Marvel Super Hero Squad: The Infinity Gauntlet (Wii) - Review by Chris

Introduction

Last year saw THQ team up with developer Griptonite Games to create a more kid friendly entry in their Marvel line of video games. The end result, Marvel Super Hero Squad, was an interesting attempt and was certainly helped by the cartoon of the same name doing the rounds on various TV networks worldwide. The two have teamed up once again to try and improve on what they created last year, sticking squarely to the template of the previous game but bringing in a new story and new characters to keep younger gamers entertained. Is this effort worthy of the high prestige that the Marvel brand holds?

Gameplay

The story for The Infinity Gauntlet sees various super villains attempting to capture the Infinity Stones in the hope of trying to take over the world. However, inadvertently hearing of the plot while out getting items for Thor's birthday party, the Super Hero Squad, comprised of members such as Thor, Wolverine, Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk and many others, gang together to stop the super villains from enacting their evil plans. It's a very simple plot, purely as a result of the younger demographic the game is aimed at, and definitely carries similar themes as those seen in the previous game yet here, it feels decidedly below par relying almost solely on bad puns and jilted dialogue to keep any semblance of the story moving forward.

Gameplay continues as its predecessor set it out with the main campaign, playable in either single player or as a drop-in, drop-out cooperative experience, taking the form of a series of chapters where you'll gain control of two specific characters as they fight their way through locations and enemies in the hope of tracking down and preventing the Infinity Stones from falling into the hands of the likes of Dr. Doom. Each of the chapters comprises of various action and platforming segments, with some basic puzzle elements thrown in for good measure. It's seen little refinement from the previous title and remains largely unchanged in these gameplay elements with fighting being basic to appeal to the younger gamer, platforming elements being more simplistic and a mixture of simple and slightly more complex puzzles to add just the right amount of variance to stop these sections feeling dull. Unfortunately, even having these elements tailored to the younger demographic will do little to have them enjoy the game as this mish-mash of gameplay designs and button mashing brings very little sense of fulfilment or enjoyment for the game's proceedings. The elements are mixed and matched, with little variation to how the chapters play out and any sense of unknown about the end to each of the chapters and the game is essentially removed from the beginning leaving little to the imagination as you're playing, making it a rather run of the mill experience.

Each of the chapters is designed in such as way so as to be accessible and with a merciful difficulty setting, younger gamers should be able to make swift progress of the chapters on offer as the game isn't particularly long. However, the levels are also chock full of secret areas that you'll only be able to access by replaying them with different characters, each of which have special abilities which need to be used to access these areas and the treasures they hold such as new levels and costumes for the characters, much in the way you have to in the LEGO series of games. Yet while those games retain a sense of enjoyment when replaying the levels, here they don't and even the youngest and most patient of gamer will find it a chore just to play through it the first time let alone any subsequent playthroughs. The drop-in, drop-out cooperative play for the campaign does alleviate some of the dullness but not enough to make it truly enjoyable.

The game offers up a Challenge mode this time around to further extend the play time beyond what is available in the campaign and with the unlockables, taking elements from the campaign and opening them up for up to 4 players to try their hands at. They add some variety to the package but once again, due to the fact they're closely linked to elements which have come from the story mode, they retain their inability to excite and breathe some life into the game. It's disappointing considering the previous game managed in some areas to at least provide some genuinely fun elements but this at times feels phoned in and rather slapdash to get the game to market in time for the holiday rush, with the budget price tag suggesting as much. It'll keep you going for a while if you can persevere through the game as it's by no means an appalling game, just one that lacks ingenuity and any sense of true fun even for Marvel fans.

Controls

Just as with the last game, you'll be making use of the Wii-mote and Nunchuk combination to control the characters throughout the game. Taking some feedback from last year's effort clearly, the developers have opted to make just about everything button based and it works well but there's little feedback, through the controller's rumble functionality or just generally in the game, meaning the game does feel slightly lacking in the control department and you will find it hard to point your character in the right direction to make certain jumps or for the fighting sections leaving you at times punching thin air or completely missing jumps. There are some light motion controls implemented, with a shake of the Wii-mote and Nunchuk simultaneously resulting in a Heroic attack. Again, it works well and feels less intrusive than the motion gestures in the previous game.

Graphics

Very little has changed for the visual style from the last game as the same colourful and exaggerated looks for the locations and characters, those heavily used in the TV show, returns but it is unfortunately showing its age and at times looks badly dated. Locations, while ably constructed, are linear and rather basic in their presentation of the theme their based on, with blurry textures and basic geometric work going into the design of some rather bland takes on the themes being used. They get the job done in facilitating the gameplay but they just look incredibly bland and dated and certainly wouldn't be out of place in any game from early last generation. Even certain effects within the environments, such as fire and steam, look dated and only help to push the frame rate over the edge, resulting in a commonly fluctuating frame rate.

Character models fair slightly better and look like their respective counterparts. They look the best of what is on offer but issue that were apparent for the environmental design continue here as well, with blurry textures which look like they've been stretched to cover certain characters, some poor design work on certain character features such as hands which definitely look like a hark back to the N64 days and some very basic animation which gives none of the characters any sense of grace, exaggerated or not, that you'd expect from a group of superheroes. They'll look good enough for the demographic the game is aimed at but anyone outside of the younger gaming crowd will quickly pick up on the graphical flaws.

Sound

A variety of musical tones accompany each of the varied locations you'll be playing through, with the tracks being tailored as best as possible to the themes of that particular location. While they don't exactly leap out at you and make you take notice, they're well composed and enough to keep this kid friendly Marvel title appealing to those playing. Voice work steps things up a notch considerably, with talents such as George Takei and Adam West and many others lend their vocal talents to the on screen characters which takes the game's audio to another level. The script is undoubtedly generic with many one liners that will make older gamers cringe but it's definitely tailored to younger kids who'll definitely enjoy what they hear.

Final comments

Rather than taking a step forward with the second title in the series, it seems Griptonite Games and THQ settled on the foundations they laid last year and unfortunately, it has resulted in a game which feels patronising even for younger gamers. The gameplay has seen a few variations and slight refinements but remains as basic and uninvolving as last year, with even the unlockables and multiplayer components failing to even elevate the game beyond the label of mediocrity. Younger gamers may find some fleeting interest in what the game has to offer, especially if they're fans of the show or if they're just starting to get interested in the Marvel universe, but even they'll soon tire of the game and anyone older should completely give it a miss.

Pro: Continues the feel and atmosphere of the TV show well, plenty of unlockables, voice work is well done
Con: Gameplay is just dull, presentation is terrible for a Wii game, controls lack any significant form of feedback
Final score: 5.3

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