Source: Marvel’s Avengers / PS4 Share
Crystal Dynamic’s Marvel’s Avengers was easily one of the year’s most highly-anticipated games. Like the popular Disney/Marvel Studios’ films, there was a lot of hype to live up to. So that just leaves the million-dollar question, is the game worth your money and time?
Yes, I know the game came out on September 4th, but before posting my thoughts on the game, I wanted to dig deep into it before rendering an opinion. Marvel’s Avengers is a huge undertaking that deserves a fair critique, and now that I have had a substantial amount of time with the game, I feel I can give an honest opinion on it.
Source: Marvel’s Avengers / PS4 Share
Before you hop in the multiplayer dubbed the “Avengers Initiative,” you will embark on the game’s roughly 10-hour Reassemble campaign and this where Marvel’s Avengers wins easily, thanks to excellent writing and interactions between the characters. Like the movies, this original story is captivating. It will keep you intrigued as you take on the role of Kamala Khan, who is brilliantly portrayed by actress and musician Sandra Saad. I must admit when Crystal Dynamic first announced you would be playing as Khan’s Ms.Marvel, I wasn’t immediately blown away. Still, once I finally got to play the campaign in full, I came to love her character in the game as she grows into becoming a superhero like the members of the Avengers she idolizes.
Khan’s interactions with other Avengers are genuine as she is both a fangirl and, at the same time, trying to focus on helping bring the team back together to help take down A.I.M (Advanced Idea Mechanics.) Her relationship with Dr. Bruce Banner, aka The Hulk, who is excellently brought to life by Troy Baker, is very charming and memorable. Think of it as a coming of age story but for a superhero.
Source: Marvel’s Avengers / PS4 Share
Of course, there is the opportunity to play as the other Avengers. That sorta serves as a test drive for them while utilizing their skills in unique situations before you get into the multiplayer. I definitely enjoyed the one level with Tony Stark as you help ward off a bunch of robotic invaders while you piece together an old Iron Man suit to use. It’s those epic moments that will draw you into the game’s campaign and helps the game shine.
Once you complete the game, *Doctor Strange voice* you’re in the endgame now. Now technically, you don’t have to really play through the entire campaign to get here, but it’s really not worth it till you have all of the characters available, and you can only unlock them by playing through the Reassemble story. When I got a chance to play the multiplayer during the beta, I was left very worried. Sadly, the Avengers Initiative endgame confirmed my worst fears; it gets insanely dull and repetitive fast. Immediately you learn that it’s basically a chase to acquire loot that is really not worthwhile or rewarding. Before a significant patch was released, I experienced a ton of glitches in the game.
Source: Marvel’s Avengers / PS4 Share
On numerous occasions, a baddie that I would have to defeat to progress during one of the missions would end up stuck behind a door or even fall through the floor. Sometimes I can manage to beat it by using a character’s special move that somehow can inflict damage on the bad guy stuck in virtual limbo. Still, you can imagine how frustrating that is when you’re literally at the end of a mission only to experience that kind of glitch more than once.
Source: Bernard Smalls / Crystal Dynamics
My experience with the multiplayer was basically playing with computer-controlled characters. The reason for that was matchmaking was a painstaking process that takes entirely too long. When matchmaking did work, I would get one person to join my game. I rarely embarked on a mission with three other players. The patch claimed to have addressed this issue, and for the most part, matchmaking is a tad bit quicker, but it’s still rare to have a full squad.
Source: Marvel’s Avengers / PS4 Share
As mentioned above, the loot acquired is just as depressing as the missions you partake in. What also bogs this game down is the grind to obtain things like emotes, finishing moves, costumes, and other collectibles. While they can be acquired by completing in-game challenges, the process seems to take entirely too long. Unfortunately, like most new games nowadays, overpriced microtransactions cheapen the experience.
Final Verdict:
If there was any way to perfectly describe Marvel’s Avengers, I would call it the Age of Ultron of Marvel video games. Like the second Avenger’s film, it delivers the action we have come to love from the first film but doesn’t quite live up to it and, over time, probably will be appreciated more. To me, the game is still a work in progress, and its current form is mediocre at best. A bevy of add-ons coming like the addition of new characters like Spider-Man (if you own a PS4), Hawkeye, Kate Bishop, and Black Panther will extend the game’s multiplayer. I can see the game becoming more enjoyable later on down the line.
If you’re itching to play an amazing Marvel story with your favorite comic book heroes, then, by all means, the “Reassemble” campaign should please you. The question remains, is it worth dropping $60 bucks on just for that? The game has potential, but honestly, I feel you should wait till more elements are added to it.
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Photo: Marvel’s Avengers / Crystal Dynamics
