14 DAY TRIAL // 
After releasing a Wii version, High Voltage Software has decided to step up the game and give a new, three dimensional treatment to America's most famous captain. Now, the legendary comic book hero turns to save the world helped by his trusty shield and a handful of allies.
Story
The game's story was written by one of Marvel's scribe legends, Christos Gage, and features elements from the Captain America: First Avenger movie. The gameplay is seasoned with lots of cinematic moments to give a better immersion into this fantastic world.
The timeline is set around the second World War, but except for a few elements (rifles, old radios), there's not much that would make you think the game takes place in the past. Hydra's technology is sometimes so advanced that it recalls of Iron Man.
As always, there's a bad guy, Red Skull, leader of an underground network that produces weapons of mass destruction: Hydra.
You'll step into the shoes of the good guy, Captain America, as he travels through different locations destroying Hydra's bases and stopping Red Skull from enslaving the entire world.
Let's recap: we have the infamous leader Red Skull, a terrorist network that wants to conquer the world (Hydra), Steve Rogers aka Captain America who has to save the day, and a lot of Nazi clones just waiting for a smackdown. Well, that about covers it.
Gameplay
The game is played from a third-person perspective and, basically, you must travel from one area to the other completing various tasks. Things also become slightly more difficult when the occasional boss is thrown into battle, but it's nothing to write home about.
There are nine different corridor / room exploring levels and if you've seen the first levels, the others will seem almost the same.
The quick response of the 3DS keys makes the gameplay feel natural and you won't encounter any problems when performing various acrobatic moves. The game features a small tutorial to help you become more familiar with the keys.
The B key allows you to jump, while with the A key you can perform a simple attack. With X you can counter-attack and Y is used for releasing your mighty shield.
Fighting is quite linear, the only thing standing out being the combo system, which, for some reason, fails from time to time. With every successful hit, the Captain is closer to a special attack that finishes off the opponent in a cool animation sequence.
Enemies come in clusters of two or more and, in my opinion, they're either clones or brothers. The A button will most definitely become buds with your thumb, since the game requires a lot of button smashing.
The shield is a very important part of the game. It can be used to deflect incoming projectiles, you can throw it at opponents to stun them, you can use it to break different objects and gain stars, detonate switch-activated explosive bombs and, most importantly, use it to solve puzzles.
The large majority of puzzles will have you aiming multiple targets and hitting them in one throw of the shield. The direction of the shield can be tweaked by using the touch screen button bellow. Unfortunately, it can prove to be quite difficult even when standing still, not to mention when fighting a horde of opponents or dodging a quick firing turret.
The game's impressive acrobatics are just what you need after slaying yet another cluster of Nazi clones. Jumping is made simple by a pointing arrow that appears each time you're close to a ledge, but even though it's quite easy to reach high places, this move also requires a small amount of skill and coordination.
Each time you defeat an enemy, you'll get experience in form of white stars. This is also done by completing various goals (optional or main story), saving POWs, as well as breaking stuff you'll find in your path: statues, vases, wooden crates. Experience will unlock some extra abilities and make your hero stronger and, believe me, you'll need it later on.
Video and Audio
While the 3D aspect of the game won't break any records, I can't say it's disappointing. I really enjoyed some level details and even textures (on non-cloned characters, of course).
Sounds are quite enjoyable, adding some depth to the game, especially when it comes to the dialogue - because many stars from the Captain America movie have added their own voice to the game.
Conclusion
Captain America: Super Soldier is not a bad game and yet not a very good one either; it walks the thin line of average. The boredom and the sense of deja-vu are barely wiped away by occasional boss fights, side-quests and cinematic scenes.
As for the replay value, your only alternative is to play it again with a different costume and search for all the secrets in each level.
While comic book fans will be thrilled with the release of this new game, I don't think everyone will share their enthusiasm, especially when they're going to see the incredible $29.99 (€ 22.38) price tag. So, if you're not a big fan of Captain America, chances are this game won't convert you into one.
