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Review: Marvel Superheroes |
Upon receiving my copy of MSH for the Saturn, I popped it in, hoping for a glimmer of the great arcade game that sucked many a quarter out of my pocket. Well… I got that glimmer.
The first thing you notice when playing MSH is a change in the intro. Instead of the great stills mixed in with game action, you get those great stills interspersed with the stills you get upon winning (like Spidey swinging from a web). Oh well… no big deal. On to the game!!
The graphics are exactly what you’d expect: excellent. The animation has stayed fairly close to its arcade predecessor. I’d say the Saturn conversion probably lost 30-40% of the animation, but in all honesty, you can barely notice. You’re kinda busy dropping your jaw in shock over the fact this game actually came out. (It’s original release date was over a YEAR ago!) If you’ve played the arcade version, you’ll be able to pick up where the animation is missing. (Wolverine’s Weapon-X, Iron-Man’s Uni-beam for two) The backgrounds are, as the arcade game’s were, superb. Blackheart’s “own personal hell” and Shuma’s Skull Valley are both prime examples of what good artists really CAN do.
The sound in this game leave little to be desired. As usual, Saturn’s voice samples sound a wee bit on the grainy, underwater side. However, they’re a hell of a lot better than X-Men:CotA. The music is all arcade-perfect. No surprises there.
If you’ve never played MSH in the arcade before (most have… but hey, no one’s perfect), it’s a fairly simple fighting game. It plays very similarly to Street Fighter in the sense that the moves are all rolling motions or charge motions. It also has the chain combo system, albeit in a drastically exaggerated form. Most characters can chain almost any normal punch or kick into any other as long as they’re in ascending order (Jab, short, strong, forward, fierce, and roundhouse). The only major differences are 1) the air combos (known as aerial rave in Japan) and 2) the Gems. The air combos are begun with a “launcher”, usually a normal punch or kick that knocks the opponent way in the air. The player can then choose to jump up after their opponent to connect several ascending hits to form an air combo. The Gems are items that certain opponents drop in arcade mode when you really nail ‘em with a good move, super, etc. Each of the gems has a different temporary effect on your status. Time increases your speed, Space increases your ability to take hits, like the Juggernaut. Reality makes different forms of energy emit from your person when doing normal punches and kicks. Power increases strength, Soul regains some of your life, and Mind replenishes your super meter (infinity meter).
The game controls beautifully. The Saturn controller is, as always, a dream come true for Capcom fans. Every move, super, and combo performed exactly the way I wanted it to the first time I asked it to. Absolutely nothing surprising from the geniuses at Capcom.
Now, for the down sides. First, and foremost for me, I was very disappointed with the RAM cart usage in MSH. It has RAM cart compatibility, but the cart makes absolutely NO impact on the quality of the graphics. Instead, it only slows the game down even more, which brings me to my second point: slow down. In certain stages, and using certain characters, the game tends to slow down, sometimes drastically. Blackheart’s stage is a stunning example. When using characters like Wolverine or Spidey, you don’t usually notice. However, if you use Shuma, Juggy, or Blackheart, expect some major league crawling on certain stages. (Blackheart’s, Magneto’s, and Thanos’ are the worst) Finally, the game is entirely too easy. I beat the game on Level 8 (the highest) without continuing the first time out. That’s not a boast. The computer just isn’t very aggressive.
Overall, a solid conversion of an older arcade title makes an excellent addition to a Saturn library, despite minor (sometimes aggravating) flaws. If you’re a Capcom fan, you’ve either already got it, or are drooling at the prospect of owning it.
Bottom Line: Great conversion… could’ve been perfect if the RAM Cart was used properly.
- Dark Schneider
