Patient Gamers

Marvel's Avengers was a 2020 game developed by Crystal Dynamics and published by Square Enix Europe. It featured an original story and a roster of Avengers to play as (the game launched with 6 characters, with 5 more added as free update. If you play on PlayStation, you get Spider-Man as an exclusive as well). The gameplay loop is basically a "looter shooter" in which you run mission in a team of maximum 4 characters and get loots to improve your character.

Let's just say that the game didn't perform as well as expected, especially for a property as hot as the Avengers (it was announced at E3 2019, after Endgame's release and the peak of the MCU popularity). It launched as a very poor game-as-a-service, with repetitive gameplay, bugs and lack of content. The characters play great, with very in-depth combat system, but the missions where you play them weren't particularly enticing. Also the microtransactions ('nuff said). While it received many substantial updates and expansion, Crystal Dynamics announced they would shutter support and delist the game from digital sale by September 30, 2023.

It is as the game is about to get delisted that I finally decided to give it a chance. As of now, Avengers features a very meaty campaign and 3 major story expansions. Treating it as a single-player, the game has very fun and generally good writings, and is a chance to play an original Avengers story. There are a total of 11 characters (12 on PlayStation), all of whom features distinct and in-depth gameplay (yes, there are dupes like 2 Hawkeye and 2 Thor but even then they play differently enough). In preparation for the delist, all the cosmetic microtransactions have been unlocked and premium currencies reworked into one, so the game is fully playable solo and offline now. I bought the game on sale for basically dirt cheap and have been thoroughly enjoying my time with it. The story is enjoyable, it's fun to play as an Avenger (my favorite Avenger is Hawkeye, so having 2 of them is a bonus as well), the gameplay is fine enough to have fun, and while I enjoy playing solo, you can still play online with others as well.

While it didn't live up to its ambition as a long-running GaaS (thank god for that) featuring multiple Avengers (slightly sadder, She-Hulk and Captain Marvel were rumored to be in the work, which were canned after the shutdown), I quite enjoy the game for what it is now: a single-player game with co-op components, multiple characters to choose and play, with fun writings and banters, and no microtransaction. It is a perfect okay-game to waste some time in. If anyone overlooked the game before, consider giving it a chance. The game is currently on sale on Steam and PlayStation for very cheap, and probably will again as we approach the delisting.