Everything you need to know about the Avengers video game before you buy it.
Comic book video games have had a weird history. For years, they were hit or miss. In the early days of Nintendo, Sega Genesis, and PlayStation 1 (this writer is showing his age here) you’d be happy if your game was at least average. But as the game consoles got better, so did the games themselves.
X-Men Legends and Spider-Man: Web of Shadows came in and made an impact. Then, the Batman Arkham series came in and changed everything. It birthed its own franchise of gripping games while also paving the way for others like the popular Spider-Man on PlayStation. With the genre booming, it only made sense that The Avengers would have a video game franchise as well.
Marvel’s Avengers was highly anticipated before the gameplay was released. Who wouldn’t want to control Iron Man, Captain America, or the Hulk? Sure, there were Avengers projects based on their solo movies, but games based on films are rarely taken seriously. This was going to be a new project – one that wouldn’t be based on the movies.
Everyone was excited for it to drop, but it’s been a couple of weeks now and some of you are waiting to know if it’s worth purchasing. Well, this writer is here to be fair about everything good and bad about Marvel’s Avengers. Let’s begin.
Kamala Khan
Kamala Khan was announced to be a major part of Marvel’s Avengers. This was both shocking and cool. It showed faith in the character and the new generation of heroes. It was similar to Miles Morales being used in PlayStation’s Spider-Man. Except this time, you got to use Kamala for more than stealth missions.
The story begins with a very young Kamala Khan being a happy fan at an Avengers fan expo. This really showed the heart of the game. Kamala is a fangirl. She loves everything about superheroes and especially The Avengers. All of her interactions with them in the beginning comes into play later in the game. A cool concept that added an emotional core to the experience.
Rating: 5 out of 5
The story itself was fantastic. It had been five years since the Avengers saw each other. There was a lot going on and emotions ran high, especially between Tony Stark and Bruce Banner. As the game progressed, you see how friendships are broken and later repaired. As for Kamala, she is crucial to everyone finally getting along. She’s not a throwaway character. This was something this writer was worried about but there was no need for concern because they made her a star, showcasing her personality and her moves.
A.I.M.
This writer laughed when he found out that A.I.M. were going to be the villains. How were the goofy scientists in the beekeeper outfits going to a challenge for the Avengers? Furthermore, how would any gamer look at them and not laugh? Well, they made it work.
They kept the original design and took away a big part of their silliness. The hats were smaller, their uniforms were functional, and their tech was dangerous. Seeing as they were a legitimate company in the game, it made sense. They were tough and more importantly, the attacks continued to get more creative.
Rating: 3 out of 5
(WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!)
As creative as they were, some of the fights don’t require much thinking. You could use the same series of attacks and win against the regular goons. Because of this, there’s no incentive to upgrade your moves. Thankfully, when you get to the bigger and badder villains, you’ll have to get creative and be more careful. Even then, it takes a while to get to that point.
M.O.D.OK. was an odd choice for a villain. Nonetheless, it was a good place to start. Having one of the big bads at the jump doesn’t leave much to look forward to. Now, when we hear about Ultron, Kang, or the Skrulls are coming, we’ll be excited to see what’s next. If they can make M.O.D.O.K. and A.I.M. a threat, imagine what they’ll do for them.
Gameplay
The preview of the gameplay was awe-inspiring. This wasn’t a case where you were looking at a movie trailer and having to go off of that. We actually saw a good portion of the beginning of the game. There was even a Taskmaster sighting.
They also highlighted that each of the Avengers had moves specific to their personalities and fighting styles. Hulk wasn’t going to do backflips and Thor wouldn’t be using a gun. It looked like we’d be given everything we wanted. The good news is, we were given everything we wanted and more.
Rating: 5 out of 5
The functionality of the gameplay was going to be a concern. No matter how great a story is, it won’t matter if the gameplay is bad. Thankfully, Avengers has smooth playability. When you are stringing an attack combo together you won’t land the wrong move despite using the correct combination of buttons.
As mentioned earlier, each character has a specific move set. This was great for gamers who prefer different styles. If you prefer speed, you have options. If you like range attacks and strength, you have that as well. It was also nice that each character had missions that only they could complete because this was a good way to bring them into the game.
Character design and graphics
The visuals in a game may be more important than the story. We all have friends who will complete a campaign and have no idea what was going on with the characters. Some of you reading this have done it. If the game is smooth and it looks beautiful, the story can become an afterthought.
The preview of Avengers gave people concern. One of the biggest complaints was that the characters’ uniforms didn’t resemble the movies or the comic books. However, this isn’t a bad thing. Since this is an alternate universe, why wouldn’t the look differ? It’s an opportunity to be creative.
Rating: 2 out of 5
If we’re being honest, a lot of the concept designs weren’t that great. Captain America’s costume is super bulky and Thor’s alternate uniforms are pretty bad.
On the flip side, there are some positives. Kamala Khan looked amazing. Her facial features remained true to her comic book character and her costumes look like something she’d definitely wear.
In one of the missions, Tony Stark comes back and doesn’t have his cool-looking armor. The one we’re given instead looks like he just strung it together – because he did. A great idea indeed.
Overall, however, the costume designs are disappointing. The background design also leaves something to be desired. Sometimes it looks breathtaking, other times it’s very “meh”.
Button-mashing fun
And here’s the important part. Is Marvel’s Avengers entertaining? Yes it is. That said, there is a problem. The anticipation is what ruined the game.
After playing any of the Batman Arkham series or Spider-Man and then seeing the gameplay for Gotham Knights, people may be disappointed with Avengers. This writer assumed that this would be an open-world game like the ones previously mentioned. It was disappointing that it wasn’t, but that doesn’t take away from how enjoyable it is.
Rating: 3 out of 5
As much fun as this writer is having, “button mashers” aren’t for everyone. The puzzles on this game are easily solved, finding the secret cache chests are annoying, and so far things are repetitive. Now I can pick my which of the Avengers I’d like to use. Hopefully the new additions to the game will add more entertainment.
Is Marvel’s Avengers worth the money?
As much fun as this writer is having, Marvel’s Avengers isn’t for everyone. Some of the reviews have been a bit harsh, but a lot of the criticism has been justified. However, if you enjoy fighting games that don’t require much thought, buy the game and zone out. You’ll enjoy every minute of it. Now, if you’re looking for something that requires you to solve intricate puzzles, this isn’t the game for you. If the latter is the case, wait for the inevitable sale and grab it. One thing may be certain, you don’t need the $79.99 purchase (totally regretting that).
What did you think of Marvel’s Avengers game? Who is your favorite character? Let us know in the comments below!