Game review: Marvel Super Hero Squad - Sony PSP

In Marvel Super Hero Squad’s case you get all three.

Way back in the mists of time the Marvel Comics universe was born, giving rise to Hulk, Spider-Man and co.

Then a few years ago came the Marvel Super Hero Squad set of action figures.

Earlier this year there was the debut of The Super Hero Squad Show, an animated series based on the line of toys.

The latest link in the long Marvel evolution chain is this video game based on the TV cartoon.

Published by THQ and developed by Blue Tongue, the end result is a simplistic beat-em-up for the junior generation.

It’s much more suited to young fans of the new animation than old farts like me who remember the Incredible Hulk TV series from the late 70s.

That said, even oldies can get some satisfaction if it was a childhood fantasy to be part of epic battles between any of the 20-plus super heroes featured in the game.

Marvel Super Hero Squad features two modes of play – adventure and battle.

Adventure mode can be great fun at times but is also rather torturous in places.

This mode follows a storyline revolving around an evil plot of Doctor Doom to put the broken Infinity Sword back together and rule the universe.

Guided by Ms Marvel the Super Hero Squad must put an end to the baddie’s plans by completing a series of missions.

In each chapter of the adventure you play as a member of the squad, sometimes choosing who you want to be, other times playing as whoever the star of the story is at that point. In each level you are assisted by a computer-controlled buddy.

Between stages there are lively animated scenes which take the story forward, with some mini games to play along the way. Kids will love these little sequences.

The squad includes Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Falcon, Silver Surfer and Wolverine. Doctor Doom has plenty of dumb henchmen at his disposal but more advanced villains including Sabretooth, Modok, Magneto, Juggernaut, Loki and The Abomination pop up during the game.

The fighting is at the lower end of the sophistication scale. There is lots of button crunching required as you take on hordes on soldiers. As basic as the combat is, it’s actually pretty enjoyable, with a large amount of mindless beating up to do. Kids will get a real blast, as well as a kick and a punch, out of the fast-paced intense action.

The controls too are plenty simple enough for younger players to grasp – analogue stick for movement and quick button presses for different attacks.

Graphics in the game are suitably cartoon-like and colourful. The superheroes look very nice. They are all well modelled in a cutesy style. Each character has its own strengths and weaknesses, and their own special moves which kids will enjoy playing with.

Despite these plus points, the graphics are not perfect – it sometimes looks like your hero is walking through the scenery.

Another problem is the camera which has some very strange ideas about zoom and focus. Sometimes it partially hides your character while other times it will struggle to keep up when you turn around or it will flick around for no good reason, leading to some awkward movements.

The graphics glitches pale in comparison to the other serious flaws which hamper the adventure mode. There is some awful level design in this game.

The first level involves exploring a base, defeating all enemy agents and their equipment. When I first did this stage I thought I had completed it when Ms Marvel told me to head for the exit. I was therefore annoyed when I had to repeat the whole level for some unexplained reason.

The second stage presented a conflict of interest in having to defend hangar doors at one end while attacking enemy fighters at the other. I spent most of the time lumbering from one place to another and back again. Particularly frustrating were the frequent warnings that the doors were under attack only for me to find there was nobody there when I trudged back.

In another early level I was told to stop a cannon being fired but I wasn’t told what the cannon was or how to stop it. The stage just involved relentless fighting, and was then suddenly over without me knowing what I had done to pass it.

On a subsequent stage … never mind, you get the picture – the adventure mode isn’t great. And I haven’t even covered the problem of not being able to save the game until you’ve spent 15 or 20 minutes completing a chapter.

Luckily the battle mode in the game doesn’t suffer from the same problems as the adventure. The camera still isn’t perfect but otherwise this mode generally performs better and is more satisfying.

In battle mode you can fight as a good guy or evil villain in one-on-one or team brawls. There are 15 arenas, several types of battles and multiple other settings which can be customised to set up the kind of fight you want.

Overall, adult gamers may struggle to find too much to like in Marvel Super Hero Squad. However, younger players will find a lot to love in this game.

Its comic book-themed cartoon-based fighting action will really appeal to the game’s youthful demographic.

Marvel Super Hero Squad has its issues – and some pretty big ones at that – but kids will love playing as their favourite superhero characters in this classic battle of good versus evil.

When I was a kid being a superhero meant putting on a Spider-Man mask and using my imagination. Now youngsters can get much better comic book action and actually play as their top heroes – lucky them.

Verdict: 6 out of 10 – A shallow and uncomplicated beat-em-up with a few flaws, but it’s still enough fun to provide a satisfying fighting game for younger players.