Xbox 360/Wii/DS/PS3; �49.99; cert 7+; Gryptonite/THQ
Superhero fans have always amused themselves by arguing over who's the strongest or fastest, and back in the 80s and 90s this was catered for by comic books such as Secret Wars and the Infinity Gauntlet.
Nothing much was ever resolved, but it was an exciting alternative to Top Trumps before Hollywood brought mainstream attention to the Marvel universe. All things considered, it sounds like the perfect setting for an arcade adventure with beat-'em-up elements, right?
Well, yes and no. Sadly, this version is based on the US cable TV cartoon version of the story, including that cast of squat, Hasbro toy heroes. It's a bit like Sesame Street doing its own version of the Exorcist, but once you get over the silliness it's not really that bad a game.
For a start, there's a massive variety of playable characters, from stalwarts such as Wolverine and Iron Man to virtual gods such as Galactus and Thanos and less familiar characters such as Bucky and Nova. The game is split into 12 episodes, each based around its own humorous theme with a pair of heroes collecting fragments of the Gauntlet's six Infinity Stones.
The episodes feature an assortment of puzzles and arcade-style challenges, from hacking simple electronic circuits to firefights against a succession of increasingly repetitive grunts. However, at the end of the level there's a boss battle to survive which will have you drawing on your limited number of jumps, blocks, charges and ranged attacks as well as a special power that must be charged up and is easily the most distinct part of your arsenal.
Two players have the best of the action, as single players have to rely on fairly dodgy AI for the second hero ? which usually results in him standing around refusing to defend himself. Luckily, the game is fairly forgiving of incompetence and you can always switch between heroes by pressing the Start key.
Infinity Gauntlet is one of those games that really hammers home the generation gap. As a comic fan, the dumbing down of one of the great Marvel storylines is little short of sacrilege. However, a seven-year-old fan of the TV show would probably see it very differently ? particularly with such simple, instinctive gameplay and a lightweight but amusing storyline featuring the voices of Mark Hamill and George Takei. Try as I might, I just can't hate it.
? Game reviewed on Xbox 360
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/gamesblog/2010/nov/30/marvel-infinity-gauntlet-game-review
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