Nothing to Marvel at
MARVEL’S AVENGERS XBox One, PS4, PC
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BEING a superhero is supposed to be fun, but there aren’t many games that make it so. Marvel may well dominate the genre on the big screen, but when it comes to the world of gaming, DC has reigned supreme.
And sadly this would-be blockbuster will do little to dent DC’s crown.
Launched with great pomp and circumstance, this action roleplaying brawler allows players to become their favourite superhero.
The problem is there’s so much going on that it detracts from what should be an incredible experience.
Avengers is essentially broken into two big modes: first you complete the story campaign which focuses on the journey of would-be Avenger, Ms Marvel – Kamala Khan.
The second chunk is a multiplayer looter/shooter, very much in the vein of Bungie’s 2014 release, Destiny.
The two modes are awkward bedfellows, the drudgery of the
looter tarnishing everything that’s good about the solo campaign.
With an original plot penned just for this release, it’s the storyline that’s actually the standout here.
Kamala Khan’s character is not only fun to play with – her fighting style making her feel part-Hulk, part-Spider-Man – but she is brilliantly brought to life by voice actress Sandra Saad.
If the single-player campaign had been released as a standalone, and given a bit of spit and polish, it would easily have stood on it’s own two feet as a great title.
But you can see the real focus has been put on the multiplayer section, creating an endlessly updating environment which will have players mindlessly grinding through level-ups and paying for collectable content for years to come.
The initial set of playable characters consists of Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow and Ms Marvel, but more superheroes will be made available for free to players, including Hawkeye II, Hawkeye, Black Panther and Spider-Man, who will only be available exclusively on the PlayStation, thanks to Sony owning the rights to the character.
But, while those extra characters – and myriad others to be added over time – are free, if you want to take advantage of each of their extra features or cosmetics, you’ll have to get your credit card out. The game’s first playable characters have unlocked premium Hero Challenge Cards, which work in a similar way to battle passes in lots of other online shooters. With around 40 tiers on each card, completing challenges levels up the card, and unlocks new items and abilities.
Heroes added to the game over time will also have a Hero Challenge Card, but activating it will cost around £10.
It’s heartbreaking as it’s clearly been a labour of love. Graphically the attention to detail is astonishing – but that care and attentiveness just doesn’t make it into the game mechanics.
A lot of the fights seem duplicated, the initial excitement wearing off after you realise the combat sequences are repeated ad nauseam. And the character you choose seems to have little bearing on gameplay, differing abilities and combos aside.
With 2018’s Spider-Man being such a huge hit, you’d have thought developers Crystal Dynamics might have been tempted to look to that for a winning template.
Instead Avengers is a roller coaster of highs and lows which, when the first few hits of adrenalin wear off, just becomes a numbing experience.
Buy it: £44.85 from base.com