Marvel’s Avengers Does the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes Justice

Marvel fans have wanted more information regarding Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics' new game [...]

Marvel fans have wanted more information regarding Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics' new game Marvel's Avengers ever since San Diego Comic Con gave us a look at the opening sequence, and now ComicBook.com's got you covered. We had a chance to go hands-on with the anticipated title at New York Comic Con, and we've got our full impressions of the game's opening sequence as Avengers Iron Man, Captain America, Black Widow, Hulk, and Thor attempt to save the civilians below and keep the Helicarrier from sinking into the harbor, so here's how things played out.

One of the first things you immediately notice is how different each of the Avengers play from one another. You start out as Thor, who feels a bit slower but has more weight to his punches and movements. His swings are slow but hit hard, and this feels vastly different from Iron Man, who actually feels jarring at first because of how unsuited he is to melee combat. Sure you can attack with straightforward combos and punches, but getting through the entire game that way wouldn't be utilizing all of his other talents.

Iron Man's hover ability is vital to keeping off the ground and not becoming a stationary target, and while his beam attack is slightly slow to kick-off, once it does you can do a lot of damage to your foes in a short amount of time, though it is also balanced by being slower to turn during its effect. By contrast, Hulk feels like an absolute dream and is as powerful and fun to play as you would hope. Being able to pick up an enemy and use them as a weapon is just so ridiculously delightful, and his jumps and movements feel like you're guiding a surprisingly fast freight train. It did take a few tries at wall jumps to get the hang of it, but once I did it was a breeze.

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(Photo: Marvel)

Captain America and Black Widow steal the show though, and I desperately wanted more time with each. You might expect that Cap would be more of a defensive type thanks to his Shield, but it's more of an offensive weapon here than defensive, and his fighting style is the perfect mix of acrobatics and brute force. One of his heroics allow him to hurl his Shield, which homes in on several enemies, knocking them back in gorgeous cinematic style.

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(Photo: Marvel)

Black Widow plays even better though, and it's her versatility that shines the most. Through the demo, we got to see all of her skills in action, and she's deadly up-close and at a distance. The shooting was crisp and smooth, and her melee move set and dodges felt authentic to the character we know from the books and films. Her Heroics feature a stellar set of offense (Widow's Bite) and defense (Invisibility), and that Taskmaster battle was an absolute joy to play through. Seriously, she is a blast to play.

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(Photo: Marvel)

By the end of the demo, it felt like I had a good handle on the mechanics, and I even came around on most of the voices and designs, though something does feel a bit off about Thor for some reason. Iron Man's sections were the most difficult to get comfortable with, and it feels as if the fighting while flying sequence could use a little bit more tweaking before it's ready for prime time.

Still, there was far more positive than negative, and I came away from the demo having a blast with some of my favorite Avengers who all felt powerful in their own unique ways. The controls and combat mechanics already feel quite refined and the game doesn't even release until early next year. Marvel's Avengers seems to really capture these heroes in both personality and feel, and as long as the world around them can create a fun playground to play in while retaining the cinematic feel of the demo, this game will have no issues living up to its promise.

We've got plenty more coming from our Marvel's Avengers interview and gameplay, so make sure to check it all out here! You can also hit me up on Twitter @MattAguilarCB for all things Avengers!

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