“Is Marvel’s Avengers game worth buying?” That is the question many are asking now that it is out? Marvel’s Avengers is a game with a good plot and debatable game as a service model. These two aspects of the game have a hard time complimenting each other. It has an amazing single-player story with deep character development. The game has the essence of Marvel and you can feel it by playing the game. It is possible to play the entire story of the game in the single-player mode. Despite being a live service game, Marvel’s Avengers offers an amazing plot for a live service game. It has character development and a deep story. Missions take place in open-ended areas with limited exploration. Marvel’s Avengers is not an open-world game but it offers a little freedom to the players.
At this point, you might be wondering that if Marvel’ Avengers is such a good game then why all the criticism. Well, the answer to that is simple, the live service nature of the game is not compatible with other aspects of the game. Combat is good and so is the story but none of them can make an impact on the nature of Marvel’s Avengers. It fails to deliver a proper live service vision that could it interesting for a long time. Even the loot system is not compatible with the live service nature of the game. Marvel’s Avengers is a confusing game that is torn between a good story and a bad live service game. It makes you question, Is Marvel’s Avengers game worth buying? Let’s find out in detail.
The Plot of Marvel’s Avengers
The game begins with the disaster of the A Day. Avengers are celebrating the unveiling of their second headquarter and their own Helicarrier powered by Terrigen Crystal. Terrorists attack the ceremony and their new Helicarrier is destroyed. The destruction of the Helicarrier results in the destruction of San Francisco along with the apparent death of Captain America. Thousands of people die as a result of the disaster and Avengers are held responsible for it. This results in the disbandment of Avengers and superheroes are declared outlaws. Radiations from Terrigen Crystal also turns many people into inhuman. AIM, an organization pioneering in science replaces Avengers and takes control.
A series of events lead Kamala Khan on a quest to reunite the former Avengers starting from Bruce Banner. She wants to reunite the Avengers in hope of defeating AIM. Kamala Khan is the central character of the story and she has most of the playtime in the game. She has been admiring Avengers since her teenage and wants to be one of them. Kamala Khan was present at the disaster of the A Day which has made her into an inhuman. As the plot progresses her character develops and she becomes more mature. You get to know her origin story as she becomes one of the Avengers. The game offers a good 9 hours. Is Marvel’s Avengers game worth buying for you?” based on the story.
Setting and Progression
The story and character development are good but missions seem repetitive. Though missions are not as repetitive in the single-player mode. The game has the essence of Marvel and you can feel it just by looking at the game. You can play the entire campaign in solo mode or you can invite your friends to play as a team. There would still be AI companions assisting you even if you are in the solo mode. The developers want players to have the option of playing the game in a story-driven narrative. There are side missions in the game that offers insight into the story of each character. Side missions are optional but they offer rewards that can increase your power level without much of an impact.
Marvel’s Avengers takes place in different parts of the world. The setting for each mission is different and you can see all of the missions on a globe map inside Avengers Headquarters. There are different terrains in the game for different missions. Snowy landscapes, deserts, plain green lands, rocky landscapes, urban and scientific facilities. All of the areas offer freedom to some extent. You can explore these areas but it’s not an open-world game. It is a multi-regional game that offers small exportable areas rather than one big map.
Most parts of these landscapes are copy-pasting of each other. Some areas are so similar that you might mistake them for being the same region. Especially indoor location with little to no verity. That is also true for outdoor locations but due to their vastness, it’s not as prevalent as indoor locations. There is just limited variety in different areas of the game making it a shallow experience. Is Marvel’s Avengers game worth buying for you for its premise?
Repetitive Missions with Limited Variation
The destructible environment in any game is fun because it adds more realism to combat and gameplay. The fact remains the same for the Avengers game but its repetitive nature can stand in the way of immersion. Most of the missions are repetitive both in terms of layout and content with little variation. You will feel like playing the same missions most of the time. There is a verity of single-player missions but even that is not enough to make them distinct as they feel identical.
