Daredevil (Game Boy Advance)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 2.5 stars OK
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 5.8 (2.5 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Frank Provo
• Reviewed on: 02/20/2003
• Updated on: 02/21/2003
• Released on: 02/02/2003
• Originally published on GameSpot: Daredevil (Game Boy Advance) Review

Whether you know him best as the Man Without Fear or as Ben Affleck covered in red vinyl, Daredevil is a hot property right now. The recent release of the film has led to a variety of merchandise tie-ins, one of which is a Game Boy Advance game from Encore Software. Daredevil is blind, but a radar sense allows him to see things more clearly than anyone with 20/20 vision. He is the Marvel Comics equivalent of DC's Batman--a lawyer by day who apprehends criminals at night using nothing more than his own athleticism and a custom baton made from stainless steel. The GBA game is acceptable for what it is--a side-scrolling action game in which you fight level after level of armed thugs--but even so, the character's abilities are implemented poorly and the overall design comes across as an attempt to capitalize on the nostalgia of moviegoers who aren't necessarily avid video game players.

The game's story and aesthetics tie in loosely with the movie. Kingpin is running a propaganda campaign that has every criminal in the city hunting for Daredevil. In order to clear his name, you have to fight them all, including boss characters such as the movie versions of Elektra and Bullseye, as well as Kirigi, Echo, Turk, and the Sewer King from the comic book. The artwork and settings are drawn in a distinctively comic book fashion, accented by bright solid colors and obscured by large caption boxes whenever the dialogue warrants. The levels are set in different areas of New York City, primarily the rooftops, sewers, and dock areas, although there are occasions when you'll fight on top of cars during rush hour or in subway tunnels stocked with active trains. You won't see the GBA's visual capabilities put to much use, however, since there aren't any special effects to speak of, and the occasional instances of overlapping backgrounds are few and far between. There are a few good moments, though, such as when you beat up a portable toilet and a startled gangster pops out. The soundtrack is also solid, as it's much more cinematic than what you'll find in the typical GBA action game.

For your part, you'll spend most of the game punching enemies and collecting power-up items. This sort of fundamental beat-'em-up formula is nothing new to anyone who's played games like Final Fight, Spider-Man, or Contra, but Daredevil is especially minimal in its approach. You have three basic attacks--a punch, a jump kick, and a baton swing--and two combo attacks that you can execute with different sequences of the attack buttons. Items distributed throughout the levels allow you to collect additional lives and earn temporary power upgrades, such as invincibility or super strength. The enemies don't do much except stand still and wait for you to reach them, and the boss characters are the only enemies who have more than one attack at their disposal. Surprisingly, the game is still moderately difficult, because the collision programming is such that your attacks won't always connect when they should, and most enemy attacks take precedence over your own.

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