Captain America: The Winter Soldier - The Official Game Review
Price: $2.99
Version Reviewed: 2.0
App Reviewed on: iPhone 4S/iPad 2
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Captain America is one of those superheroes who frequently gets called out by disaffected postmodern irony fetishists for being “boring” simply because one of the core elements of his character is that he happens to be morally upstanding and believes in the inherent goodness of humanity. I frequently counter that virtually no character is fundamentally boring; what really matters is the writer and what they choose to do with them. And while Captain America: The Winter Soldier - The Official Game (whew!) sports a script partially penned by prolific comic writer Christos Gage, fault for the game’s failings cannot be laid at his feet. In a mobile game such as this, Gage’s role in producing a quality product is essentially nonexistent.
Under the hood we’re presented with a much uglier face. The interface is mapped around the bottom/lower right sides of the screen, with gameplay taking place on a somewhat awkward vertical orientation that makes for constrained level design and a frequently glitchy camera. And while the controls themselves are more or less fine, the biggest issue comes when actually attempting to play the game. On a phone, the buttons are very closely spaced and my thumb frequently slid too far off the virtual d-pad, necessitating periodic hand repositioning. Sometimes I would outright shift to tapping buttons with my right index finger to gain some precision while awkwardly attempting to hold the phone and work the pad with just my left hand. Captain America: The Winter Soldier can also be played using just taps and swipes, avoiding the controls altogether, but that only serves to make the game more frustrating. Meanwhile, playing on the iPad alleviates some of the control awkwardness, but at the expense of my hands cramping after only a couple of minutes of play.
Strip away the numbing grind and half-baked additional modes of Captain America: The Winter Soldier and what remains is undeniably pretty, but ultimately devoid of substance or enjoyment. Save that three bucks and put it toward a matinee showing of the movie. Trust me. It’s money much better spent.