The lack of verity is especially noticeable in the multiplayer missions of the game. There are a lot of generic missions such as staying in the circle, protect a location, or destroy different stuff. It’s not doing anything different than so many other looter shooters. There is just not enough verity to make missions distinct.
Heroes At Launch
Avengers features 6 different characters from Marvel comics. You begin with Kamala Khan, as you progress you will recruit other characters starting with Hulk. Recruiting characters is a generic plot but Marvel’s Avengers makes it more intriguing. Unlike other such live service games, Marvel’s Avengers lets you earn the character. Each character is hard to earn and you have to go through a vigorous plot to earn these characters. It feels like a plot of a movie rather than a generic plot of a video game. Is Marvel’s Avengers game worth buying for its missions?
You get this satisfaction when you unlock a new character giving you a good experience. The game will let you bring Avengers together slowly rather than a fast pace. Even when you are in the mid-story there would still be some missing characters. Some missions are specially designed for a specific character but there aren’t a lot of such missions to utilize the play style of each one. More Heroes will be added later to the game.
The PlayStation version of Avengers will have exclusive content including Spiderman as part post launch updates.
Combat Is One of the Few Good Aspects of the Game
Marvel’s Avengers has six superheroes at launch and all of them have different fighting styles. That would remain the same for the foreseeable future due to the nature of the game. Each hero has different attacks, moves, abilities, and skill trees that are totally different than each other. The combat and movements of all the characters are tied to the same buttons, which is kind of impressive. Even the feedback from the attack of each character is unique. Other shooters have little difference between the combat styles of each class. Avengers presents a different type of gameplay for each character that makes them distinct. The uniqueness of each character is one of the most unique aspects of the game.
Combat is one of the amazing aspects of the game. Hitting an enemy gives satisfying feedback but some of the feedback sounds feels out of place. Thor’s hammer makes a satisfying impact but its sound does not match up with its impact. The portrayal of Mjölnir (Thor’s Hammer) in the game is ok but it’s not the best. Ironman is my least favorite character due to his unstable way of fighting. The fighting style of Ironman is just not good and feels clunky. Overall the combat of Marvel’s Avengers is good.
Enemies and Combat
There isn’t a lot of enemy verity and most of the enemies are variations of each other. Though the variation of enemies does makes them different but their base form is still clear. I mean the fighting style remains the same to some extent. The lack of enemy verity is a big problem in Marvel’s Avengers. There are also not many villains in the game which is not a good sign. The source material of the game could supply it with a large number of villains. I think developers just weren’t focusing on adding too much at launch. Some enemies can become attack sponges but it is a digestible idea. Is Marvel’s Avengers game worth buying due to its combat? There is more to discuss.
General Gameplay of Marvel’s Avengers
Avengers has an amazing story and good combat but the live service nature of the game has a huge impact on it. There are different characters with different gameplay but the game is not utilizing the abilities of the heroes. Captain America has good platforming abilities, Ironman has flight, Black Widow has stealth, and so on. There are not many missions that focus on such gameplay style of each character. Only small sections of a couple of missions utilize this concept of the game. If there were entire missions designed specifically for these characters then the game would have been a lot better.
Flight mechanics of the game are clunky and it can get in the way of fun. Compared to the flight mechanics of Anthem, the flight mechanics of Avengers are bad. Chasing enemies in the air can be problematic while using Ironman or Thor. The playstyle of Ironman depends on the flight but the bad flight mechanics can make the experience retarded. Unlocking new abilities through skill trees creates variations but it’s not impactful. Using new abilities doesn’t make you stronger but rather gives you a new verity of moves to use in combat. In a sense, the upgrade system is broken.
Bugs are Problematic
There are a large number of bugs in the game. Developers will fix most of the bugs but some bugs will remain, like many other live service games. Sometime you can’t complete missions because the last enemy will be alive and that enemy will become immortal. Sometimes bugs in the middle of combat can kill you. These bugs will make you a vulnerable target to the enemies. The fps can drop regularly and it can un synchronize sound and display. Sometimes sound might even disappear from cut scenes or lag behind. Developers will fix these issues but at its release, the game is incomplete. Is Marvel’s Avengers game worth buying due to its buggy nature and general gameplay? There is more to it.
