While something can be said for great game concepts and ideas, something can also be said when these concepts are implemented in as poor of fashion as Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects for the Sony PSP. While I would not consider myself a die-hard Marvel fanatic, I have been definitely known to read quite a few Punisher comics in my day. Obviously, I too rejoiced at the thought of a Power Stone-style Marvel fighting game featuring some of my old favorite characters as well as a few new faces. Taking these feelings into account, it is quite a shame that EA Canada was unable to execute and produce the game we fighting fans have been waiting for since the glory days of Marvel Vs. Capcom.

The first major flaw that this PSP version suffers lies in the fact that it is a 100% watered down version of its non-portable brethren. While you, at least, had a story mode on the major console versions, the PSP version chose to completely cut this feature and instead you simply play through 10 fights each with a different character. Along the way you are able to unlock new cards, card slots, as well as a variety of the different arenas.

Mr. Ohm the walking defibrillator.

Each fight tends to play out nearly the exact same as the rest of the fights with a few minor differences based on the unique aspects of the two combatants. After fighting your way through these 10 battles you are rewarded with the ability to play as a new character. This perhaps is one of my biggest complaints. When I sit down after work to play a game I want to play through them on my own accord. If I happen to be in a Wolverine mood, then I darn well better be able to play as Wolverine. Instead, in a seemingly tactical ploy to get people to play as the less than cool new "Imperfects", you are forced to unlock your characters.  So instead of getting to hack up my foes with Wolverine right off the bat, I am forced to play through a multitude of other characters that I never wanted to really play in the first place.

Perhaps the only saving grace for this button-mashing fighter is the ability to unlock 170 different cards that, when activated via the d-pad, will augment your character in a variety of different ways, thus slightly expanding gameplay. Other than the card system, gameplay comes down to a monotonous mashing of the attack button (X Button) with the occasional use of your characters special attacks (R Button + X Button). With such a simple system of commands gameplay feels very dry and vanilla. Sure you can choose to pick up projectiles and throw them at your opponent or use a grab attack but overall they just aren't worth it due to the joys of a rather frustrating and clunky feeling camera system.

Someone get this spider out of my hair!

Since the PSP lacks a second analog stick for independent camera control, it is even more vital that PSP games feature a tight and smooth camera system. This is yet another example of where Nemesis fails to execute. The camera is completely controlled by the game itself and thus the only method you have for control is by pressing the defense button (Triangle Button) which will automatically point you directly at your enemy as well as block. This is perfectly fine for when you are at range and have time but in situations involving close range combat it becomes too cumbersomely clunky. Instead you are forced to deal with the automated camera that will zip back and forth either making you nauseous or impeding your ability to have much of a clue of where your opponent is.

The one redeeming quality for Nemesis lies in the ability for multiplayer. In all actuality I couldn't really see why you would want to grind through the same style fights to unlock characters unless you were looking forward to multiplayer against a human opponent. Nemesis features an ad-hoc mode for this purpose which is definitely something, but unfortunately those of us without a large group of PSP-owning friends are left in the dark.

As a fighting fan I just had far too many complaints with Nemesis to warrant anything higher than the score it has unfortunately earned. Though there are a few unique aspects to this 3D-fighter, ultimately the game falters on far too many core gameplay mechanics. To any hungry PSP fan looking for a new title to play on the go, I recommend at least waiting for this one to hit the bargain bins before you pick it up.

Gameplay: 4.2
Monotonously repetitive gameplay with forced character selection required to unlock all characters leads to frustration and boredom, not to mention one worn out “x” button. The one saving grace for the gameplay is the slightly interesting card feature.

Graphics: 6.0
While I loved the cool comic-stylized menus and character art, the actual in-game graphics were nothing noteworthy.

Sound: 4.5
One could completely not notice the sound at all if it weren't for its gratingly repetitious soundtrack as well as generic character power-ups and grunts.

Difficulty: Medium/Hard
Fights range from being ridiculously easy to ridiculously hard. Not the type of rewarding hard, we are talking the cheesy wall-trap, can't-hit-you breed of difficulty.

Concept: 7.5
Great concept for a fighting game based on the Marvel Universe. Unfortunately this great concept is marred by a less than par execution.

Multiplayer: 6.0
With ad-hoc multiplayer, Nemesis provides a decent multiplayer arena fighting experience. Infrastructure Wi-Fi play would have definitely been a slight saving grace for extended gameplay options.

Overall: 4.9
Unless you're a Marvel fanatic who is capable of overlooking a downright lackluster fighter I recommend to stay away from this title. At the very least I recommend waiting till this one hits the bargain bin before you shell out your hard-earned cash. If you are itching for this Marvel fighter even after this review I highly recommend picking it up for the PS2, Xbox or GameCube instead.