Avengers Impressions - Marvel Presents.....Anthem

CriticalGaming

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God I dunno why I do this shit. I dont get paid for it. But something about me loves to review/give-impressions on games for you guys. And I do hope that in some way I help you all out when it comes to picking and choosing what games you decide to buy.

Avengers is fucking bad guys. Like.....it's really fucked up because the story line here is actually really good. The game follows a girl named Kamala Kahn as she goes from being a normal Avenger's fangirl to and actual Avenger. During a big Avengers event, the Avengers are having both a celebration and a new unveiling of a revolutionary energy technology. Then things go crazy, the new every go wild and explodes destroying most of San Francisco, and turning a bunch of people into inhumans through some sort of virus. Which basically is a virus (thanks 2020) that gives everyone super powers. In particular I don't understand this part because this is a universe in which the X-men are a thing so.......don't inhumans already exist.

Anyway the government orders the Avengers disbanded and takes away Tony Stark's money. I dunno how that works but okay. A new company rises call AIM and they don't like inhumans and much like the X-men they build robots to come arrest and take the inhumans into custody.

Kamala Kahn was a normal girl during the Avnegers celebration but now hsa super powers because she got the virus. The story continues five years later as she learns the truth about what happened on what the game calls "A-Day". She flees the city, and goes on the hunt for the Avengers to.....you know....assemble.

Okay it's a comic book story, but the way the portray Kamala is really wholesome and she is a character you immediately start to root for. Which I found nice, the dialog here is great and the story is just an interesting popcorn comic book story. So I like it.

Everything else is shit.

First of all the combat.....oh fuck the combat.

Every character feels floaty as shit, even during walking around gameplay and not just fighting. There is an uneasy lightness to everyone including the Hulk where the characters only go vaguely in the direction you press the sticks. On top of that every enemy from level 1 and beyond is a damage sponge. And I'm playing this on Normal. But every single enemy takes at minimum a full combat to hit with the only exception being the flying enemies in which you have to stop, aim, and shoot whatever your character has at them. It all feels sloppy. Top that off with every character basically feeling the same and it isn't very interesting to play the different heroes.

Not to mention that each hero's kit is designed to be the same. Or damn close to it. Everyone has ranged, everyone has a ground pound, everyone has a way to grapple up to higher ledges, everyone has a way to super jump, nothing feel unique and it doesn't make you excited to play the different characters because everyone is the fucking same. Plus the super moves everyone has take forever to build up again. So if you use something to clear a crowd or deal with an few bigger enemies, you'll be waiting forever to build them up again, which is a problem because......

The difficulty. I don't understand what the idea behind this was, but they throw a shitload of dudes at you all the time and all at once. And these aren't you action movie bad guys, they all attack you all the time all at once. and because everyone is a fucking damage sponge it isn't like you can slap away mooks with ease. No instead you have to dodge and run around like a jackass while you wait for chances to smash enemies here and there until the crowd thins out. Because while the enemies are damage sponges you are not, even the great hulk dies in like 4 or 5 hits. So you end up having to play so carefully that it defeats the purpose of being the motherfucking HULK! More like big green wimp. It sucks. And remember you don't have access to your super moves very much so they aren't very helpful.

Then there is the level design, holy shit the level design. None of it makes sense, ledges places in places for no reason, super far jumps that you have to nail perfectly or instantly die. And remember how I said the characters where floaty? Well it applies to generic level traversal as well. You will do a super jump towards a mega far gap, and you character will drift side to side in mid air like the fucking breeze is trying to knock them off course. And this sway is enough to knock you out of range for the usual contextual button prompt required to grab onto the ledge or whatever. So you fall and die.

And when you die, the load times are fucking stupid. Anyone remember old school patch 1.0 Bloodborne where every death was two minutes of loading? Bloodborne was justified because in that game you went WAY back to the last lantern and was also a good game. Avengers only sends you back 10-15 seconds when you die and the loads are usually 60 seconds or longer. It is unbelievably bad for where in places you. If you fall down a ledge and die, the game just puts up back at the edge of the jump you just failed, but takes 60 seconds to load to move you back.

One of the other things about the level design is that everything is so generic in the level that is it easy to get turned around or not realize quickly where you are suppose to go. While they do have a spidey-sense that will point the way and highlight collectibles, it still is rather unforgiving that the levels are such trash fires that you even need that to point you in the right direction.

Then of course there is the monetization. While this is technically a loot game, none of the loot will actually change your character's appearance. Acquiring a new helmet for Iron man does nothing. Instead if you want to look different give us money please. Money money money. Daily deals,weekly deals,go-fuck-yourself deals, deals for days, look at all the ways to spend fucking money!

Ultimately fuck this game with a rusty spear.

