
	Platform Sega Genesis Genre Side-scrolling action Developer / Publisher Data East Year Released 1992
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Captain America and the Avengers

One of the most overused and trite sounding catch phrases of comic book lore is, "Avengers Assemble!" What’s most annoying about the phrase is that they usually shouted it when they were already together. It’s akin to asking someone if they want to go to lunch as you’re both mid-way through the meal. Besides that one gripe, Captain America and the Avengers (CAA) is a pretty good superhero game for the Genesis.

captain america,the avengers

Red Skull has taken control of the minds of various Marvel Universe bad guys in a bid for (what else?) world domination. It falls upon the shoulders of the Avengers to save the day. (Where are the X-Men when you really need them?) Players get to choose from four characters – Captain America, Hawkeye, Vision, and Iron Man. Regardless of what character is chosen the basic attacks remain the same. Since there are only two buttons to use – jump and attack – the control is not complicated. Of course, you can press both buttons simultaneously and your character will perform a ranged attack but the effect of the attacks don’t differ from character to character. You can also pick up various pieces of debris (ranging from old tires to barrels to empty pop cans) to throw at the bad guys. Each character has a defensive

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capability. Holding down the attack button for a second brings up a shield – Captain America uses his shield, Iron Man an energy barrier, Vision his cape, and Hawkeye his bow. (How Hawkeye can block enemy fire with a bow is beyond me, but I’m sure there are military powers that would interested in the answer.) There are a few sections that concentrate on shooting while flying or swimming. Wave after wave of bad guys come at you and all you’ve got to do it shoot like mad, like a side-scrolling shooter.

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The graphics and sound are fairly faithful to the arcade version from which it’s ported. Things look smaller and a little grainier, but they’re still good. Though, compared to what’s available today, they’re crap. The level design isn’t terribly mind-bending. For the whole game you’re moving from left to right with no chance to backtrack. End bosses are recognizable to those that read Marvel comics regularly, but if you don’t they’re just run of the mill bosses. Whether you’re fighting a giant Sentinel or Grim Reaper, you won’t really care if you aren’t familiar with them – they’re just another boss. And most of them are easy to take down. True to its comic book roots, the game also has a few cameos from other Avengers such as Wonder Man, Namor, and Wasp. Again, the readers of Marvel comics will get more out of the experience.

CAA is a two-player game and it’s way more fun playing with a partner. There’s even a "Training Mode" were you get to beat the hell out of each other. Anyone who has read the Avengers comics knows that in-fighting is one of the hallmarks of the organization. But in regular mode, CAA becomes a walk in the park when playing with two players, especially when you crank the continues to 7.

Probably not worth your time considering today’s offerings unless you want to read some very funny dialogue. (Originally, the dialogue must have been in Japanese, because the English translations are quite hilarious.)

- Omni