The Marvel Avengers, six months later

Marvel Avengers it was as affected by hum as it was by inertia. Before the game launched, it was defined by a chaotic bang of muddy messaging, high expectations in the sky and that little thing called the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After the launch, the conversation changed: It would become ano other success like Destiny, go disappointing way Hymn, or do you land somewhere in the middle? Six months later, here’s the thing.

• In 2017, Square Enix has announced a partnership with Marvel to create games based on Marvel franchises. Crystal Dynamics, hot tomb Raider restart, would lead the development of a very popular Marvel-based game Avengers franchise. Eidos Montreal (Deus Ex: Mankind Divided) would throw in.
• Crystal Dynamics pulled the curtain back Marvel Avengers to Square Enix’s E3 2019 presentation, announcing the launch date on May 15, 2020.
• About that demonstration. fans noticed that something was … stopped. The five playable characters – Black Widow, Thor, Hulk, Iron-Man and Cap – bore a striking resemblance to their on-screen counterparts in the Marvel movie universe and even stammered like a bunch of Hollywood Chrises. It seemed a bit like Crystal Dynamics trying to copy a facsimile of a fictional universe that already existed. Also, where was Hawkeye?

• The New York Comic Con 2019, Crystal Dynamics disclosure that Kamala Khan (who you probably know as Mrs. Marvel) would be the sixth playable character in Marvel Avengers. It would prove to be the driving force of the game’s narrative.
• Throughout 2019, it was clear that Marvel Avengers would be a single player game with elements of cooperation and that it would have elements of games as a service, at Destiny. The E3 presentation looked safe. But it was not clear how exactly all the disparate parts would come together. A video from the end of October surprised people clarity. Bring that grind to the booty, darling!
• Two weeks into 2020, Square Enix delayed the game until September 4th.
• As cities across the country moved to (eventually) remove Confederate monuments, the official Marvel Avengers Twitter account mail a short commercial showing a damaged statue of Captain America, flanked by drones that shine with some very political lights. The account quickly deleted the tweet and apologized.
• Ah, there’s Hawkeye! In July 2020, Crystal Dynamics disclosure that Clint Barton, aka The Guy Who Total Bail On On Infinite warfare, would be the first DLC hero for Marvel Avengers. One week later, Crystal Dynamics has announced that Spider-Man would also join the list – but only for the PlayStation version. Yes, and he would be free. DLC exclusively for the console, folks: it sucks. Also it makes no sense.
• Throughout August 2020, Crystal Dynamics organized a series of open beta. Kotakuand Mike Fahey gave the game a spin, but it came out unimpressed, not really inspired by the same combat structure and repetitive mission. However, he was quite nice as Mrs. Marvel and Iron-Man.
• Just before the launch of the game, an enterprising individual overlay the current faces of MCU actors on the models in the game Marvel Avengers. (Warning: do not click on that link if you do not want nightmares in the unusual valley.)
• A third post-release character! Crystal dynamics has announced that Kate Bishop, rather than Hawkeye, would be the first hero of the game since its release. There are no heavy feelings between mentor and mentor, right?

• During a pre-launch stream, Crystal Dynamics he suggested that the Black Panther would also join Marvel Avengers list at a time. following tragic death of Chadwick Boseman, who played the hero in the movies, Crystal Dynamics changed the initial plans for that stream.
• Marvel Avengers officially launched on September 4, 2020, but those who took over luxury edition they were able to play on September 1st. With your hands full, Kotakuand Mike Fahey was found more impressed than it was with the beta, mainly because the game’s story missions – anchored by a theft of scenes Mrs. Marvel—They were creative, captivating and a true delight for any long-time Marvel fan.
• The spectrum of microtransactions, which have violated virtually every live game to some extent, it has not been proven almost as intrusive as potential players feared.
• The other big cloud hangs overhead Marvel Avengers before launch: “How bad is the beam?” And this, it has not been proven almost as bad as many expected. Of course, with all the coins in the game and the level indicators, a certain level of viewing-numbers-increase was to be expected. But the campaign was, surprisingly, the focal point and you could play Marvel Avengers as a single player game. The grind was there – but only if you wanted it. What a pleasant surprise.
• Of course, those who wanted to grind quickly ran into problems. Less than a week after launch, players at the end of the game have noticed that prey drops at the end of certain high-level missions, sometimes escaping low-level gear or, worse, no gear at all – despite the fact that the same missions had a chance to escape the top gear. Crystal dynamics recognized the problem of prey subsided and he announced a remedy, but noted that objects at the highest level were falling “as intended.”
• Marvel Avengers is not based on or even unrelated to Avengers movies. However, Easter eggs are a fair game. In one of the game’s multiple hubs (more details about that annoying design choice), players found a neat reference to Avengers: Age of Ultron. Who is worthy now?

