Today was the day. A-Day. The Avengers were opening their new West Coast branch. A day of celebration for the team who has saved the World from threats more times than I could count. Too bad this day would be the day the Avengers failed us. The day they would be..NO MORE!!!!
Ok, sorry. That was overly dramatic. But if you’ve seen the reveal trailer for the game, then you know what I’m talking about. Marvel’s Avengers is all about reassembling the team in either the linear, action/adventure cinematic story single-player campaign or the up to 4-player co-op campaign which will act as Games-as-a-Service model, with new characters, new regions, new modes, and more all for the price of FREE. PS4 owners will receive early access to the co-op beta plus some “unique” content only for Gamers on the PlayStation. Marvel and Sony’s ‘connection’ is as strong as ever, it seems.
The presentation we attended started with the A-Day celebration, as suddenly the Golden Gate Bridge is riddled with explosions. Thor and Iron man hurry to save the day, splitting up to take care of separate emergencies. We start with the blonde-haired God saving civilians from these mysterious enemies. Thor’s combat would best be summarized as Kratos from the recent God of War (2018) game. Thor smashes and bashes low-level threats with Mjinilor, his mighty magical hammer. At one point he even pins a far away enemy against a bus with it, as he continues to beat another one senseless, then quickly recalls his weapon. He can also call down lighting, shocking his surrounding foes and empowering him to do even more damage. This is the Thor you’ve always wanted to play as. This is Thor done right.
Near the end of Thor’s segment, Iron Man returns to give him a hand until a trio of enemies with jet-packs shows up, taunting Iron Man as he soon gives chase after them. This is when things kicked into high gear. Controlling Iron Man looks like it’ll be a blast and I hope we will be given the chance to explore later on in the game as our favorite armored-up billionaire. The chase ensues as small parts of the bridge begin to explode around us, giving the ‘race’ against evil an even more cinematic feel. After taking them all down, Iron Man comes upon a blockade of enemies who seem to be using his own tech against. Outnumbered, he calls in the big, green guy.
Diving out of Quinjet, Bruce transforms into our favorite green Behemoth. Upon landing on the bridge, he immediately begins to HULK SMASH PUNY HUMAN ENEMIES to the idiots who think they can do any damage to the radioactive empowered beast. I’ll be honest with you, the Hulk’s combat segment looked like the most fun out of the five! Hulk pulled a ‘Loki’ on one enemy, slamming him into the ground repeatedly. Hell, at one point he was beating other enemies with two other enemies. He even used his patented ‘sonic slap’ to clear debris from his path. If there’s ever another Hulk: Ultimate Destruction game the team at Crystal Dynamics needs to do it. I can’t wait to get THESE HANDS on with the emerald giant.
After smashing (and jumping!) his way across the bridge as he battled tanks and other ridiculous enemies, Hulk made his way to Iron Man, the gameplay switched over to Captain America. For some mysterious reason, the Avenger’s helicarrier began to take flight, with Steve on it. In the control room Cap soon begins to battle against his own adversaries, who outnumbered our the First Avenger ten to one. This is no problem as he quickly takes them down with epic takedowns and his BRAHsome shield. Charging up his attack he unleashes his glorious shield which mows down these agents of evil. Cap clears the area of baddies, then goes to invest in why the Helicarrier’s reactor is overheating down below.
Black Widow eyes the ever evil ex-S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Taskmaster, who has the control of a huge piece of machinery which aims to completely destroy the bridge. as she quickly takes a ride along with him and his jet-pack, beating him in the head as you weave in and out of the battle-zone. You eventually bring him down, as the ‘boss battle’ of the this begins. Black Window hits him with a barrage of punches, kicks, and throws to deplete his energy bar. Taskmaster uses his gadgets to keep you afar, As Black Window would unleash her trusty dual pistols, giving us shades of Tomb Raider as she littered his armor-covered body with bullets with little impact overall. Taskmaster has the ability to quickly learn the moves of anyone, adapting to your every move. Too bad Tasky’ couldn’t learn the move of an invisibility shield, as Natasha went invisible to end this battle. Upon doing so, the team realizes the Bridge was nothing but a distraction. The Helicarrier has exploded with energy and has sunk into the ocean, with Captain America inside it. San Francisco is in ruins, thanks to the Avengers. WOW.
Many fans of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes have complained how the character models for Marvel’s Avengers look ‘generic’ and while I don’t completely agree, they could use some additional work before release to help make them look more realistic and perhaps not the stunt doubles from the movies. Thankfully the gameplay was representative of what makes each Avenger so special and unique. Using Mjolnir to serve justice to enemies’ face. Blasting around the sky, firing repulsor beams as Iron Man upon his foes below. Smashing everything in sight with the Hulk. Hand-to-hand AND Shield combat with Cap. Guns and close quarter combat with Black Widow, along with her S.H.I.E.L.D. tech to give her a unique advantage during battle. Each Avenger played the way you have always imagined they would. If you’re a fan of Marvel’s biggest team, Marvel’s Avengers screams fan’s dream game for millions of devoted fans around the World. Want to play alone? The cinematic single-player mode that gives you control over your favorites Heroes. Want to assemble and save the day? Grab your controller and summon three of your favorite buddies online to vanquish evil. The best of both worlds of gaming.
The frame rate was rough in a few places but I didn’t expect the game to be in pristine shape seeing as how they have another 11 months before the games releases, the team still has plenty of time to get things running smoothly on the current-gen consoles. The questions I want to know is how the co-op mode will work. Is it as story-focused as the single-player campaign or will it be tied together with a thin storyline? Will Thor’s hair in the final game not look like a cheap wig in the final game? Will Sentry be part of the ever-expanding roster? IS CAP TRULY DEAD!?! Too many questions, not enough answers, True Believers.
Marvel’s Avengers saves the day on May 15th, 2020 on the PS4, XB1, PC, and Stadia.
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