Avengers Assembly Line
When I was asked to take on Marvel’s Avengers, I was a little taken back. I knew it was going to be a high-profile game that was going to take a lot of time to get into. We all knew it was going the route of the “games as a service”, and being a veteran Destiny player, I knew what I was getting into. While I can see the Destiny influences here, there’s a different spin to the entire thing while having a decent Marvel coat of paint to go along with it. It’s not without its hiccups here and there, but Avengers has the content and the story to back up a lot of its setbacks.
The story itself is told mainly through the eyes of Ms. Marvel, Kamala Kahn. During a special event called A-Day, a major disaster takes place that puts the Avengers in a negative light, leaves Captain America dead, and a lot of people now with superpowers called “Inhumans.” It spans a few years and shows the remaining Avengers coming back together to stop a new government power that has taken over called AIM.
The game itself is an action RPG where players take on the role of their favorite Marvel hero. It’s a simple structure that has a light and heavy attack with a ranged attack option as well as two special abilities and an ultimate ability that all work on cooldowns. It is a very combo heavy combat that also allows for some dodging both with a dodge button or a modifier using the Right Trigger. It all depends on the hero.
Platforms: XB1, PC, PS4
MSRP: $59.99
Price I’d pay: $50
In fact, players will begin to gravitate towards their favorite characters within about an hour of playing each one. Iron Man is more of a flyer character that needs to focus on enemies at a distance, while Ms. Marvel is a tanky healer. Thor and Hulk are the heavy hitters while Cap and Widow are the combo brawlers. They all feel different and have their uses in battle.
That’s one thing I have to really give Avengers is that each character plays differently from one another. Hulk’s modifier grants him higher attack power and the ability to shrug off attacks, while Black Widow’s is an instant interrupt ability that ziplines her to an attacking enemy to begin a combo. It’s a nice set of heroes and abilities that really changes up things.
Each hero also comes with their own skill trees and equipment. Now, to being with, I wasn’t paying attention to the equipment choices and most of them were just looking at the higher numbers and equipping whatever I had. Once players get closer to the level cap, they will begin looking at the choices both in what the stat boosts are as well as the manufacture abilities and the power level of the gear. Going through the story, most players will be changing gear so much that investing in a piece is pretty much useless. Unfortunately, for a gear heavy game like this, it really takes the breath out of getting new gear until the end game.
Sprinkled throughout the main story are missions that play out much like the end game material. Certain missions that have players returning to a map that is set in the same area and has a main objective as well as smaller objectives throughout the map that can offer up more XP, or some nice gear. There are types of missions that set up how the end game will play out. “Hold these three points for a certain amount of time” or “destroy these four things and hold off the waves of enemies.” Players are going to see the same things, but that’s the nature of the beast. There is some variety thrown in like level modifiers and different enemy types with varying status effects.
Obviously, the game doesn’t end once the story is over. In fact, the multiplayer focused portion of the game takes place after the events of the main story. Also, players need to keep in mind they unlock playable characters through the main story. The good thing is all gear, levels, and skill points earned in the campaign transfer to all other aspects of the game.
Along with the gear and leveling comes the grind of a game of this nature. It is in the form of crafting materials and min/maxing of gear earned. Players can boost the power level of gear using materials found in the missions. The higher the gear score, the higher the mission level that can be tackled.
The multiplayer has some quirks to it as well. Most missions, with a few exceptions, can be done via co-op online. Having a few other heroes with me made some missions a lot easier to take on. The game tries its best to matchmake with appropriate levels, but I did run into few times I got paired up with a really high-level player that wiped the floor with all the enemies in my game. It was nice, but it took the challenge out of the game.
Now, with any game as a service, there is talk of microtransactions. Here, they are for cosmetic things like new costumes, emotes, and player banners. They’ll net you a pretty penny, but one thing that Avengers does rather well is the fact that most, if not all can be earned just through playing. One way this is done is through character cards. Each character has a level card that grants them things at certain milestones. Players can fill out this card by doing daily and weekly challenges per character. Many of which aren’t overly difficult to do but can be a little time consuming. It’s another reason to come back to the game when I know I’m this close to getting a new legendary costume. I’m at least happy that level progression and ability boosts aren’t a thing. Let’s hope it stays that way.
Graphically, the game looks pretty amazing, especially in cutscenes. While it’s not running perfectly at times, it holds a decent framerate. Now, I have run into both graphical and playing issues here and there, some of which have been resolved in the latest patch. Before, I was falling though the map, or seeing enemies just standing there not really doing anything. While the voice performances are ok, Kamala is the standout, and with a great set of fan service, it will make any Marvel fan happy.
Avengers has the legs for a good games as a service model. It can stand on its own for a while, and with new content coming as soon as this month, it should keep things fresh. Now, that doesn’t mean monotony won’t set in, it most certainly does. Especially after finishing the best part of the game – the story missions. These types of games live and breathe on their player base and so far, it’s been alright. Only time will tell, and we’ll see how long Avengers is supported. While right now, Marvel’s Avengers is a good game that has a few issues here and there, but a fun time nonetheless, in a year’s time, it could very well be a great game with more varied content. There is most certainly the potential for that here. Let’s hope it actually happens.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
