I may still be a bit unsure about whether or not Marvel's Avengers will live up to expectations, but that is actually one of the reasons why it is my most anticipated game of 2020. The initial 2017 tease excited me, and I was eagerly awaiting its unveiling over the next two years. That being said, when it watched its reveal trailer and even saw the A-Day demo behind closed doors at E3 2019, I came away underwhelmed like my fellow editor Logan Moore.
Despite this, I could see that Marvel's Avengers was brimming with potential and may have just demoed badly. As we've seen more and more of the game, I do really think that is the case, which is why I'm surprised that Square Enix still isn't showing more of it. Marvel's Avengers has great prospects in a world dominated by the Marvel Cinematic Universe and could even keep Marvel Comics in the discussion during a down year movie-wise. We just need to see more of it, and I can't wait for when we do.
[pullquote]"Marvel's Avengers has great prospects in a world dominated by the Marvel Cinematic Universe."[/pullquote]
So far, only seven characters have been confirmed for Marvel's Avengers: Iron Man, Hulk, Black Widow, Thor, Captain America, Hank Pym, and Ms. Marvel. While Square Enix tried to make a big deal about the inclusion of these heroes in 2019, we still haven't seen Hank Pym in action as any of his possible personas (Ant-Man, Giant-Man, Goliath, or Yellowjacket) and, with the exception of Ms. Marvel, the rest of the confirmed roster seem like shoe-ins for an Avengers game. The Marvel universe is teeming with tons of interesting characters, so I hope Marvel's Avengers takes advantage of them.
While I don't expect the roster, at least initially, to be as big as Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order, I'd still like to have at least 10 or more heroes with more depth to them. Doctor Strange and Brother Voodoo have been confirmed for the tie-in novel, and I hope they make an appearance in the game as well. Other heroes I'd like to see included are Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Scarlet Witch, Blade and personal favorites like Falcon and Hawkeye. Marvel's Avengers' greatest obstacle will be homogenizing the playstyles of so many different heroes, but if Crystal Dynamics can pull it off, this may be one of the best superhero games ever.
Until recently, the game's structure was also pretty confusing, though an overview trailer in November cleared that up. Surprisingly, Destiny is an apt comparison to Marvel's Avengers. As players progress, they should be able to improve the Avengers' new base of operations, a decommissioned Helicarrier, and upgrade their character with new gear. The game will feature both single-player story missions and multiplayer missions for players to go on. We have not really seen this kind of approach with a superhero game yet, but it has a lot of potential.
Even though I'd still be averse to invasive microtransactions and the like, I would be interested in finally having a multiplayer "forever game" that really grabs and maintains my attention. I tend to stick to single-player games, so the fact that Marvel's Avengers will give me both is enticing. The closest thing I have to a forever game right now is Super Mario Maker 2, and its online functionality is terrible. If any game can get me to consistently return to it in order to have fun with the grind and unlock new gear, it will be Marvel's Avengers.
The 2010s served as a renaissance of sorts of the superhero genre on consoles. Yes, we didn't receive as many of them as a whole, likely due to the rise of mobile games, but the games we did get on consoles were mostly outstanding. Batman: Arkham City is one of my favorite games of all time, and Batman: Arkham Knight and Marvel's Spider-Man are also highlights of the decade for me. As the first major superhero game of the 2020s, I'm hoping Marvel's Avengers sets the superhero game standard for the decade just like Batman: Arkham City did back in 2011.
[pullquote]"Marvel's Avengers' greatest obstacle will be homogenizing the playstyles of so many different heroes."[/pullquote]
Marvel's Avengers is an important title for Marvel Games in general too. The gaming division of Marvel Entertainment is finally starting to pay more attention to consoles and needs to prove that they weren't a one-hit-wonder in the AAA space with Marvel's Spider-Man. Insomniac's game set a high bar of quality within the Marvel-verse of games alone, so that's a standard that Marvel's Avengers will have to meet and uphold going forward.
Are Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix up to the task? I think so. Even if they aren't, I think Marvel's Avengers will still be one of the most interesting games of the year. If it's great, the game can ride on the wave of MCU mania in what is a relatively low key year for their films, and if it's bad, it will likely draw just as much attention beyond release. Either way, Marvel's Avengers will be one of the most exciting games to come out this year, so I can't help but have it as my most anticipated game of 2020.
Hopefully, we won't have to wait too much longer to get a good taste of what is actually being offered. Marvel's Avengers comes out for PC, PS4, Xbox One and Google Stadia on September 4, 2020. You can pre-order the game now over on Amazon.