Like I said in the Spider-man exclusivity thread. There is a good chance that nobody gives a shit about this game by the end of the month. It's like Anthem but worse because at least in Anthem your characters felt powerful.

It's really a shame because if they had focused on tighening the gameplay, the story campaign could have been excellent. But because they made a live service, the sacrifice there led them to making a game that doesn't play well or even makes much sense.

Fuck it 3/10.
 

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Avengers is fucking bad guys. Like.....it's really fucked up because the story line here is actually really good. The game follows a girl named Kamala Kahn as she goes from being a normal Avenger's fangirl to and actual Avenger. During a big Avengers event, the Avengers are having both a celebration and a new unveiling of a revolutionary energy technology. Then things go crazy, the new every go wild and explodes destroying most of San Francisco, and turning a bunch of people into inhumans through some sort of virus. Which basically is a virus (thanks 2020) that gives everyone super powers. In particular I don't understand this part because this is a universe in which the X-men are a thing so.......don't inhumans already exist.
Because the writers are idiots.

Kamala Kahn was a normal girl during the Avnegers celebration but now hsa super powers because she got the virus. The story continues five years later as she learns the truth about what happened on what the game calls "A-Day". She flees the city, and goes on the hunt for the Avengers to.....you know....assemble.

Okay it's a comic book story, but the way the portray Kamala is really wholesome and she is a character you immediately start to root for. Which I found nice, the dialog here is great and the story is just an interesting popcorn comic book story. So I like it.
Like I said before, she deserves a way better game, At least the story does not do her wrong.


It's really a shame because if they had focused on tighening the gameplay, the story campaign could have been excellent. But because they made a live service, the sacrifice there led them to making a game that doesn't play well or even makes much sense.
Should have been a tightened single-player game with DMC-lite/Anarchy Reigns combat.

It's like Anthem but worse because at least in Anthem your characters felt powerful.
That's just even more depressing. Avengers is that, and some how an even worse version of Dynasty Warriors. DW9 looks more fun than this.
 
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CriticalGaming

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Because the writers are idiots.



Like I said before, she deserves a way better game, At least story does not do her wrong.




Should have been a tightened single-player game with DMC-lite/Anarchy Reigns combat.



That's just even more depressing. Avengers is that, and some how an even worse version of Dynasty Warriors. DW9 looks more fun than this.
The things I put myself through for you guys lol. Anyone wanna buy a second hand copy? I'll sell mine :)
 

FakeSympathy

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What did you think of voice acting? Because I thought it was kinda shit.

Don't get me wrong, these are some of the top tier veterans in VA industry; Tory Baker, Nolan North, Laura Bailey (who was Abby from TLOU2), and I can tell they are trying. But due to the atrocious writing, they all sound.... bizzare. Like, they would rather be doing anything else. The other day I was thinking why Crystal Dynamic couldn't get the VAs from Earth's Mightiest Heroes show. But I doubt even they could save this train wreck. I think the VA for Kamala Khan is the only one I can forgive, because at least she sounds lively and I can hear the "fangirl-ish" vibe from her.

With the name like Avengers, you'd think there would be some sort of actual hero-to-hero combo super moves, like the ones you see in Ultimate Alliance. But thoing like that really exists.

Based on the premise, I feel they could've given the title unique names, and not just "Marvel's Avengers"

Avengers: Retaliation
Avengers: Redemption
Avengers: Rise
Avengers: Absolution
Avengers United
The Unstoppable Avengers
Avengers Re-assemble OR Dis-assembled
Avengers: Lost Heroes
Avengers: Age of AIM
Avengers: Running-out-of-name-ideas
Avengers: How-about-anything-besides-just-their names?
 
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Johnny Novgorod

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What did you think of voice acting? Because I thought it was kinda shit.

Don't get me wrong, these are some of the top tier veterans in VA industry; Tory Baker, Nolan North, Laura Bailey (who was Abby from TLOU2), and I can tell they are trying. But due to the atrocious writing, they all sound.... bizzare. Like, they would rather be doing anything else. The other day I was thinking why Crystal Dynamic couldn't get the VAs from Earth's Mightiest Heroes show. But I doubt even they could save this train wreck. I think the VA for Kamala Khan is the only one I can forgive, because at least she sounds lively and I can hear the "fangirl-ish" vibe from her.

With the name like Avengers, you'd think there would be some sort of actual hero-to-hero combo super moves, like the ones you see in Ultimate Alliance. But thoing like that really exists.