Marvel’s Avengers as a Live Service Game
Live service games relay on content and gameplay to keep players engaged. Avengers is a live service game with a good story. At a glance, it might seem to be the ideal live service game but that’s not the case. The game has a good story but it does not support the live service nature of it. There are daily missions like bounties and other generic stuff. You go on different missions with teammates to get better items. There are cosmetics that you can purchase with in-game currency. Different vendors sell cosmetics and other items. Hero Cards serves as a battle pass for the game. The live service nature of the game is there for microtransactions.
Getting loot is similar to any other live service game but the idea of loot is not viable at all. Ideally, in a looter shooter, a player is motivated to keep playing the game to get better stuff. That’s not the case for Marvel’s Avengers, loot only makes your number goes up. It offers little in terms of abilities other than perks. The idea of loot just does not make sense in such a game. While playing I was trying to equip the item with the biggest number for more power. I didn’t even consider making a build in the game. The loot just doesn’t motivate you enough to make builds and keep on playing the game. End game content and live service nature of the game just doesn’t sit well with players. Is Marvel’s Avengers game worth buying for its live service nature?
Live Service Is There For Microtransactions
Marvel’s Avengers shows its true nature after the story mode ends. There is nothing g else in the game other than a constant focus on live service. In a sense, the game is trying to milk the name of Avengers as much as possible. You can rarely earn the in-game currency without spending extra money on it. The end game content is there to support microtransactions and take money from players. That’s the only explanation I have for the type of live service game Avengers is at release. The single-player story of the game just does not mix well with the live service nature of the game. The game would have been better if it was only a single-player game with the option of co-op and extensive story. Don’t get me wrong the story is good but developers just want you to get into multiplayer as soon as possible.
Challenge Cards and Gear
Challenge cards are another money grabbing way of the game. It serves as a battle pass like many other live service game. It is not only the problem of Marvel’s Avengers but rather all of the recent pay-to-play live service games. Why do I have to pay more for a battle pass when I have already paid the base price of the game? Avengers game is using all of the predatory tactics to grab money from players.
Gear is useless and does not bring anything better to the table. The number would just go up and you will be able to keep up with the stronger enemies of the game. Most of the gear is not visible on the screen unlike other games and only the numbers will go up. The live service nature of the game is based on a shallow concept. Is Marvel’s Avengers game worth buying for you? due to its greedy nature.
Verdict
Marvel’s Avengers is a superhero game with a good plot. Characters development and emotions that characters show in the game is amazing. The combat of the game is also good with a unique identity. Each hero has a different combat style which brings good verity to the combat of the game. Combat and story work together to make a good premise of the game. However, the absurd nature of its live service model is in total disarray. The greedy tactics of its live service nature are impacting all that the game has to offers. Even the story mode is repetitive because it is based on the game as a service model.
Developers as hoping that combat will take the game forward but it’s not working. The end game content and its loot system are just not good enough to keep players interested for long. A single-player co-op Avengers game would have been better. It is a live service game so developers just want players to play the game and keep on spending the money but it is not working. Marvel’s Avengers at launch does not have something unique as a looter shooter or even something interesting as a live service game.
Is Marvel’s Avengers Your Type of Game?
Now let’s answer the question “Is Marvel’s Avengers game worth buying?” Marvel’s Avengers is a game for the fans of Marvel. It is also the game for anyone who wants a superhero game with a good plot. If you are looking for a superhero game with good combat then it is the game for you. It is not the game for players who are expecting a good live service game. Marvel’s Avengers is also not the game for players who are looking for good PVP and PVE content. It is also not the game for players who are expecting a good multiplayer game. In short, it is the game for Marvel fans or players who are looking for a superhero game with decent combat and story.
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