SEGA's latest super hero game, CAPTAIN AMERICA: SUPER SOLDIER allows gamers to play the role of the red, white and blue hero "Captain America" as he takes on the nefarious Red Skull and his off-shoot of Nazis. It's a classic third person action game but with the inclusion of 3D. With that said, the 3D and special effects of this game actually looks rather impressive.

Loosely based on the recent movie starring Chris Evans as Steve Rogers (aka Captain America), this third person action adventure is reminiscent of SEGA's previous superhero game, THOR: GOD OF THUNDER that contains similar gameplay but opposed to the mighty hammer of Thor called Mjölnir, gamers now have the mighty shield of Captain America to throw at your enemies. Like the hammer, it is used for puzzles and defence, especially when the bullets are flying through the air.

Given that, the story requires you to defeat a plethora of enemies with set objects to complete per level in order to stop Hydra from enslaving the world. It's full of cliché and probably a little too much American patriotism but this is what Captain America is all about so suit up and get your shield ready as you are thrown back into World War II with glorious 3D graphics.

The game follows the standard archetype for third person action games that sees the player fighting a never ending hoard of enemies with the occasional boss battle thrown into good measures as you walk, run and jump around the screen. There are some on the rails moments and needless to say, lots of jumping around.

When the enemies do come at you, Captain America needs to get ready because sometimes you can become inundated with the enemies and you need to rely on your shield to save the day. Nothing is more fun than bashing your enemies with the shield or my favourite move in the game, the super punches. Power-ups are also available as you progress but just be warned, your fingers might get a little tired.

Unfortunately the game is a button smasher as punch and throw your shield around to dispatch foes and solve puzzles. Add in some more melee attacks and jumping attacks and that's the general theme of the gameplay. There is some diversity with the manoeuvres but for the majority, you'll be spending most of time using your shield as it is the most efficient way of killing your enemies, especially from long distance.

Apart from fighting, some levels require you in classic Tom Clancy fashion to use stealth and guile. These were probably my favourite bits in the game as the spawning of enemies out of mid air did become a little too repetitive.

However when you engage in your stealth, the game not only gave the gamer a breather but it did requires some strategy as you snuck up behind your Hydra enemies to strangle them.

As mentioned there are some rail levels which has the Captain running at high speeds and the goal of the player is to control his jumps which is reminiscent of classic arcade games. There are some flying fox moments as well which does help break up the gameplay.

All in all, Captain America: Super Soldier is an old school game with a modern wrapper that works on most levels (e.g. stealth and combat) but fails on others (repetition).

Graphics/Audio

Graphically, the game looks good on the 3DS with some well designed environments and characters. The game looks how a Captain America game should and fortunately plays like a super hero game should because you really get a sense of power when you play Steve Rogers. There are also some cool in-game movies and some fun special effects like your shield throwing and your power-ups.

3D works well, except for the areas that require lots of button smashing as you need to readjust your eyes and sometimes the camera angles do get in the way of achieving certain objects. The voice acting is good in the title as are the sound effects and the musical score which goes well with the gameplay.

Final Level

CAPTAIN AMERICA: SUPER SOLDIER had potential to be a great game but with the repetitive nature of the gameplay and the reliance on the shield in combat, it does loose some points for this. Unfortunately this is one of those games that has been touched by the movie curse which is a shame as the movie was actually quite interesting. But if you enjoyed the movie, you should get a kick out of this and considering the lack of 3DS content, you might want to rent before you buy.