Crystal Dynamics released a lot of videos past week for the upcoming Marvel’s Avengers video game. After watching it all, I realized that if this game is a big hit, there are unique ideas in it that might change how games about superheroes are developed in the future. Some of these things could be really positive. Others could be along the lines of the problems infecting a lot of gaming right now. Will it be the new genre-defining superhero title or the first nail in the coffin of what we come to expect from our games about people in tights? Well, it’s complicated.
RELATED – Gameplay Videos For Marvel’s Avengers Leave Gamers Concerned
Games as a Service
Let’s start with the elephant in the room. Marvel’s Avengers is a game as a service, full stop. It takes liberal inspiration from Destiny and they’ve already said they plan on adding more content over time. I’m pretty sure it’s the first superhero game to do so. There have been some MMORPG games in the arena but most weren’t exactly triple-A like this game. Now, a game as a service isn’t inherently a bad thing. Some people hate them and I get that. But there have been some quality games that follow that model. Rainbow Six: Siege, Division 2, Sea of Thieves and the aforementioned Destiny series have all had their ups and downs. However, for the most part, they’ve improved over time and at least on some level can offer a lot of fun and tons of playtime.
The number one issue that affects these types of games is a lack of content. Pretty much all the games I mentioned started fun and died quickly, except Sea of Thieves which stumbled hard out of the gate. They didn’t have the content to carry the gameplay and it took months or even years to get enough stuff to do in the game to even make it feel complete.
I don’t know if the Marvel’s Avengers game will suffer from this problem. Now whether it does or doesn’t isn’t the issue. The issue is if it’s a big hit, other game studios will follow suit with a similar type of games with franchises we love. If so, I can guarantee many of them will be shallow, short, slapped together and half-finished. It is setting a precedent that, even if it’s well done, could be easily abused by lesser studios. There’s a good chance it will be copied frequently as the game industry is known for chasing each others successes. It will be interesting to see what effect this game has in that regard.
Co-op and Story
This game claims to have a full narrative story. Who am I to call them liars on that? I’m assuming it will and not be a “story” like most games that focus on their multiplayer elements. That’s pretty standard with games about comic book characters. I can’t think of too many with the co-op focus of this game. There are the MMORPG types I mentioned, and Marvel Ultimate Alliance has some co-op elements but not many are built around co-op like this game. You’ll be running missions with your friends as your preferred hero and get experience and gear but it isn’t an open-world game. But it’s not an outright MMO experience.
A big part of comic books are the team-ups — X-Men, Avengers, Justice League etc. Team-ups are built into the DNA of these heroes. There’s a good chance that if it works you’ll see a game that lets you and your buddies be Batman and Flash running around doing missions in a similar loop. It’s something I think superhero games could really benefit from and the most exciting prospect of this new game to me.
Of course, there’s always another side to the coin. The game could barely have a story and be gameplay-heavy, like lots of online games tend to be. It can do that and still be a hit. If so, you could see those more narrative-driven games, like the recent Spider-Man game, fall more by the wayside. It’s easier to not have to write a story and build a game around it. And if the big publishers see a way to work around that and still have big sales? Who knows where the genre goes from there.
Post-launch Content
The devs confirmed that after launch the game will be getting free content like new regions and heroes to play as. In order to keep you coming back, they’ll try and build on what is hopefully a solid base and keep the content drip coming. This follows the game as a service aspect I discussed but many if not all those types of games charge you for new content. That’s the business model. If it’s really all free for in the Marvel’s Avengers game, then my hat is off to them. Not dividing the player base and keeping fresh content for people is always a plus. If they stay consistent and keep bringing stuff out this could be a major positive for the game and hopefully push the industry into more free post-release content.
This could always mean the dreaded lack of content I discussed is real. If so, they are basically pushing the game out before there’s much to do, figuring they’ll patch the rest in later. Even worse, it could mean they don’t offer free updates. Instead, use the same model and charge for each new hero or mission. There are already games out there that do that, why wouldn’t future games of this kind? Once the horse is outta the barn and people accept half releases with missing content then other companies will get more brazen. It happens. Hopefully, this is just more content on top of an already robust game and not a band-aid to keep people from getting too angry.
Customization
You can get all kinds of Iron Man armor? Ok. I’m in. If I’m understanding the things I was watching, this game has tons of visual customization. Pieces of gear you get will change how you look (no clue how this could work with Hulk) and there are unlockable classic costumes you can get from doing in-game schematics. Awesome. I love the idea of taking my favorite heroes and getting them looking exactly the way I like. And then I get to smash bad guys while looking cool doing it. It sounds like the customization will be at a awesome level, including gear and skills that you pick up along the way. The hopefully-deep RPG elements could really keep a player engaged and hooked to this game for countless hours.
And now, like always, the negative. You can buy costumes. With real money. Yes, micro-transactions rear their ugly head. I will say it sounds like it’s only for cosmetics and not pay-to-win stuff but still, will they lock all the really good stuff behind a paywall? Will I be able to also earn those options, or are they only if I pay? This is an annoyance for me in this type of game. Old superhero games you unlocked to outfits by playing the game and doing hard to achieve feats and it was your reward. This is setting another ugly precedent for my comic book heroes. You wanna be World War Hulk? Might cost you. If they get away with it? Prepare to see every single other game like this follow suit, yes I did that bad pun on purpose and making you have to buy every costume you want.
Conclusion
Will this game be great? Terrible? Somewhere in between? I have no idea. It looks fun but there are so many red flags that I’m stumped. I will say that there’s a lot of things going on here that could change how superhero games are made going into the future and they could be either really great innovations or another step in ruining a type of game I happen to love. I guess we won’t know until we play the it, see how it’s received and see the lesson other publishers take from its success or failures. Either way, I want to Hulk smash MODOK at least once, please.
How does the Marvel’s Avengers game look to you? Sound off down below!
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