Marvel’s Avengers
Image Credit: Square Enix
When I first heard about a brand new AAA Avengers video game, I was thrilled. When I Iater found out that it was a Destiny-like game as a service, I was concerned. That concern was validated when I abstained from picking it up at launch and watched reviews roll in. The critiques ranged from poor load times to a shallow pool of content. For various reasons, I held off on reviewing Marvel's Avengers until the next-gen release, which was about 6 months after launch. Unfortunately, even with the power of the PS5 and a couple more characters added, my opinion of this game is consistent with those who reviewed it at launch.
Even with the addition of content, like Hawkeye and Kate Bishop, Marvel's Avengers still lacks substance. This is mostly due to the repetitive nature of the post-game content. Though you travel to various settings to battle the same AIM robots, the actual objectives don't change much between missions. You may find yourself having to rescue S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, destroying computer servers or fighting 1 of 3 boss enemies. But there is little to no variation beyond that. All mission structures after the main campaign feel identical.
On the topic of the main campaign, this is one area where the game excelled. You find yourself in the shoes of Kamala Khan in a post-Avengers world run by AIM. The Avengers broke up due to a catastrophic event called A-Day and Kamala sets off on reuniting the Avengers to uncover a criminal conspiracy led by M.O.D.O.K. This story is unique to the game, but it does take heavy inspiration from various comic book runs. As a huge fan of the Avengers, Kamala is the perfect character for players to identify with. She represents some of the best themes from Marvel comics, like everyone having it within them to be a hero. The campaign has similar objectives to the post-game content, but it's interlaced with investigative sections and exciting "moments" that break up the repetitive nature of the objectives.
It's a shame that the post-game content is so lackluster because the actual polish and detail put into each character and their abilities are top-tier for a Marvel game. There are deep skill trees for each character where you can unlock new abilities and improve your character's stats. The combat is surprisingly rich with unique moves and exciting combos. Unfortunately, this depth in combat is squandered because you end up fighting the same four enemy types. Most of them are just robots that I could care less if I defeated or just ran by to get to my next objective.
In addition to the robust leveling system and upgrades, there is also a complex gear system that provides an illusion of progression. As you defeat enemies or open chests through the environment, you have the potential to randomly receive varying degrees of rare gear. This gear can be equipped to boost the stats of your character, but in the end, I found myself auto assigning and upgrading the gear because it all ended up feeling inconsequential. This system was clearly added to replicate some of the magic that franchises like Destiny and MMORPGs have, but since the gear you find has no cosmetic effect and in some cases is just a belt, it felt like fluff added to the game to pad it out more. It felt like Crystal Dynamics really wanted to force the Marvel IP into a specific game model and fell flat with its gear system.
Though the gear doesn't provide a cosmetic effect, there are still plenty of outfits in this game. Unfortunately, most of them are locked behind an egregious pricing model. Each cosmetic skin ranges in rarity and price accordingly. The highest rarity level, legendary, is priced at $14! The game is now in its life cycle where you can pick it up on sale for $25, but somehow $14 is the price the developers settled on for the best outfits. I am not naive that practices like this fund games as a service, but Crystal Dynamics did not earn these prices. The end-game content is lacking, and the last thing they need to do is push more fans away with greedy prices.
I have been extremely hard on this game due to my love for the Marvel IP, but mostly because I still see hope for it. The campaign is solid and absolutely justifies picking up this game on sale for around $30. The characters and their abilities respect their comic book origin and are fun to play as. My issue arises in the end-game content, which is supposed to fuel this game and its future content for years. With unexciting enemies and mission structures in its current state, this game does not appear to be sustainable. The skeleton of a great game is here, but Crystal Dynamics needs to reassess what is fun in this game and move away from gross cosmetic pricing tactics. All hope for this game is not lost, but a strong pivot is needed to make this game into something worth avenging. Busch League Gaming gives Marvel's Avengers a 6.5 out of 10.
