Review : Justice League Heroes ( PSP )
I tried a few similar games. Namely , Marvel Ultimate Alliance , Dungeon Siege Throne of Agony, and Untold Legends. Justice League heroes far exceeds my expectations in a dozen ways. Marvel Ultimate Alliance was disappointing due to its somewhat jerky frame rate and basic graphics. Dungeon Siege was great. Untold Legends was awesome. But Justice League was superb !!
Pros:
1. Innovative skill system. After leveling-up , u get to allocate skill points to 5 character-specific skills or a few passive stats. Later when u accumulate certain boosts e.g. damage boost / efficiency boost, u have the choice of keeping them for later use or combining them to form more potent boosts and insert them into skills to improve it. For example, efficiency boosts reduce energy cost. Range boost increase impact force / range ( obviously ) .
2. Fluid character animations. Characters are detailed and the models are smooth, unlike MUA ( Marvel Ultimate Alliance ) which are quite rough at the edges. Each character ( Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, Flash, Wonderwoman, Martian Manhunter, Zatanna ) have unique powers which differ from one another.
-Superman can lift trucks, fly, resist most damage, fires lasers from his eyes, unleash a collateral punch, freeze enemies with his breath or pummel through air knocking back enemies.
-Batman can fire random batarangs, grapple hook to pull himself quickly out of trouble or simply to get to his target quicker, glide across air, unleash a string of combo kicks, using flash bangs to stun enemies or placing a beacon to attract blood-sucking bats.
-Green Lantern is unique in the sense that his powers are kinda amusing. He can trap enemies in a force field preventing them from affecting the outside world and vice versa. He can even summon an ethereal hammer to deal AoE damage, summon a shield to protect allies and keep out enemies or bring forth a grinder which deals dmg over time.
-Flash is my favorite. Being the fastest man on Earth, he can easily zip behind enemies and whack them for good measure or spin so fast that he conjure a whirlwind to suck enemies up. Or u could just zip around whacking enemies, zip through obstacles and tripling your attack / movement speed. Amazing thing is, the animations are awesome. Just darn awesome. =)
-Wonderwoman can deflect almost any projectile damage back. ( Like a lightsaber ). She can use her magical lasso to tie enemies, whip them to her, or spin them around like merry-go-round. Etc Etc.
These are the few highlights I find very interesting. There are of course a few unlockable characters with different sets of skills. =)
3. Great replay value. If u value challenges, u might want to replay the game several times to hone your skills in dispatching your foes. There are all together, 5 modes of difficulty in which 2 of them, elite and superhero are unlocked after beating the game. The difficulty is just right. Not to hard. Not too easy. Perfect.
4. Somewhat long single player campaign.
5. Interesting plot twists.
6. Boss battles are very very interesting due to the variety. Not every boss can be defeated by the simple *hack hack hack*. Some require you to deactivate certain 'things' , some requires timing etc etc. Wont say too much for fear of spoilers. Anyway, Its plenty of fun. Trust me. =)
7. Interactive environment. Most props are destructible, which makes combat all the more enjoyable and less monotonous. U can pick things and throw at 'em. ( Like all Marvel games ) Or u can just snap a tree and use its branch to whack people, throwing them off their feet. Or bash their skull in using a vehicle.
8. U can fly. *winks* Well... most characters could. And no energy cost involved. =)
9. Great graphics.
10. Great AI. Especially on the harder difficulties.
11. Cutscenes are splendid.
Cons:
1. Music is kinda recycled. But still OK nonetheless.
2. Linear campaign. No alternate endings. ( Oh well. Who cares? )
3. Some unlockable characters are just the exact same duplicate of previous heroes but with different models. ( There are exceptions of course , like Black Canary and Green Arrow )
4. Campaign / Story-mode could be longer.
5. Should've included some optionals to do.
Conclusion:
Overall, its a great game with LOTS of variety, character-wise and mission-wise. Combat is very interesting due to its fast pace and interactive environments. Pity the campaign lacks optionals or something else to do ( like minigames .... ) and u cant revisit previous locales. Anyway. Its still better than average and if your looking for an interesting RPG / Action game. This is the one . =)
