Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth hasn't had much discussion. I had a chance to take a look at the full game, and the results of my play session were interesting.

For the sake of time, I stuck to playing on the GamePad. The controls use both the GamePad’s face buttons and touch screen, which feels a little odd at first. You can choose to do basic moves with either physical buttons or those on the touch screen. Both ways work well enough, with similar results. You basically spam your opponent with attacks, which becomes kind of boring. Each character has three special attacks that best utilize their abilities. You activate them by pressing a certain direction on the D-pad or touch screen, then drawing a certain line on the touch screen. You can also use Ultra attacks, which are overwhelmingly strong bursts of power.

In the beginning, these attacks are a joy to behold, and moving your character is far from complicated. I preferred using a combination of the GamePad’s analog stick and holding the stylus in my right hand to perform certain tasks and moves. However, the game lacks any sort of depth in its mechanics. After you get used to the attacks and easy combos you can do, it begins to feel a bit too repetitive when you battle AI opponents. I have looked in the menus, and there seems to be no way of changing the difficulty, which may disappoint more dedicated players.

That said, there is a lot to do in Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth. The story mode lets you play as various characters throughout the campaign. The story is based on the Secret Invasion series of comics, released 2008 and 2009, and is told in a great comic book-like style. Playing through the campaign rewards you with new playable characters and alternative costumes. In the game’s challenge mode, you have to perform tasks in a certain way. In one mission, for example, you have to only use specific moves; in another you have survive an onslaught of different characters. I had a lot of fun with these, and they seem like a fine addition to the game.

The game also has a tournament mode, which you can play with up to four other people offline and online. The other players use Wii Remotes and Nunchuks to control their superheroes. Marvel Avengers also supports off-TV play, and its visuals looked sharp on both the TV and GamePad.

Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth certainly intrigued me, though I wonder if its various game modes can make up for the lack of depth in its combat. It certainly wasn't a bad game by any stretch, though I do feel that it’s more suited to a younger audience.