Based on the premise, I feel they could've given the title unique names, and not just "Marvel's Avengers"

Avengers: Retaliation
Avengers: Redemption
Avengers: Rise
Avengers: Absolution
Avengers United
The Unstoppable Avengers
Avengers Re-assemble OR Dis-assembled
Avengers: Lost Heroes
Avengers: Age of AIM
Avengers: Running-out-of-name-ideas
Avengers: How-about-anything-besides-just-their names?
Avengers: The Vengening
Avengers: The Vengeful
Avengers: Los Vengadores
Avengers: It's Avenging Time
Avengers: I can't believe it's the Avengers
Avengers: Now with more 'venging
 
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CriticalGaming

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What did you think of voice acting? Because I thought it was kinda shit.

Don't get me wrong, these are some of the top tier veterans in VA industry; Tory Baker, Nolan North, Laura Bailey (who was Abby from TLOU2), and I can tell they are trying. But due to the atrocious writing, they all sound.... bizzare. Like, they would rather be doing anything else. The other day I was thinking why Crystal Dynamic couldn't get the VAs from Earth's Mightiest Heroes show. But I doubt even they could save this train wreck. I think the VA for Kamala Khan is the only one I can forgive, because at least she sounds lively and I can hear the "fangirl-ish" vibe from her.

With the name like Avengers, you'd think there would be some sort of actual hero-to-hero combo super moves, like the ones you see in Ultimate Alliance. But thoing like that really exists.

Based on the premise, I feel they could've given the title unique names, and not just "Marvel's Avengers"

Avengers: Retaliation
Avengers: Redemption
Avengers: Rise
Avengers: Absolution
Avengers United
The Unstoppable Avengers
Avengers Re-assemble OR Dis-assembled
Avengers: Lost Heroes
Avengers: Age of AIM
Avengers: Running-out-of-name-ideas
Avengers: How-about-anything-besides-just-their names?
The voice acting didn't bother me one way or the other. Honestly. But I was too busy being mad at the shit gameplay.
 

BrawlMan

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So I saw Max's Twitch stream last night, and he gave the game a 7/10. He claims that the game is functional and can be fun, but feels that people are being too harsh on the game, giving it 5s or 6s. He does understand and agrees on the cut content/games as service malarkey. He did admit that it's one game that he will not immediately jump back in to. I feel Max just countered his own argument. That's why people are giving the game mediocre scores. The cut content, short roster, the characters barely play different than each other. Spider-Man is 6 months away. Who going to be interested or invested by that point? Max and dudes brought up good points about that. Max said that Avengers does play "better" than UA3, but the latter has a highly better roster. No duh, on that one. But playing better than UA3 is not much of a milestone unfortunately. He even acknowledged this. I love Max, and I am glad he enjoyed the game, but I feel he's being way too nice. Months from now, he's won't even remember playing much. Calling it now.
 
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Dalisclock

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So I saw Max's Twitch stream last night, and give the game a 7/10. He claims that the game is functional and can be fun, but feels that people are being to harsh on the game giving it 5s or 6s.
If it's functional and can be fun(which implies its only sometimes fun), that sounds like a 5 or 6 is appropriate.

Then again, I'm one of those weirdos who feel that if you use a 1-10 scale, you should actually use the entire scale and not just the top 4 numbers(with 10 being Perfect and 6 being Horrible). Neglecting the bottom 6 numbers entirely makes them feel completely useless.

Ideally, don't use numbers at all and ask for people to read/watch the review, but I already know that's not going to happen because metacritic, and because we live in a world where some people flip out and issue death threats because their favorite game got less then a 9/10.
 
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BrawlMan

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If it's functional and can be fun(which implies its ony sometimes fun), that sounds like a 5 or 6 is approrpriate.
Agreed. Max has a habit of being too nice to games at times, just not to be seen as being too critical. I get it, but there are times where you have to hammer down and get real. He did a similar thing with DmC (2013) and Titanfall 1. He gave DmC a 9/10, when the game is a 5 or a 6. The DE version of DmC is an actual 7. Titanfall he hyped up, claiming he was sick of COD, only to forget about Titantall 6 months later, and went right back to COD. A lot of gamers and Youtubers were guilty of that one though.

I stopped using and caring for numbers when I was about 18 or 19. I just go with Full Price, Sale/Matinee, Rental, or Some Ol' Bullshit, or Fuck You.
 
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FakeSympathy

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Agreed. Max has a habit of being too nice to games at times, just not to be seen as being too critical. I get it, but there are times where you have to hammer down and get real. He did a similar thing with DmC (2013) and Titanfall 1. He gave DmC a 9/10, when the game is a 5 or a 6. The DE version of DmC is an actual 7. Titanfall he hyped up, claiming he was sick of COD, only to forget about Titantall 6 months later, and went right back to COD. A lot of gamers and Youtubers were guilty of that one though.

I stopped using and caring for numbers when I was about 18 or 19. I just go with Full Price, Sale/Matinee, Rental, or Some Ol' Bullshit, or Fuck You.
So where would Avengers sit in your rating? Some Ol' Bullshit or Fuck You?
 
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