Square Enix’s Avengers game was released in 2020. (same year Ghost Of Tsushima came out) It received mixed reviews from critics, fans and gamers alike.
As you may know, the overdue “Black Widow” movie will be out on July 9th. “Loki” is now streaming on Disney Plus. Upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe related movies including “Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings,” “Eternals” & “Spider-Man: No Way Home” will be released soon. As a Marvel fan, I wanna share my thoughts on one of last year’s most divisive games of 2020. “The Last Of Us Part II” & “Cyberpunk 2077” earned controversy.
This review contains SPOILERS. Read at your own risk.
Note From July 2021: I’ll do updates once Black Panther & Spider-Man are added for free. Too bad Spidey is an exclusive character only PS4/PS5. I’m lucky I own a PS4.
Mighty & Weak Elements
Mighty: Voice Actors including Nolan North, (my favorite voice actor) Laura Bailey, Troy Baker and a few others all did a great job for their respective voiceover performances. Nolan also voiced Deadpool.
Graphics are Class A quality on the same level as Insomniac Games’ Spider-Man on PS4/PS5.
Gameplay for each character is original. Tony Stark uses his suit of armor to fly using his weapons both in aerial and ground combat. Thor wields his trusty hammer granting him flight, thunder, and strength. Captain America is capable of double jumping, wall running and using his shield by blocking/parrying enemies and let’s not forget throwing it at a foe one by one. Hulk unstoppable rage increases his strength pummeling baddies and jumps pretty high. Black Widow relies on stealth, her guns and electric batons. Like Mr. Fantastic, Kamala can stretch and change her body giving her advantage by mowing down foes. Hawkeye and his protégé Kate Bishop wield katanas and last but not least their trusty bows.
Every character has his/her ultimate attack. Tony summons his Hulkbuster armor either in melee or range attacks. Thor requests Heimdell’s assistance via a powerful teleportation blast. Captain America activates a power boost increasing his strength. Hulk unleashes a shockwave known as thunderclap. Black Widow also activates a power boost increasing her strength. Kamala becomes bigger raising her strength. Hawkeye shoots a arrow designed as a drone hitting several enemies one at a time. Like Cap & Black Widow, Kate activates a power boost.
A skill tree for each character gives you options to upgrade his/her powers and combo moves.
I played as Tony the most. His suits of armor are awesome. He’s got the best weaponry.
Like Spider-Man on PS4/PS5, Photo Mode allows you to take cool snapshots. Remember to pause the game at any moment.
After the game’s release, frequent updates fixed many bugs.
Hank Pym/Ant-Man is a non-playable character. He factors in running a hidden lab. Something tells me he’s gonna be added as a playable character. If not, perhaps Scott Lang.
Boss Fights from the main campaign are amazing. My favorite is the final battle with M.O.D.O.K.
Weak: The game lacks villains from the comics as actual bosses. The first two “X-Men Legends” games and “Marvel Ultimate Alliance” featured a lot of well known villains. Only bosses in the main campaign are Taskmasker, The Abomination, Monica Rappaccini, Maestro & M.O.D.O.K. Every time you beat robots, it gets mind numbingly repetitive.
Unlike the aforementioned games I adore as a kid, The Avengers is presented as a live service game. Square Enix is desperate to make a lot of money using an beloved franchise so they can compete against Bungie/Activision’s “Destiny” series & EA’s “Anthem.”
A Plot Hole involving why Tony didn’t preserve money or armor in case he needs a back-up plan. He’s one of the smartest characters in the Marvel Universe. All of a sudden, he gives up after his team disbands.
Captain America’s death scene in the first level didn’t make a huge impact on me. Turns out he survived the destruction of San Francisco. There’s no way they can’t kill him off. He’s already confirmed as a playable character since Square Enix announced the game was in development.
Although Kamala is the lead character of the main campaign, none of The Avengers never shared equal amount of screen time. Thor, Black Widow & Captain America barely played prominent roles. What I’m trying to say is in fact, the main campaign is subpar.
Gear System is the worst offender of them all. Why is the Gear System bad? All it does is give you materials. They don’t offer you pieces of armor. Square Enix wasted a golden opportunity to create their own Gear System like “Injustice 2” or “Mortal Kombat 11.” I have to Double Down this flaw for making me push my buttons.
Loki only appears in the game posing as Thor. He’s never given a boss battle. Gosh Darn It Square Enix! You missed an opportunity so I can recreate Hulk’s puny god scene from the movie!
Loading Screens can be a pain in the butt. If you own a PS5 or Xbox Series X, loading time is reduced.
Microtransactions are monetized invading in single and multiplayer games. They’re intrusive to gamers who refuse to pay additional fees after they bought a full price game on opening day. Battle Passes are another issue. They wanna be like “Fortnite” cashing in on what’s popular. Square Enix’s is mooching you to spend extra money on unnecessary stuff. I didn’t use any real money. I prefer to unlock costumes the old fashion way performing challenging tasks. I will only buy DLC in a selected game unless it expands the story and cool playable characters.
The Final Verdict: C-
Square Enix’s The Avengers is a painfully disappointing embarrassment. The same company who made the Final Fantasy series made really big boo boos. If you thought “Cyberpunk 2077” was horrible at launch, The Avengers is dreadful. I hope Square Enix doesn’t make the same mistakes in the future. I’m worried if they’ll add pesky microtransactions in “Final Fantasy XVI” or “Kingdom Hearts IV.” If you wanna play an actual great Marvel game, I highly recommend Spider-Man on PS4/PS5, the first two X-Men Legends games and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance.
Nickthemoviecritic.com 