This is one of my favorite licensed/comic book to video game adaptations. It was the very first foray for the "Avengers" to be in the video game scene. I was a kid form the 90's , I remember playing this game at the "Auburn Family Fun Center". Despite being a comic book fan, I honestly never heard of the "Avengers" at the time. It wasn't until this game that I heard everything about them, though believe or not this game along was one of the games that got me into one of my favorite comic book series of all time "Iron Man" (that and 90's animated series). I didn't get into "Avengers" and "Captain America" until a lot latter in life if you can believe that.
It makes sense that this comic book series would be a beat em up as the comic series was about a team of superheroes fighting against supervillains. Also the genre was hot and on the rise in the 90's, it was ripe with possibilities and a lot of companies were trying to get in on the bandwagon. Of course, one of my favorite video game companies "Data East" were bound to jump on along with the comic book company "Marvel" that has sorely been needed a good video game adaptation for some time and this game helped in greasing those wheels.
Really like the graphical presentation which really captures the detail and color of the comic series from the 80's decade. The game really makes you feel like you're reading another comic book issue of the Avengers from the developing story which is a simplistic clenched plot of Red Skull and his league of supervillains trying to take over the world. Nothing really new but that's the way I like it as most or some plotlines in the comic series were actually simplistic in nature, it was really what the superheroes do that we were all focused on. This develops with a few cut scenes or even pieces of dialog at the beginning or end of a level as you fight along.
One of the other graphical details I like is sometimes seeing the bang and pow captions, this might seem kind of silly now as it's something you'd see in the "Batman 66" tv series; but that was something that existed in past runs of the series and all superhero comics at the time, as a way to bring effect to the punches and blows the heroes and villains delivered. Playing the game now and seeing those gives the game that throwback feel to the comics of yesteryear.
Really like the character model design, you have a solid amount of sub enemies. I really like that the sub and main bosses consist of the Marvel rogue gallery like Whirlwind, Ulysses Claw, and any others your familiar with whom were in the "Avengers" and a lot of their other Marvel series. One funny think is whenever a few of them do that clenched sinister laugh after they've done a crime and of course signals the beginning of the fight, it's just a strange sound but also, I can't help but wonder what the hell is so funny to them anyway.
And of course, the four "Avengers" in the game whom all look accurate to there comic book counterparts and all consist of "Captain America", "Iron Man" , "Hawkeye", and "Vision". Each have their strengths and weaknesses; the characters I love to play as are "Captain America" and "Iron Man" probably because both are my favorite comic series and superheroes.
The gameplay is solid, each of your characters have a decent combo system but you each have your abilities. Like for Captain America his trademark shield weapon that he can throw and it would come back to him, along with Iron Man's sonic heat blasters. I like that in the game you can actually use them as much as you want without having to worry about draining health or your power gauge. However these abilities aren't singular solution they deliver damage to enemies but not too much; by their nature these abilities are equalizer and long range tools to help minimize the odds and to hit the enemies when you can't get up close for fist a cuffs.
I even like that there is variety in the levels, each of them feel slightly different as some consist of a few new sub enemies which means a new challenge. But I also like the fact this game switches up genres when in other levels it consists of a shooting level where the Avengers fly and shoot down oncoming enemies, those sequences were fun and decent, I mainly like the boss battles in them my favorite is taking down the Sentinel from the "X-Men" comic series; ok it's not quite a Sentinel as its labeled uninspiringly Giant Robot but I still count it as the design is similar. And of course the music is solid, I wouldn't say there are any that make it on my list of favorite tracks but they still are fun listens all the same as they sing out "Avengers" action.
Whether you a fan of the "Avengers" or any of the other Marvel superheroes, or just a non-fan that just likes games in the licensed and beat em up genre, this is worth playing and for the fans of Marvel worth experiencing part of where it all began.
Rating: 3 stars.
It makes sense that this comic book series would be a beat em up as the comic series was about a team of superheroes fighting against supervillains. Also the genre was hot and on the rise in the 90's, it was ripe with possibilities and a lot of companies were trying to get in on the bandwagon. Of course, one of my favorite video game companies "Data East" were bound to jump on along with the comic book company "Marvel" that has sorely been needed a good video game adaptation for some time and this game helped in greasing those wheels.
Really like the graphical presentation which really captures the detail and color of the comic series from the 80's decade. The game really makes you feel like you're reading another comic book issue of the Avengers from the developing story which is a simplistic clenched plot of Red Skull and his league of supervillains trying to take over the world. Nothing really new but that's the way I like it as most or some plotlines in the comic series were actually simplistic in nature, it was really what the superheroes do that we were all focused on. This develops with a few cut scenes or even pieces of dialog at the beginning or end of a level as you fight along.
One of the other graphical details I like is sometimes seeing the bang and pow captions, this might seem kind of silly now as it's something you'd see in the "Batman 66" tv series; but that was something that existed in past runs of the series and all superhero comics at the time, as a way to bring effect to the punches and blows the heroes and villains delivered. Playing the game now and seeing those gives the game that throwback feel to the comics of yesteryear.
Really like the character model design, you have a solid amount of sub enemies. I really like that the sub and main bosses consist of the Marvel rogue gallery like Whirlwind, Ulysses Claw, and any others your familiar with whom were in the "Avengers" and a lot of their other Marvel series. One funny think is whenever a few of them do that clenched sinister laugh after they've done a crime and of course signals the beginning of the fight, it's just a strange sound but also, I can't help but wonder what the hell is so funny to them anyway.
And of course, the four "Avengers" in the game whom all look accurate to there comic book counterparts and all consist of "Captain America", "Iron Man" , "Hawkeye", and "Vision". Each have their strengths and weaknesses; the characters I love to play as are "Captain America" and "Iron Man" probably because both are my favorite comic series and superheroes.
The gameplay is solid, each of your characters have a decent combo system but you each have your abilities. Like for Captain America his trademark shield weapon that he can throw and it would come back to him, along with Iron Man's sonic heat blasters. I like that in the game you can actually use them as much as you want without having to worry about draining health or your power gauge. However these abilities aren't singular solution they deliver damage to enemies but not too much; by their nature these abilities are equalizer and long range tools to help minimize the odds and to hit the enemies when you can't get up close for fist a cuffs.
I even like that there is variety in the levels, each of them feel slightly different as some consist of a few new sub enemies which means a new challenge. But I also like the fact this game switches up genres when in other levels it consists of a shooting level where the Avengers fly and shoot down oncoming enemies, those sequences were fun and decent, I mainly like the boss battles in them my favorite is taking down the Sentinel from the "X-Men" comic series; ok it's not quite a Sentinel as its labeled uninspiringly Giant Robot but I still count it as the design is similar. And of course the music is solid, I wouldn't say there are any that make it on my list of favorite tracks but they still are fun listens all the same as they sing out "Avengers" action.
Whether you a fan of the "Avengers" or any of the other Marvel superheroes, or just a non-fan that just likes games in the licensed and beat em up genre, this is worth playing and for the fans of Marvel worth experiencing part of where it all began.
Rating: 3 stars.
