Justice League Heroes

I'm not certain that this type of game really represents a new genre. The first time I think I saw a game like this was X-Men Legends, but even then it seemed like it was an action adventure with an emphasis on multiplayer. Regardless, with any new game play we're bound to see the occasional stumble. Problem is Justice League Heroes stumbles right into a lurching fall. I mean, if this game were a horse, it didn't even get out of the gate.

You've got two heroes to work with, and a small space to work in. My first real problem is that you've only got the two heroes. Looking over at my shelf, the PS2 is the only system I've got that doesn't support four players natively. Next up to the plate is the camera view. You'll be looking down on your heroes from the top with an incredibly restricted view. Tilted just a little more, and it would've been much more tolerable.

My final complaint is the overall game balance. Superman is anything but. Zatana, perhaps one of the weaker league members, has by far the most unbalancing ability. She can turn enemies into rabbits that can't attack and have less health than normal. And finally, when you get a chance to play as Green Lantern and Flash, you'll run into enemies that can either beat through GL's tough defenses or spit globs of goo on Flash that completely negate his speed based abilities. And that's just a taste of the initial game levels.

Game play works when we take the basic mechanics that underpin a game, mix them up a little, and let people sort out all of the pieces. Preferably with guns. The problem with a game like this is that, in an attempt to follow the path forged by another game, they've created game play that counters itself at every turn. Superman is strong and tough, so enemies need to be able to punch through his armor easily. The Flash is fast, so let's slow him down.

At least the game benefits from some good graphics, in the form of different costumes for each of the heroes as game play rewards. If they were presented better, I'd be happier, but I'll take what I can get.

Not only have we seen this game done better as X-Men Legends, we've seen it done better as Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. Harsh but true, this game is a poor pretender.