Marvel Super Hero Squad for Wii Reviews by Gamers

Marvel has produced many quality offerings in the last few years (Spiderman 2, Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, X-Men Legends, etc.). They eventually compiled all their superheroes for Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 1 & 2. But apparently that was too mature for the kids, so they graced us with Marvel Super Hero Squad, a poor treatment of these classic characters.
SHS gives us a Saturday morning cartoon version of these blockbuster behemoths with all the cheesy overacting and Acme-style pratfalls you could ask for (even though I didn't ask for it). The story is just a device to put everyone in the story and an excuse to start hacking away at tons of generic soldiers.
Similar to Ultimate Alliance, SHS is a hack-n-slasher. However, it strips away all the RPG elements, all the fusion/co-op abilities and most of the superpowers in favor of continually pressing A and B with varying results. There is a reticule on the screen to aim projectiles (if you have them) and you can shake your Wiimote for finishers. Of course, you can't aim long-range attacks while you're shaking the controller, but the developers didn't think about little details like that.
Levels never evolve beyond "destroy all the troops and vehicles" which is mindless, tedious and repetitive. Considering each level is essentially the same, this is a huge problem. You'll have some recognizable villains like Abomination and Sabretooth, who you'll have to battle over and over again. There's also plenty of backtracking and battle arenas that are used to artificially break up the gameplay. It doesn't work.
The uncontrollable camera, repetitive gameplay, awkward controls and limited replay value make this a game that's hard to like. It's colorful and temporarily enjoyable, but ultimately lackluster. My spider sense is tingling and it wants you to avoid this game.

In the end, Marvel Super Hero Squad is nothing more than your typical licensed cash-in; I forgive it's trespasses because I had so much fun playing it with my son. It's a low-impact brawler that's akin to playing with a big group of action figures; there's no continuity if you're a Marvel fan, it's just there so you can randomly team up heroes against an equally random group of villains (whoever put Modok in there is either insane or a mad genius).

From my point of view, the fact that the game touts it's co-op sensibilities but doesn't compensate for two people whatsoever was MSHS' biggest shortcoming. For my son, it's the fact that Captain America and Spider-Man are on the cover but tough to unlock.

Don't play this to expecting to have your mind blown; it's just a Saturday morning cartoon in video game form.