Marvel Nemesis: Rise of The Imperfects review

I have to admit, my knowledge of the Marvel universe isn’t that great. Sure, everyone knows about Spiderman, and maybe the X-Men, but that’s about as far as it goes for me. Ask me about Johnny Ohm, The Thing, or pretty much any of the other Marvel creations, and you’ll be met with a blank face, or perhaps and smile and a nod at best.

One thing I do know about, however (or at least I like to think I do) is what makes a good videogame. "All is not lost then", I thought, when it came to reviewing this game. Sadly, in the case of Marvel Nemesis: Rise of The Imperfects, "good videogame" isn’t a phrase that can be associated with it. There’s nothing drastically wrong with Marvel Nemesis, but on the other hand, there’s nothing really great about it either.

Must…stay…awake…

There are several different modes on offer; the inevitable story mode, versus and online multiplayer. Regardless of which one you choose though, you’ll essentially be doing the same thing; punching and kicking enemies, cars, walls, and pretty much everything else that appears on the levels.

There is a storyline, but it’s not really cohesive and just feels like an excuse for mindless destruction. This is the crux of Marvel Nemesis; all you actually do is bash your way through the game, whether it’s following the plot or just messing about in multiplayer.

You’d think that in a game that’s focused so much on fighting, that there’d be lots of different moves, throws, special powers and the like. Especially when the characters involved are guys and girls with special powers and abilities. Yeah? Well, erm, apparently not.

Admittedly, each character does have specific moves related to their abilities, but they really don’t affect the gameplay as much as they should, and you’re looking at one or two moves at best.

You only have two buttons available for dishing out pain; square, for punching and kicking, and R1, which triggers rage mode. Speaking of rage mode, as you mindlessly punch your foe, a meter steadily builds up.

When full, you can enter said mode. You’ll be greeted with a menacing shot of your character, glowing red eyes and all, and then you’ll be thrust back into the action ready to dish out more pain with your newfound rage. Except, you don’t actually seem to do any more damage in rage mode, making it pretty much redundant.

“It’s clobbering time!”

Consequently, the game comes down to an endless cycle of mashing square, with the occasional tap of R1 if you feel like it. Objects found around the levels can be picked up and thrown via the circle button, or used to pummel your opponent, but even chucking cars 40 meters down a street onto your best mate's (virtual) head gets boring after a while. Some more variety in terms of the moves your character can execute would have helped to make the game more tactical, and ultimately more enjoyable.

Fights can usually be put into one of two categories then; an all out button bashing endurance test, constantly hammering the square button, or, an all out button bashing endurance test, with the occasional use of the block button or use of an object (read: car, dustbin, lamp-post).

There’s nothing particularly bad about the game; the graphics are competent, while far from stunning, and the music is passable, except for the unbelievably irritating, yet somewhat catchy menu music.

The trouble is, the game just becomes so repetitive, it’s hard to maintain enthusiasm to keep playing. There are numerous unlockables available, which, if you’re an ardent Marvel fan might give you some incentive to keep playing, but these unlockables are only in the form of other characters, character profile cards or comics.

Must…stay…awa- Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz…

The multiplayer does provide some longevity, although even this becomes stagnant after an hour or so. Versus matches are straight one on one affairs, with a number of different rounds available. Each round takes so long to complete though, it’s a real effort to get through the full set and find a true winner. Boredom will often bring the session to an end before someone gets KOd.

There’s really not much more to be said about Marvel Nemesis. If there was a videogame dictionary, next to the word average, you’d be sure to find Marvel Nemesis. It’s the very definition of the word, with so-so graphics and sound, mindless, repetitive action and nothing to get even vaguely excited about.