@TravMoody
MARVEL’S AVENGERS (Crystal Dynamics/Eidos Montreal/Marvel Games/Square Enix – X1/PS4/PC – May 15, 2020) – Crystal Dynamics’ new Avengers game didn’t have the greatest reveal on Monday night at the Square Enix E3 presser, but I have news: gameplay looks good, with explosive cinematic action nearly as exciting as the source material it spawns from. If the giant team putting together this Marvel Project can answer the countless cries on Twitter, they have an at least 11-months time to “pull a movie Sonic” and touch up the game’s questionable design choices. I mean, dem memes say it all…
Unfortunately, I have a larger concern than seeing Dollar Store Thor and Foo Fighter Tony. Marvel’s Avengers feels dated. Or, from the looks of yesterday’s behind closed door it certainly appears that way. Little is known about the title’s villains minus Taskmaster (who, at least, looks cool) and additional Avengers squadron other than Ant-Man (where the F is Hawkeye?). With that other Marvel game (see below) having an array of character choices like Miles Morales, Captain Marvel, Star-Lord and even Netflix Jessica Jones, playing a story featuring the core group of Avengers from the 2012 film just isn’t that exciting anymore. Yet despite customizable gear and post-campaign play that promises additional missions and characters, it still made me wonder if Crystal and Eidos should have delayed Shadow of the Tomb Raider (which didn’t do that great critically or sales-wise, mind you) in favor of these Avengers instead…
In addition to the iffy character models, I wasn’t all that thrilled with the dialogue. Aside from Shellhead’s typical witty self (even with a line that takes a crack at “B-Movie Background Actors” that I kinda have taken offense to.. ha!), the script doesn’t feel like it comes from the mind of a Marvel comic book writer. Not cool, especially when you have a voice cast as strong as Troy Baker, Laura Bailey, Nolan North, Travis Willingham, and Jeff Schine. But considering this is the same team that won awards for the cinematic gameplay and intelligent, emotional narratives in the Tomb Raider reboot and Rise of the Tomb Raider, I trust that this story will be — and sound — much stronger upon release.
Marvel’s Avengers‘ combat was easily the saving grace of the E3 booth demo. With God of War‘s Vince Napoli at the forecenter of the title’s fight-game development, it was easy to see similarities between the axe-wielding Kratos and Mjolnir-tossing Thor. Once Tony took to the skies and shot his signature beams from above, special team-up powers between Stark and the God of Thunder looked extremely fun to execute. Hulk was easily my favorite hero to watch throw down as he sprints across a demolished Golden Gate Bridge, slapping and slamming guards into each other and even tossing a tank or two for Stan’s sake.
Fixed the new Avengers game #SquareEnixE3 pic.twitter.com/xvmMQbJ7A2
— Superfight (@superfight10) June 11, 2019
In the 25-minutes I witnessed of CD and EM’s Avengers so far, it looks fun; but, how fun? And what the hell will the game look like post-narrative? Destiny? America’s ass? Someone call Phil Coulson and get his Agents on this, pronto. 2.5/5 Bibles.
MARVEL ULTIMATE ALLIANCE 3: THE BLACK ORDER (Team Ninja/Koei Tecmo/Marvel Games/Nintendo – Switch – July 19, 2019) – It’s true, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 has several advantages over its Square Enix counterpart: 1.) It’s a Nintendo Switch exclusive and everyone loves games like this on their Switch, 2.) The sequel announcement shocked us, so expectations have been kept to a minimum, 3.) The E3 demonstrations are tucked way in the back of Nintendo’s ginormous booth behind all the glitz and glamour of Pokémon, Link’s Awakening and Luigi’s Mansion, 4.) It comes out.. next month, 5.) It has the X-Men. And the Fantastic Four. And the Netflix characters. And the Spider-Verse. And… everyone.
Yeah, not fair…
Oddly enough, getting the hang of Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 might requre a steeper learning curve than the Tomb Raideresque Avengers thing I spoke about above. At its core, MUA3 is no different than its isometric style, arcade beat ’em up predecessors. But Team Ninja’s game also wants you to utilize team-up strategy to get the most oomph out of your squad. Pairing “like” heroes boosts the heroes’ abilities, as my fellow staffer Sarah and I were delighted to watch a few of these special team-up power moves executed on screen.
Co-op in the game is as awesome as it was way back when, if you can get over some wonky camera work that can only be saved when playing solo with the right stick. Despite enemies being blinded by large fences or walls due to the critical angle, the sticky camera stuff never felt frustrating enough to be a game-breaker. Not even close. While we’ll know more next month when it releases, the demo ensured me that Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order is a no-brainer, must-buy for any comic book nerd with a Switch. 4/5 Bibles.
-Travis Moody