Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects

Written by D'Marcus Beatty  on July 22, 2005

First Impressions: Secret WarsЕwith EA playing the Beyonder.

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Licensed games are generally disappointing. Games about an established universe are rarely able to live up to the expectations of the fan base that it is trying to reach. This is definitely the case with games about comic books, as the life and powers of the superheroes are hard to re-create while being both accurate and satisfying. However, EA hopes to address this by bringing out what they hope is one of the best fighting games starring superheroes ever made in Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects.

Nemesis stars a number of Marvel's finest heroes and villains, including Spider-Man, The Thing, The Human Torch, Iron Man, and the recently revealed Venom as part of their cast of characters. EA's team comes in the form of the Imperfects, a group of super-powered individuals created for this game. However, despite their commercial birthing, the Imperfects are actually going to become a part of the Marvel continuity, which hopefully guarantees that a lot of thought goes into their creation. The Imperfects were actually introduced in a limited series comic series that tells the origin of the Imperfects and sets the stage for the game, which is a nice collaboration between Marvel and EA. Ultimately, the lineup is going to include at least eighteen characters, with an assumed equal split between established Marvel characters and the Imperfects.

One of EA's goals for gameplay is to make the game feel like an actual fight from the comics. Using this idea, the battles are going to be reminiscent of Power Stone, with environments that have objects to be thrown and manipulated against foes. Wolverine may find a barrel or a crate to toss, while stronger players, like the Thing, might lift a bus or a car to chuck at opponents. EA also wants the game to be very accessible to everyone, so there aren't going to be different movesets for each character. Although every character has different abilities and powers, the button scheme for each of them is the same. There is a block button, an attack button, a jump button, and a grab button, and the trigger buttons activate powers and mobility moves. When using Spider-Man, pressing Mobility will allow him to webswing across the stage, while the same button can make Wolverine wall-run or climb using his claws. This setup makes it easier for a newcomer to challenge a veteran of the game, instead of having to practice and learn moves to become a contender in titles such as Tekken.

The graphics are dark but realistic, as EA is hoping to convey a grittier style, similar but not as bright as Def Jam: Fight for New York. Each character is well detailed and dynamic and moves like their comic counterpart. Spider-Man will leap around the stage and showcase his characteristic agility, while Iron Man will be hovering using boot jets, behaving like an animated tank.

Beyond the fighting game, there will also be a one-player mode that is similar to Tekken 5's Devil Within, although it appears to be much better and deeper. Also doubling as a tutorial, this mode will teach gamers the basics about each character as they battle through different venues. In one-player mode, the player will choose a four-person team that they can swap in and out. For example, you may play the first stage as the Thing, then the next as Venom. Gamers will be offered the opportunity at different points to swap their team around, which will definitely add to replayability. All told, EA is claiming that this mode will offer 7-9 hours of gameplay, which will have to be multiplied by the number of different team combinations available.

Unlockables are a staple of all recent comic games, and Marvel Nemesis would be remiss not to include some as well. Obviously, there will be bonus characters and venues to unlock while playing. However, EA also promises to offer alternate costumes, cards, and digital comics to diligent players. The digital comic is an innovative idea, as most other games have only offered a glimpse at comic covers as a reward. However, the digital comic will actually be animated, with voices and sound effects.