Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects

[EnemaEms]

I was checking out Gamespot and ran across this game. It is a new 3D fighting game for all 3 consoles and it has Marvel Super Heroes vs. EA Heroes. I don't know about you, but I don't know how fun it will be to play as EA's legal and accounting department employees.

 

-Dean-

[DaveC]

The game is actually based on a marvel mini-series which comes out on May 5th, its a six parter, it should be interesting to see what kind of characters they come up with for EA!

[iainl]

I don't know about you, but I don't know how fun it will be to play as EA's legal (...) department employees.

 

More fun than playing as Marvel's legal department, given the ass-whooping the judge has given them over their dumb attempt to sue City Of Heroes because "users" (revealed in court to be Marvel themselves) were able to make superheroes that looked a bit like Marvel properties.

[dogbert]

I wanted to kick Spider-Man's ass as John Madden. Bah.

[Mark E]

I wanted to kick Spider-Man's ass as John Madden.

 

I'd pay for this game :tu

[foogledricks]

After reading the article, I am intrigued. I think fighting games have so much room for innovation. People joke that Madden hasn't significantly changed since 1991. Neither have fighting games. Punch-kick-block until opponent's "energy" is gone or "time" runs out. Consoles aren't arcades!!! Soul Caliber is the worst offender, and yet is the most loved. Sounds like EA is trying to push the envelope. I hope it isn't all rhetoric. To give you an idea of where fighing games could go: Imagine a fight that took place in a resident evil level, where you could run up stairs, jump out windows, hide behind a door, knock down a door with your opponent underneath, knock a weapon out of his hands, then use that weapon on him, push a book shelf on top of him then kick him in the head as he's pinned to the ground, push his head underwater into a stream and drown him, set him on fire forcing him to jump into water, injure his leg so he can't jump anymore, climb up a ladder then push the ladder down while your opponent is climbing, swing from a rope...

 

Basically I want real environment interactions. Crashing through a wall or into an elephant (DOAU) is cool, because it is uncommon, but it doesn't exactly add a dynamic to the gameplay.

 

All that being said, a 3D fighting game with superheroes sounds fun, even if conventional. And I'll probably buy DOA4 just because its pretty, so I am a big hippocrate. So what.

[dogbert]

You want Powerstone in 3D, basically, Keith

[ChoiceStriker]

Soul Caliber is the worst offender, and yet is the most loved.

For some reason I've never been able to get into SC either, but what about it makes you single it out as the worst offender?

[foogledricks]

but what about it makes you single it out as the worst offender?

Soul Caliber feels like an arcade port more than any other fighting game. The announcer. The interface. The presentation. Very few games have realistic damage, but this fact is especially prounounced in SC because they wield these devistating weapons, and yet aren't scratched by them one bit. Fighting games have generally been moving toward somewhat interactive environments over the years, yet Soul Caliber continues to use its circular platform and "Ring-Out" gameplay. It just seems so old school. All of these things are called out particularly because SC is considered the pinnacle of the genre, and I am thus more critical of these shortcomings. If Soul Caliber 3 doesn't have online play, I will probably add this to the list of things to criticize it for.

[Romier S]

All of these things are called out particularly because SC is considered the pinnacle of the genre

 

The Dreamcast game was major push forward for the fighting genre since at that point it had become almost dormant and played out. Perhaps at that time it was considered the pinnacle of the genre but I certainly wouldn't consider it to be as such today.

[iainl]

SC is considered the pinnacle of the genre

 

I hate to point out typos but Evo or VF4E are the usual ways to abbreviate Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution.

 

I actually prefer SC2, because Evo is just a bit too much for me to cope with.

 

Anyway, to answer your points, I'd argue that a lot of them are just stylistic choices. I really like the glossy presentation that gets out of your way quickly, and the lack of blood from those sword blows are fairly obviously just a combination of style choice and avoidance of a hefty rating, too. After all, Soul Edge came out just after Tekken, also from Namco. If that can offer plenty of red on impacts then I'm sure it isn't a technical issue stopping their weapons-based fighter from doing the same.

 

Finally, I'd point out that the single-player quest mode in SC2 is by a long, long way the most involved single-player addition to any 1-on-1 fighter. It's worlds away from the simple cutscenes in DOA's Story Mode or the frankly rubbish attempt to wrap a Double-Dragon style mode around Tekken.

[Romier S]

I hate to point out typos but Evo or VF4E are the usual ways to abbreviate Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution.

 

:werd

 

Imagine a fight that took place in a resident evil level, where you could run up stairs, jump out windows, hide behind a door, knock down a door with your opponent underneath, knock a weapon out of his hands, then use that weapon on him, push a book shelf on top of him then kick him in the head as he's pinned to the ground, push his head underwater into a stream and drown him, set him on fire forcing him to jump into water, injure his leg so he can't jump anymore, climb up a ladder then push the ladder down while your opponent is climbing, swing from a rope...

 

Have you ever played Powerstone before? Brian hit the nail squarely on the head a few posts up. That is exactly what you are looking for here except as mentioned in 3D.

[iainl]

You know, I think I must have played a different version of Powerstone 2 to everyone else - mine was in 3D to start with...

[kelley]

You know, I think I must have played a different version of Powerstone 2 to everyone else - mine was in 3D to start with...

I was thinking the same thing.

[dogbert]

Powerstone 1 & 2 are played from a primarily isometic perspective, and although the graphics (models, terrain etc) are 3D, it's not really played from the perspective or the style of terrain that Keith is talking about (which is eerily similiar to the Bouncer hype...).

[dogbert]

You want Powerstone in 3D, basically, Keith

 

And having played a demo of Marvel Nemesis on the XBox, this is exactly what it is. It's thoroughly modelled on Powerstone. One attack button, one block/dodge button, one throw/grab button, with "power" buttons to modify them.

 

It was fun enough if a little random. Dodging/blocking was inconsistent. It was common to get pounded on by an opponent & not be able to escape. The powered up moves were fun.

 

It has potential if cleaned up a little - it just felt a little 'sloppy' & unfinished. Powerstone's a fun game