Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects Preview

E3 Preview 2005

We’ve seen Marvel Comics characters in the fighting ring and I’m betting I’m not the only one who thinks that those games weren’t the best games that took advantage of the franchise. I mean, watching the X-Men battle each another for no apparent reason just doesn’t make for epic battles even with their mutant powers. While Marvel vs. Capcom 2 on the Xbox was not bad at all, I couldn’t help but smile as I watched the demo for Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects. At last, somebody has done justice to familiar Marvel characters.

What’s so good about this one, then? Well, for starters, the visuals look amazing and the action looks hot (despite some hiccups here and there). One battle I got to see had Spider-Man going up against one of EA’s own created characters, Johnny Ohm who makes up one of the Imperfects. Spidey’s movements are just as we’d expect it to be ... fast, acrobatic and spectacular. Our favorite web-head can punch and kick but also make use of his webbing (sometimes shooting web projectiles at his enemies).

Okay, so EA doesn’t have familiar characters the way Capcom does (where else can you find the X-Men’s Storm go up against Resident Evil’s Jill Valentine?) but the newly created characters EA has in mind are connected to an upcoming comic book expected to be released before the game hits shelves. While the demo showed off Spider-Man and the X-Men’s Wolverine among the Marvel comics’ lineup there was video that showed familiar characters like the Sentinels. Also rumored to make their brawling appearance is The Thing, Electra and Iron Man.

The game blends the usual fighting game essentials (punching, kicking, combo moves etc.) with the powers of each Marvel character. The environments are also interactive, meaning you can break things, and grab items found scattered throughout the area and use it against your opponent. There were some framerate issues but hopefully these things can be worked out before its release because this one is looking to be the Marvel fighting game comic book and fighting fans have been waiting for.