Marvel’s Avengers Wartable

Posted on 25 Jun 2020 by
Jay Shaw

Last night’s Avengers wartable stream finally gave us a more in-depth look at the game. The show starts off with a bunch of cinematics from the game showing Kamala Khan (Ms Marvel) and a couple of thugs before an AIM recruiter tries to recruit her then rapidly escalating into her joining the Avengers and a reveal of MODOK as a villain in the game.

We also got a second story trailer that reveals San Francisco covered in gas, presumably Terrigen (a gas that activates latent superpower genes in those with them.) AIM’s George Tarleton is trying to cure the Inhumans plague and, just like the comics, he ends up becoming MODOK. The trailer also gives us a bit of a brief introduction to MODOK’s history. Kamala is investigating AIM’s activities and finds proof of their crimes so she goes to find the disbanded Avengers.

At this point the trailer shows us some gameplay of Kamala accessing a holographic table that shows a multitude of mission icons on a generic looking map of some mountains. Each mission is rated by a “mission power” score, difficulty, and whether it’s a campaign or side mission.

We’re then shown gameplay from a Thor missions called Once An Avenger where AIM is attempting to bring down a bring down a helicarrier over the city. Dr Blake, aka Thor, shows up in a grumpy mood and begins knocking MODOKs machines around with his hammer and lightning effects in what looks like a fairly straightforward melee system. The melee combat uses light and heavy attack buttons and signature attacks done by holding a button. We also see Thor flying under player control and shooting a beam of lightning. The voice acting is laughable in parts, with Iron Man and Black Widow sounding like bored office workers having a chat in the bathroom.

We also get a look at what looks to be a four part tech tree for Thor with segments for melee, ranged, intrinsic ability, and intrinsic overcharge. The latter two are a mystery but we see one of the ranged abilities allows Thor to mark enemies for a Mjolnir throw that will bounce between multiple marked targets before returning to him.

Heroes will have three special moves too; assault, support, and ultimate. We’re shown brief examples such as Iron Man firing a beam attack for assault, Hulk doing a massive clap that destroys enemies for ultimate, and a lingering area of effect lightning attack for Thor’s support ability that also grants him a brief window of invulnerability. Thor’s support ability also grants a buff to allies that go within its range. Assault abilities charge the fastest and some heroes can stack multiple charges. Black Widow has an electro-shock ranged attack for her assault ability. It’s in this segment that we also get a look at Hulk wearing his Planet Hulk gladiator gear. At the end of this segment we’re shown Thor’s ultimate allows him to use the Bifrost (the rainbow bridge between the realms in Viking lore) to bypass unbreakable shields and deal large amounts of damage.

We also get a look at Hulk’s skill trees which are completely different from the trees we saw earlier. Hulk has trees for combat, heavy attack, grab attacks, and rage. Skills are bought with skill points gained by levelling up heroes. You’ll also be equipping gear to your heroes in four slots. Gear looks like it provides some stats as well as perks; we see one of Iron Man’s equipped repulsors gives him a chance hitting an enemy weak point will give him a damage buff, change his lasers damage type to “Pym” (which can shrink enemies, we also see Gamma damage type), and increase his stun damage from power attacks. Anyone who has played a looter shooter in the last decade should find this all fairly familiar.

Heroes will all have cosmetic outfits they can equip to change their appearance. Some of these will be classic outfits from the comics and some will be completely new creations just for the game. As examples we see movie Thor and Grey Hulk wearing a pinstripe suit. Cosmetics are earned through the story campaign and by pattern items. Iconic outfits will be earned via mission chains. We can also see equippable emotes and name plates. The narrator also mentions that some cosmetics will only be available for purchase via the real money store.

Moving on from cosmetics we get another trailer for two modes; coop and Warzones. This trailer shows us that you’ll also be rebuilding the helicarrier from a damaged state. Nick Fury also makes an appearance, sadly not looking like Samuel L Jackson or even sounding like he was paid enough to say his lines. As the trailer progresses the narrator explains that Warzone missions will be playable both solo with AI companions and in coop. We also see some pretty large maps; a city, an AIM facility in the desert, and sci-fi interiors that are presumably AIM bases. We also see a brawl in a parking garage.

Factions are also revealed with three being specifically named: The Resistance, Inhuman Alliance, and SHIELD. The latter will have classic characters Nick Fury, Maria Hill, and Dum Dum Dugan. You’ll be able to gain faction reputation and buy items from vendors in their locations. We also get a brief look at a cinematic where Hulk is slammed against a wall by what appears to be Abomination. The narrator also talks about the game receiving new heroes, regions, and story in updates that will be free.

Marvel’s Avengers will be releasing on 4 September 2020 for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Stadia. There will be more Wartable events in the future so stay tuned for more info as it’s revealed.

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