Nowadays, Marvel is as much of a household name as other major franchises likeHarry PotterandStar Wars. A large contributing factor to this is the success of theMarvel Cinematic Universe, an unprecedented silver screen journey that spanned ten years, attracting die-hard comic fans and casual moviegoers alike. There were previous efforts to capture a wider audience by Marvel, including video game releases that varied in success. One stand-out was EA’s fighting gameMarvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects, a 2005 title released for all major platforms.
At the time,Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfectshad a mixed reception, with much of the criticism aimed toward its clunky combat, lack of mission variety, and poor story structure. However, despite these lacking elements, the title did have an intriguing premise. Essentially, a new wave of supervillains were created exclusively for the game, and over the course of the story they would kill each of the surviving Marvel superheroes after an alien invasion. It was a darker take on the Marvel universe, and perhaps with a little more polish it could truly shape into something special.
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Marvel Nemesis: A Solid Foundation with Room For Improvement
At the time ofMarvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects' release, only a handful of Marvel superheroes were commonly known. Of the characters featured in the game, arguably onlySpider-Man and Wolverinewere household names thanks to film adaptations starring Tobey Maguire and Hugh Jackman respectively. Nowadays, a developer could go wild with the amount of Marvel superheroes it includes in a game.
The lineup of playable characters inMarvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfectsmostly consisted of characters who specialized in hand-to-hand combat. The issue was its combat system didn’t do enough to differentiate each of them or bring a strategy to picking one fighter over another. It’s almost the opposite of the effort made in theSuper Smash Bros.franchise, where every character has specific movesets with advantages and weaknesses that a player has to consider. Outside of a few projective attacks, each of these heroes played the same, and matches would devolve into button mashing until one player came out on top.
Marvelous Possibilities
Marvel has found success in the fighting game genre in the past with theMarvel vs. Capcomseries. The series' fast-paced 2D combat has attracted legions of fans, making it a regular title featured at competitive tournaments. Even thought this format has been proven to work, and the combat system inMarvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfectsdidn’t quite pan out, there is still something compelling to the idea of unleashing these superpowers in a three-dimensional space.
Clearly there was interest to pursue this even further, as acancelled Marvel fighting gamewas in the works sometime after the release ofMarvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects. This project was shelved, but the gameplay that has become public teases many possibilities for what could be done. Marvel superheroes would have fought in open, fully destructible environments and made use of their unique skill sets.
Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise that this project never came to be, as technology is far more advanced now. As seen inMarvel’s Spider-ManandMarvel’s Avengers, studios are more capable than ever of accurately portraying the many superpowers of superhero characters. If another original idea comes along, maybe it would be worth revisiting the groundwork thatMarvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfectslaid out, bringing in new playable characters and rounding out the combat system to deliver a marvelous experience.
Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfectsis available on PS2, GameCube, and Xbox.
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