Marvel's Avengers: A-Day is a title that was announced years ago, and thanks to Square Enix's conference at E3 2019 fans finally have an idea of what the game is going to be. Sadly, the only extended looks at gameplay for the title happened in behind-closed-doors demos for specified outlets and influencers.
It will likely be months before fans across the globe get an extended look at gameplay, but that just fuels the debate. What do we need to see, and what do Square Enix need to avoid with this one?
10 Want: All Kinds Of Customization Options
With the news that all new heroes and areas will be free after the launch of the game, it seems that the way they'll make money on this game in the long-term is through character skins and accessories. This has led to fans speculating about just how customizable the Avengers will be.
The assumption is that skins will be one specific option, but some fans are hoping for a system similar to Injustice 2. That DC fighting game let players mix and match parts of different outfits to give their characters custom looks. We'll have to wait for more information to see how expansive customization will be.
9 Don't Want: Purchase-Only Skins
Though Marvel, Square Enix, and Crystal Dynamics haven't stated character skins will be the primary microtransaction in Marvel's Avengers, it seems to be the logical assumption for most people. All heroes and areas will be free, so how will they make money on this game post-launch?
They stated that the game won't feature pay-to-win mechanics or paid loot boxes. This means that specific skins will likely be available for purchase. The big worry is that some of these skins will be pay-only and have no way of acquiring through in-game currency or objectives.
8 Want: Proper Scaling Of Difficulty
In a game featuring superheroes and villains, proper difficulty scaling is going to be expected. Players are going to want low-level henchmen and thugs to feel as if they're easily disposable, and supervillains to feel like real challenges. This becomes even more difficult to pull off when you consider the multiplayer aspect of this game.
Does the leveling up of an Avenger increase their power and/or effectiveness, or does it simply give players access to more moves and abilities? Crystal Dynamics and company will need to find the best way to scale difficulty for multiple game experiences.
7 Don't Want: Lackluster Environments
At the reveal of Marvel's Avengers, they talked about new areas and environments being free post-launch additions to players who already own the game. It seems that the team is putting a heavy emphasis on making sure each Avenger plays well and offers a unique experience.
Does this mean that the focus on the heroes and gameplay will lead to less of a focus on environments? Will players be excited by the gameplay and how it feels, but become bored or less inclined to stick around due to how uninspiring the environments around them are?
6 Want: Each Avenger To Feel Unique
When developers are creating a game where players will control different characters with unique power sets and iconic moves, there's a tough balancing act to deal with. They're tasked with making sure each character not only feels unique in the roster but that they're fun to play and well balanced.
Marvel's Avengers is launching with a small roster specifically for this reason. It seems like they want each Avenger to not only feel like their movie/comic counterpart, they want them to feel great to play period. Time will tell if they tackle this challenge.
5 Don't Want: Button-Mashing Combat
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 is releasing exclusively for the Nintendo Switch in July of 2019. That series is known for arcade-style combat where players are mashing buttons and defeating hundreds of enemies on screen. Marvel's Avengers, on the other hand, is presenting itself as a marquee AAA third-person action-adventure game that will make you feel like the Avenger you're controlling.
In order to live up to these expectations, the combat needs to encompass more strategy and skill than simply mashing buttons. If it doesn't, it may ultimately end up feeling like a prettier version of a game that already exists.
4 Want: Quality Post-Launch Content
Destiny 2 and The Division 2 both represent the best and worst parts about the games-as-a-service genre. The Division 2 is off to a great start with post-launch content, albeit with some complaints about the Raids. Meanwhile, Bungie is looking to put Destiny 2 in a better place (two years after release) with their new paid expansion Shadowkeep, coming in September of 2019.
Marvel's Avengers needs to nail post-launch content in both quality and quantity, for fans to justify continuing to play after completing the single-player campaign. Too many games release these days to stumble out the gate.
3 Don't Want: Reliance On Quick-Time Events
Quick-time events are often a necessary evil in action-adventure games, especially those with superheroes. When Marvel's Spider-Man for PlayStation 4 was revealed there was a worry that quick-time events, otherwise known as QTEs, were going to plague the game and take away from the freedom of combat.
It turns out that though QTEs were a part of the game, they didn't take away from the overall experience of a critical darling of a game. Since no extended look at gameplay has been released it's unclear if QTEs play a role in Marvel's Avengers.
2 Want: Immersive Storytelling
The brief exchange between Bruce Banner and Tony Stark during the reveal of the game at E3 2019 is a glimpse at what fans want from this game. Over the last ten years, fans have been treated to an emotionally captivating story through the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and want to have the same type of experience in the Avengers' first major AAA game.
Narratives in video games have also come along way in the past decade, so fans are expecting a story worth experiencing. The all-star voice cast is a great indication of quality, it just depends if the writing and pacing can deliver as well.
1 Don't Want: Repetitive Multiplayer Missions
Though Marvel's Avengers will feature a single-player campaign, most of the time spent in the game will happen in multiplayer. It's a games-as-service experience that will be delivering new areas and heroes for free for those who buy the base game.
This means that the developers want to keep you around by giving you quality experiences to play through with friends online. Destiny and The Division have shown that this genre can be guilty of having the player experience repetitive missions due to the amount of content that players can burn through at an alarming rate.