Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects

It’s tough being a superhero, even more so when your city is being overrun by mysterious alien crafts that have destroyed major New York City landmarks and even made short work out of the city’s defenders like Captain America, the Hulk and even The Punisher. Yet in the Marvel Comics universe, there is still hope and it comes in the form of New York City’s surviving superheroes that will never give up. This is the situation that arises in Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects, a fighting game featuring Marvel’s much-loved superheroes versus a new assortment of villains created specifically for the game.

The game’s main theme revolves around an invasion of epic proportions by unknown crafts that may be alien in origin. Luckily the Fantastic Four’s Thing was out for a late night stroll when the attacks occurred and he manages to fight off a wave of crafts when alien invaders begin to emerge out in the streets. In another part of town the X-Men’s own Wolverine answers a distress call coming from the Avenger’s Mansion. In yet another part of town, Elektra is searching for her vigilante love interest known in the streets of Hell’s Kitchen as Daredevil. It isn’t until each hero comes face to face with enhanced villains calling themselves the Imperfects that the mystery behind the invasion begins to unravel.

This is the theme introduced in the game’s Story Mode, the very mode you’re forced to complete if you want to play as any of the 18 characters you can use in the game’s Versus Mode. The lineup of Marvel Comics created characters is impressive and cool enough to make fans drool. Aside from the four main characters I mentioned above there’s also Spider-Man, Iron Man, Storm, the Human Torch, Magneto and Venom. The Imperfects are composed of Fault Zone, Solara, Brigade, Paragon, Johnny Ohm, Hazmat and The Wink. While they’re not a badly designed group of villains their abilities aren’t interesting enough to make them fit among Marvel’s best lineup of villains. Then again, there isn’t much of a story here to begin with so each battle doesn’t seem as epic. 

The game is broken off into chapters featuring specific characters. In the beginning you’ll have the choice of playing through the Thing’s scenarios or those of Wolverine’s and from there you can pick from Electra until the next character is introduced. This, of course, interrupts any narrative the game’s story would have had seeing as you can jump from one character to the other after each battle sequence. You’ll have to go through a number of alien thugs to get to an Imperfect, something that quickly becomes something of an annoyance. It isn’t until you face off against an Imperfect that things get a bit interesting.

Fighting is simple mainly because the controls were designed with a few basic moves (blocking, attack, throw and jump) and a character’s specific ability or power. Spider-Man can spin a web, of course, while Elektra has throwing knives. Some characters, like the Thing, can pick up cars or other heavy objects and throw it at their enemies. Each environment, even the rooftop of the Daily Bugle, has items that can break or be used. You can even unleash Rage, which allows you to use your super power without diminishing your super energy.  

The problem is that all of this doesn’t mean a thing if it’s not done right and Marvel Nemesis manages to fail in many facets of the game. The opponent AI, for example, such as the drones you face are mindless and simple to dispatch without trouble. It isn’t until you fight as an Imperfect or a Marvel character that you notice that each CPU-controlled fighter has the ability to land some good blows but then rely on their powers repeatedly ... even more so when they’re dangerously coming close to being defeated. Other times the enemy is prone to kicking at nothing, thinking you’re within kicking range when you managed to roll out of harm’s way three seconds ago.

On the graphics front, Marvel Nemesis looks good. This game has, by far, the most attractively rendered versions of Marvel’s superheroes. Everyone from Daredevil (who has my vote for worse costume) to Iron Man look amazing on the GameCube. The lighting effects are gorgeous and the special effects (like Storm’s lightning or Johnny Ohm‘s electrical surges) look great. There’s some clipping but not a lot to the point that it’s too noticeable. Even the game’s cutscenes are done well. 

The game’s sound is also handled well with some top-notching voice acting that brings each character to life. Story Mode has a few bits of dialogue that aren’t bad at all but at the beginning of each battle every character’s line becomes a bit annoying. Thankfully the music isn’t repetitive and it goes well with the superhero theme. The sound effects are pretty standard fare, that is, up until a character uses their powers or abilities.

In the end, Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects for the GameCube doesn’t truly rise above its various imperfections that plague a game that could have been a fan favorite. It’s disappointing to see such potential fall flat seeing as the game does manage to surprise us with a great lineup of Marvel characters and familiar landscapes. If you’re willing to put up with the simplified controls and bad opponent AI, this game might be fun as a quick rental. If it’s a solid fighter you crave, this is not the game you’re looking for.

Gameplay: 5.0
Many of the Marvel characters are a real treat to play while others, like poor Wolverine, really don’t add much to the mix. The worst part, though, is due to an awful camera you’ll often be punching and kicking nothing. Even going into a Rage doesn’t produce the right effect.

Graphics: 8.2
This is a really pretty GameCube game with great character models, nice lighting effects and even good special effects. Even the cutscenes are good. The environments, like the Avenger’s Mansion, has enough breakable items to use but it's the outdoor settings with the cars you can toss at your foe that looks even better.

Sound: 8.0
There’s some pretty solid voice acting to be found here, particularly when it comes to the introductions for each Imperfect. Each fighter has his or her own little phrase that is repeated often throughout the game and some of it gets really old. The game’s score is magnificently cinematic.

Difficulty: Medium
The biggest challenge is putting up with the control issues and the occasionally baffling enemy AI. The many alien henchmen you’ll face come with varying degrees of intelligence and battle tactics so some might pose a threat but it’s nothing a few repetitive moves can’t fix.

Concept: 5.5
Having Spider-Man, Daredevil, the Human Torch and Iron Man among the same lineup is pure comic-book fanatic bliss and while the Imperfects aren’t badly designed characters it would have been a lot cooler with recognizable villains from various different comic books teaming up against our favorite characters. Still there are some really great goodies to unlock, like a Fantastic Four comic that sheds some light on the early relationship between Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic) and Ben Grimm (the Thing). This stuff is gold.

Multiplayer: 6.0
Playing this one with a friend more than makes up for the flaws of the single-player game and, while there’s no online play like the PS2 and Xbox versions, it’s still the best way to play this game. There are plenty of characters to pick from (if you managed to unlock them all) plus there are alternate versions of Marvel heroes.

Overall: 5.0
Marvel Nemesis is a fighting game that had all the makings of a truly stellar fighter but with so many flaws it manages to knock itself out before the fight even ends. Sure it has a great lineup of Marvel’s best but with so many downsides this one just ends up being a disappointment.