Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects (DS) Review

Ah, what could have been. Sometimes you just run into a stinker of a game and wonder what could have happened if it had zigged instead of zagged, know what I mean? Take Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects. The game came out for consoles a couple of months back and immediately sunk to mediocrity on account of its average fighting engine, coupled with some good design ideas. If only some more concentration had gone into the fighting itself instead of the gloss surrounding it, we could've had a game that could contend with Capcom's old Marvel Vs. brawling games.

But at least the console versions and the PSP game were somewhat playable. The version that Electronic Arts has cooked up for the Nintendo DS borders on the downright insulting. The game tries to craft together its good ideas from the console version but falls completely apart due to the lack of any comprehensible gameplay or balance. As a result, it may get some interest for its presentation, but it's got nothing else standing up beneat the pretty surface. It's like jumping into a pool with the pretty blue water on top and then discovering the sludge that lurks on the floor below.

The game's similar to its console cousins, as you must choose from a number of Marvel characters (or any of the Imperfects, custom-built enemies just itching for a fight) and then taking it either to the lame Story mode, made up of comic book sequences instead of actual in-game movies, or versus, which is made up of "who can tap the button the quickest" contests. There's only four selectable characters at first, with many others waiting to be unlocked. This is kind of a cheap ploy by EA, forcing many to go through the game's flaws in order to get to whatever good it's hiding. It's like rooting through a dumpster of crap for a $20 bill.

The graphics look alright, but you can tell they're lacking. The animation works so far only to be hit with stuttering collision detection and occasional "jumps" in the animation. The backdrops are serviceable but could've used touching up. The sound also fails to rise to the occasion, with only moderate music and sound effects in place. Where's Danny Elfman when you need him? (Wait, did I just say that?)

But the game literally falls apart on gameplay. A flurry of punches, kicks, and concentrated moves are lost within the game's miserable reaction time and balance. Putting up a fight against someone else relies on the "tap-tap" motion instead of actual strategy. Sure, you could manage to get a throw off, but it's mostly by accident. The whole thing just lacks concentration and, as a result, brings down whatever effort built around the game in the first place. The folks at Sensory Sweep tried to add collectibles and unlockable characters as bonuses, but, really, what was needed here in the first place is a reason to play.

Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects is quite imperfect at that, lacking in any real reason to play unless you're an absolutely Marvel nut, in which case Ultimate Spider-Man will provide far more entertainment. I don't think that any of Marvel's do-gooders could save it from itself.