• The game has been plagued by a number of minor issues, from poorly balanced battles to the occasional infinite loading screen, but few things played several players than computer-controlled teammates. Among other mistakes, AI Hulk, Cap and co. it would attack enemies when you needed a revival and you would neglect to attack enemies when you were still alive. The most powerful heroes on Earth? Sure. The smartest heroes on Earth? No way.
• Crystal Dynamics has dropped the first major patch for Marvel Avengers on a Friday night in mid-September. It addressed a lot of those small issues mentioned above, but did not change any of the more fundamental issues (specifically, the lack of new content or attractive completion activities).
• Then crickets for a while. As players maximized lists and endlessly replayed the endlessly rendered missions, the enthusiasm for the game waned. In early October, more than a month after its launch, the Steam gaming base dropped below 2,000. Crystal dynamics said Kotaku that the game will become addictive again, citing the future releases of Kate Bishop, Hawkeye and new types of missions as examples of content that comes in the game hungry for content. Meanwhile, the most fun I’ve had so far has been in a game-by-game seat.
• In mid-October, Crystal Dynamics released a second major patch. Like the first, it consisted almost entirely of changes in quality of life. However, there was a big plus, with the inclusion of a new hub: the SHIELD station. Beyond that, the patch did it too, so the factions were not downgraded to specific hubs. (Before upgrading, if you want to collect a faction’s reward, you’ll need to upload to one hub, collect all tasks, upload to the other hub, collect those tasks, and so on. The upgrade did so could do all the busy work in one place. Sweet relief.)
• In October 2020, Crystal Dynamics delayed Kate Bishop’s DLC from that month until an unspecified date. Moreover, the next-generation versions of the game, which were scheduled to be released alongside the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X / S in November, were pushed back in 2021. Crystal Dynamics cited difficulties with a work-from-home framework as reason for the delay.
• Kate Bishop launched an operation in early December – that’s it Marvel Avengers-I speak for the “main mission” – unforgivably called “Taking AIM”. The expansion was quite fun, at least for a while, thanks to a captivating story, albeit a short one, and Kate’s impressive power.
• It lasted Monday, but in December, Crystal Dynamics made so that Captain America can use his shield to refract the Iron-Man’s laser beam.
• Iron Man received a suit that makes him look like a dead-eyed bug. It’s purely cosmetic – and as terrifying as it is hilarious.

And there it is. Marvel Avengers no doubt, it generated more excitement in the weeks before the launch than in the following weeks, but it is not low for counting. On March 18, the Hawkeye DLC –which looks totally crazy– will come out, along with those next generation versions. Also consider the fact that there are more Marvel superheroes than grains of sand on Earth. This is a bottomless pit that we must rely on and could serve as a basis for a gravely heroic comeback.

But these stories with superheroes always have a great evil and for Avengers, is not MODOK or Thanos or any other thumb with a purple face. It’s grinding. When that Hawkeye expansion hits, the game is ground will receive a major overhaul, the transition from a linear system of experience points to an exponential one. It will be released for all the characters “around level 25” – the point halfway – which, in essence, does nothing but add more weight to the game. Crystal Dynamics explained the change, saying it could help “new players” adjust to the game’s skill system. Now, all the game needs is those new players.

Several looks back