Gamezebo Rating:

If ever there was a Marvel superhero crying out for an awesome video game, it has to be Thor. I mean, we're not talking about some guy in tights; he's the freaking Norse God of Thunder! A really good Thor game should make you feel like you could put the tablet down and go lift Mjolnir yourself. I'm sad to say that despite a game effort by Gameloft, Thor: The Dark World does not quite prove itself one of the worthy.

It's hard to say exactly what kind of game Thor: The Dark World is supposed to be. Sometimes that's good, as coloring outside of the normal genre lines is always welcome. It's not so good when the game is hard to categorize because the parts don't all fit together.

In this case, there's a narrative, nicely animated and voice acted. No problems there, as the production values are first rate - and they should be, because this game is taking up a lot of memory for a mobile game. Loki is scheming for the throne of Asgard, as always, but there's also a threat from a group called the Marauders (not the X-Men villains, alas). Thor is on the case, and he's got help.

Maybe too much help, honestly. Yes, these are Asgardian threats menacing five of the Nine Worlds and not Earth criminals, but Thor gets a ton of assistance. Some comes in the form of allies like the Warriors Three, Sif, and Heimdall. There's also the Asgardian answer to cannon fodder in the Einherjar, consisting of NPC fighters, Valkyrie, and other Norse warriors you can spawn to fight alongside you.