Captain America: Super Soldier

Super Soldier never hits with as much force as Arkham Asylum, but for superhero fans, it's a worthy adventure.

Captain America is back, guaranteeing authentic action combined with exploration and a thin, but nice storyline – with enough challenges attached to motivate players. Nice work for a licensed game.

Despite these annoyances, Captain America: Super Soldier is a fun, if sometimes mindless, action roller coaster. The game doesn't stray too far from tried and tested gameplay mechanics, but its lack of creativity ultimately holds it back, and it lacks one final level of polish needed to shine.

Captain America: Super Soldier is a fun game that proves that not all move tie-in games are automatically bad. Next Level Games put forth a commendable effort here and the result is a good game that I suggest checking out.

There's a really good Captain America game lurking in here somewhere, and if you gave them enough time, Next Level could probably make it. It's easy to imagine a sequel being successful, with slightly higher production values and a bit more development time. The combat is where it shines, but the rest of the game is flat and average. This still puts Captain America head and shoulders above most licensed games, but that's not saying much.

This is not a game that will win any year-end awards but is worth at least checking out for those who have a yearning for more Captain America.

For fans of the comics and the character, I can't think of a good reason why you shouldn't pick this game up. But understand that you'll probably feel like it could have been so much more.

In the end, Captain America shows off where Arkham Asylum really succeeded. While the combat system is nearly identical, everything else is a tremendous step backward.

Despite these signs of a slight rush job and the mixed presentation, I couldn't help but have a good time with Captain America.

Some of its one-note elements cry out for variety and it can't hold a torch to the senses of immersion and depth that make a game like Arkham Asylum stand out so brilliantly. But as far as movie-based games go there are plenty worse -- and just like a popcorn flick, there is enough fight and flash in the Captain that you may end up having fun in spite of yourself.

A number of fun-halting flaws ultimately make for an experience that's far less polished than the protagonist's shiny shield.

While not a cursed bad game, Captain America: Super Soldier is super short… it's not a complete miss, nor is it a bull's eye.

Despite the ease of earning all of the Achievements/Trophies, the $50 retail price is a bit steep for the content when there is no multiplayer and the story, what little there is, isn't worth playing through again.

It's not terribly long, and very linear. But the satisfying combat and extra content offer some redemption.

A competent knock-off of Arkham Asylum which stands head and shoulders above Sega's other Marvel tie-ins. [Nov 2011, p.107]

Not as exciting as it thinks it is. Standard movie tie-in fodder with added panache. [Oct 2011, p.94]

Captain America: Super Soldier isn't a bad game, but it lacks that brightness and polish that can make the difference between an acceptable game and a good or very good one.

While it certainly won't win any awards for originality or production values, Captain America: Super Soldier is a solid, if predictable, tie-in game that complements the movie well.

Captain America: Super Soldier can't be called a total failure that all comic book fans should stay away from. But it's not a game that is equal to the best of the genre. What we got is a quite well produced game with deep and good looking fights. If smacking down enemies is the most fun thing for you, you can try it out. If not - look for something more complex, prettier and longer.

Captain America bashes enemies with style, but a dull story and bland visuals keep Super Soldier from being a star-spangled success.

Captain America: Super Soldier manages to slightly transcend mediocrity by delivering a solid, yet derivative experience that could have ended in disaster.

An improvement over Sega's previous comic book screw-ups, and that's saying something, but there's still a handful of errors that keep him from truly saving the day.

Although the game has very good animations and a fun combat system, it lacks some more gameplay elements and is too simple, becoming a title only recommended for Cap fans.

Captain America: Super Solider could have been far more entertaining than it turned out to be. The supposed sandbox style setup is actually far emptier and shallower than it should be, and the whole game consists of repeating the self-same combat and timed jumping sections over and over again. You will blitz through Captain America: Super Soldier in five hours and still feel like your time would have been better spent elsewhere. Another movie tie-in 'gem'.

A faded Arkham Asylum facsimile. [Oct 2011, p.103]

Better than most "movie" games – Captain America recycles good ideas from other games and adds open world with lots of collectibles. [Issue#208]

Marvel's iconic character makes a decent entry in videogames. There was potential here, but as with most movie tie-ins, the result looks rushed and unpolished.

The combat in Captain America is actually fun but there's no substance to the story and no challenge for the rest of the gameplay.

Although it's just a movie tie-in with noticeable budget limitations, it's solid, especially in the combat department. I was surprised by Super Soldier's rich combat system obviously inspired by Batman: Arkham Asylum. It can offer a couple of hours of mindless but decent entertainment. [August 2011, p.62]

Captain America: Super Soldier is an enjoyable game, but a limited length and several shortcomings sting where it might have shone.

Captain America: Super Soldier delivers solid entertainment, be it short. The original story lacks a proper introduction and the smooth combat-system feels somewhat borrowed, but that doesn't spoil the fun. The flat AI and graphical issues do, unfortunately.

This five hour lasting adventure is fun to go through and never becomes boring. But Super Soldier has its share of flaws. The scripted levels and the disappointing graphics prevent you from having too much fun with this game.

Captain America: Super Soldier shamelessly copies Batman: Arkham Asylum, and even though it doesn't achieve the same excellence, it remains a nice venting beat'em all to dive into before Batman Arkham City arrives in October. You may yet consider waiting a little so as to see its price get a little lower, because it's still not one of those average games that won't leave a mark in history.

A weak story, boring platforming, and dully recurrent gameplay ensure that Captain America doesn't step outside of Batman's long shadow. Super Soldier is a decent enough action-adventure game, but it's completely inessential.

Moments where Captain America became a joy to play did exist, but they were few and far between. Any hints of promise this game exhibited during previews earlier in the year were dashed before the end of the first couple of chapters. Super Soldier isn't as dire as earlier Marvel games, there's just not much substance to keep even an avid fan of the character interested.

Captain America: Super Soldier is too simple, becoming a title only recommended for Cap fans.

Batman could probably take Captain America to pieces with one hand tied behind his back. [Issue#113, p.118]

I'm not expecting every licensed game that comes along to offer a worthwhile gaming experience on-par with Arkham Asylum or any other triple-A heavyweight, but come on -- I don't expect it to undervalue my time, either.

But at least this game does have potential, unlike Iron Man and Thor, and if you can make your peace with its clunkier aspects then it's a passably enjoyable way to spend an afternoon.

The game is commendable for the way in which it tries to do something different, attempting to create an open-world adventure, but ultimately the execution is lacklustre and unable to support its ambition.

There isn't even an opportunity to crack some skulls, as the Red Skull himself plays a brief scripted cameo, giving way to other lacklustre character steroetypes to flesh out the basic "evil guys take over the world" style storyline.

This new game inspired in the Marvel universe is a title that lacks quality in every aspect. Only the fighting mechanics are great, as they are much better than any other aspect of the game. Captain America should have fared much, much better than this.

Captain America is a good game that is held back by questionable design decisions. The solid combat system provides a superb foundation upon which shaky gameplay decisions were built, resulting in a forgettable experience featuring flashes of brilliance. Give it a try though, it's a fun trip while it lasts, but unfortunately doesn't leave a lasting impression on you, either good or bad.

Superhero games should make you feel what it's like to step into the shoes of someone special. They should let you experience what it's like to wear the cape, strap on the belt, and feel power flowing through your veins. In short, the best superhero games make us feel extraordinary...Captain America: Super Soldier is anything but.

The inherent ropey nature of this tie-in can't be ignored. [Issue#75, p.85]

All its best bits are clearly stolen from Batman: Arkham Asylum, but for a movie tie-in this still counts as above average.