Despite being the latest movie tie-in spawned from the tawdry Sega/Marvel pair-up, Captain America: Super Soldier is actually a quiet success, even if it never quite manages to live up to its high ambitions.
Its major accomplishments rely squarely on design liberally borrowed from the superb Batman: Arkham Asylum. Taking control of the patriotic Nazi-smasher in the middle of the films events, the action is constricted to one castle-based setting that acts as a purposeful backdrop to the action.
Again, much like the Dark Knights gaming zenith, the focus is on the combat and Super Soldier doesnt disappoint. Brutal combos, fiendish acrobatics and mesmerising animations make the action breathless, with Captain America dispatching foes with finesse, utilising his signature star-spangled shield with deadly efficiency.
Its a shame then that the rest of the game is so by-the-numbers. Platforming remains a mundane, albeit stylish, exercise, with no real sense of exploration as youre consigned to specific points to leap to and from.
The open-world environment itself is shallow, with collectable trinkets arbitrarily scattered around the environment to extend the gameplay but theres little else to investigate. The visuals are uninspired, the story poorly told and the whole thing is crushingly short at around six hours.
But the combat remains thrilling throughout, elevating Super Soldier above the doldrums of Segas other superhero efforts. With a little more attentiveness, Captain America could have been force to be reckoned with, but as it is, it ends up as just an enjoyable step in the right direction for Sega.