Marvel Super Heroes, the second
in a series of fighting games
featuring popular characters from
Marvel Comics, was a game in the
arcade that featured fast-paced
gameplay and amazing animation.
While the translation to the Saturn
is very good, it is not up to par with
other translations like Street Fighter
Alpha 2.
"Showtime!"
For those who have never played
MSH in the arcade before, the
game plays very similar to X-Men:
Children Of The Atom, only this
time, there are the added additions
of 6 special gems, which can
change the gameplay. When a
character picks up a gem, which
randomly falls onto the screen, he
or she can use it to enhance their
powers. Each of the gems performs
a different task, such as the Soul
gem, which gives the player some
of their lifebar back, and the Reality
gem, which gives every character in
the game a projectile by simply
pressing a button. For each
character, a certain gem will
enhance their powers even more,
an example being with Psylocke,
who, when using the Power gem,
creates 2 illusions of herself which
can hurt the opponent, but in turn
cannot be damaged. Other
gameplay elements include infinite
counters, which let you parry
attacks like in Street Fighter Alpha
2, and air combos.
"Superior Attack!"
As far as the characters go, MSH
features some very cool and
familiar names. First comes The
Incredible Hulk, the massive
green-skinned powerhouse, who
moves fast for a character his size,
and has several attacks involving
his massive forearms. Wolverine,
the X-Men's claw-endowed
bruiser, has all the detail from the
comics, including his healing factor,
and moves aptly-named the
"Beserker Barrage" and the
"Weapon X". Spiderman, the
wise-cracking web-slinger, also has
moves which
fit his name, and has every detail
right down to his camera and his
Spider-signal! The X-Men's arch
nemesis and boss of X-Men:
Children Of The Atom, Magneto,
is now playable, as is the
MASSIVE Juggernaut, also
previously a boss. Iron Man, the
armored avenger, possesses his
trademark suit, as well several
types of blasters and the ability the
fly. Pslocke, the X-Men's
telepath/ninja, moves very quickly,
and with her new moves, like
Ninjitsu, which lets her teleport all
over the screen, becomes one cool
character! Captain America, the
shield-toting hero, plays like
Spiderman in a sense(they can
basically be referred to as the
game's Ryu and Ken...), and says
some of the cheesiest lines you will
ever hear in a fighting game! The
game's strangest character would
have to be huma-Gorath, an
octopus-like creature with a huge
eye, who has "reality-warping"
moves and plays similar to Guile or
Blanka from Street Fighter 2.
Blackheart, another large
character, looks like he should be
in Capcom's Darkstalkers series,
since most of his moves consist of
him conjuring up demons and spells
out of nowhere. As for his play
style, well, let's just say that he's a
real devil...(^_^)
"I'm...unstoppable!"
The first boss of MSH, Dr. Doom,
a large armored villain, fights dirty
and has many devastating attacks,
most involving energy blasts, like
Iron Man. Thanos, the last boss,
carries the "Infinite Gauntlet", which
is powered by all of the gems in the
game. He uses all of the gems
against you when you fight him, and
his attacks are much more powerful
when he unleashes the gems on
you....
(Both bosses as well as Anita from
Nightwarriors can be played via
secret codes.)
"Waste Of Flesh!"
The problem that arises when
playing MSH, however, comes
from the slowdown that happens
on certain stages and with certain
characters(Juggernaut and
Magneto's projectile). The good
thing about this, however, is that by
changing a few options, and not
playing on certain stages in the
Versus mode, the slowdown can
basically be eliminated. When
playing, it is best to put the speed
setting on Turbo 2, turn the Panel
Option(the portrait of your
character below the life bar) off,
and DO NOT use the RAM cart,
which allows for more animation, in
the Versus mode. Once these
options have been changed, after
a short time of play, one should be
used to the slowdown. (It also
seems to be that only those who
played the arcade version
constantly will have problems, as
their timing may be a little off.)
Review
The graphics in MSH stay true to
the arcade version, having all the
details and many colors. When
using the RAM cart, almost all of
the frames of animation from the
arcade are present, but even
without it the game is still very
impressive.
Sound:
Like Street Fighter Alpha 2, MSH
suffers slightly in sound quality.
Although the voices are clear, the
music sounds low, and sound
effects are slightly muffled.
Control:
Although every move is extremely
easy to perform, the slowdown
may mess up the player's timing at
first, as the slowdown mostly
occurs when performing special
moves. However, the gameplay is
still dead-on, and that's what
counts the most.
Fun:
Despite the slowdown, I still find
MSH to be one of the better
Saturn fighters this year. With it's
fast-paced gameplay, variety of
characters, and great control, MSH
provides hours of fun and
enjoyment.
Overall
Graphics: 9.5 (9 without the RAM
cart)
Sound: 8.5
Control: 9.5
Fun: 9
Even with some slight slowdown
problems, Marvel Super Heroes is
still a great game. "Thumbs up,
Soldier!"
