Is the Once Despised Square Enix Title Worth Playing Today?

Marvel’s Avengers will forever be remembered as one of history’s most expensive and embarrassing gaming flops. Coming off the heels of the widely successful live-action Avengers films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Square Enix partnered with Marvel Games to bring Earth’s Mightiest Heroes to the video game format.

The project had the advantage of the Marvel brand, a plethora of popular heroes, and more; however, it failed spectacularly. The gaming community had high expectations for this game and thought it would be on the same caliber as Marvel’s Spider-Man from Insomniac Games, but it was the complete opposite.

Three years after launch with a lackluster sales reception, a low player count, and technical drawbacks, the game developers decided to pull the plug.

Is Marvel’s Avengers Really That Bad?

The game was initially called The Avengers Project and was teased in 2017. Fans of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes were ecstatic after the announcement that a triple-A Avengers video game was in the works and the final product was extremely underwhelming. While the game did have a few redeeming factors, like the gameplay and characterization of each Avenger, that was about it.

Everything else fell apart quickly, especially when the developers envisioned this project to be live service.

Even the live-action version of Ms. Marvel didn’t really enjoy playing the game as much as she thought she would. After she pointed out the lack of enemy variety, Iman Vellani’s complaints and criticisms are all relatable.

Even Marvel’s Spider-Man, a game about one playable hero, had that in spades, especially with the supervillains whereas the Avengers had only Taskmaster, Abomination, and MODOK. The gameplay was extremely repetitive without value as players go through one A.I.M. facility to wipe out hordes of enemies and whatnot; it is all button mashing.

The game developers reused the same assets from each map, slightly redesigned them, and thought no one would notice.

Each mission has the same objectives of standing in a circle until the meter is filled like capturing the flag in some other live-service game like Destiny, destroying each module to liberate captured Inhumans, or saving rogue A.I.M. scientists. The mission structure is not conducive to the setting, gameplay, and combat.

Turning the Project Into a Live Service Game Was a Mistake

The developers prioritized making a live service video game with superheroes in the mix and thought it was a billion-dollar idea. Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics had to learn the hard way that this is not what the gaming community wanted, and it shows after players are propelled into the multiplayer feature after beating the campaign.

While the studio promised free post-launch support like constant updates, patches, new story content, and Avengers, it did not take long to fall apart.

The player base was not fond of spending extra money on cosmetic items. Most of the Avengers, like Captain America and Iron Man, have an extensive wardrobe inspired by their outfits from the live-action films and comics.

While there are more original and cheaper skins to purchase through the in-game currency that can be obtained by opening chests and lockboxes containing gear, it is not worth the hassle.

The gear system is tedious and players were not having fun with the individual itemization of whether to upgrade or scrap a piece for extra storage. In the end, the developers gave away all the skins for free, leaving those who paid full price on the short end of the stick.

The newly added Operations, like Taking A.I.M. featuring Kate Bishop followed by Future Imperfect with Clint Barton’s Hawkeye, were both terrific DLCs; however, they were extremely short and not entirely worth the wait.

Fans thought the developers were shifting gears after the War for Wakanda expansion was released and had a decent campaign along with new supervillains to fight. Unfortunately, these efforts could not save the game and other plans, like the additions of She-Hulk, Captain Marvel, Doctor Strange, and other heroes, will never see the light of day.

Ultron was meant to be added into the game in a future operation and the work had already been done. It is a shame that players never experienced it before the game was shut down permanently and removed from all storefronts.

Is Marvel’s Avengers Worth Playing Today?

While the game is no longer available for purchase online, the only way to play Marvel’s Avengers is through a physical copy that is likely sold for dirt-cheap. Crystal Dynamics released a final patch allowing players to replay all the campaigns in the best condition possible.

If you want to play a game that allows you to become your favorite superhero for a low price with all the suits from the films, then Marvel’s Avengers is worth grabbing today. There are no more future expansions, meaning there is no reason to rush through the brief campaign and DLCs.

Square Enix fumbled hard after forcing this game into the live service structure, not putting enough content in the single-player mode, and being plagued with bugs. Hopefully, future superhero games will look at this as a cautionary tale.

Have you played Marvel’s Avengers? Let us know in the comments section below!