwards compatible), Nintendo Wii, and 3DS.

Be prepared to pay upwards of 20 bucks for a copy.

Video Review with gameplay capture below: