Square-Enix and Crystal Dynamics are working hard to bring back the greatness of Marvel’s Avengers, the game starring the most powerful group of superheroes on Earth , which launched last September on PS4, Xbox One and PC. , and that now comes to the new generation consoles.
We had the opportunity to chat with the team, and find out what their plans are for 2021 . They have started their presentation with enormous humility; The first thing they have done has been to acknowledge the launch problems, the difficulty in launching new content after the pandemic, and the need to “learn” again.
From this catharsis, Crystal Dynamics has set out to compensate gamers, supporting the game with a content plan for 2021, the free update to the next generation consoles , PS5 and Xbox Series X, and the commitment to communicate from a more direct and transparent way.
The Avengers take this second chance from today, in the same week that Falcon and the Winter Soldier premieres on Disney + and that HBO projects Zack Snyder’s Justice League. What a great time to be a fan of superheroes.
The new generation versions
Marvel’s Avengers already had a great technical section on PS4 and Xbox One, but the versions for the new consoles represent an important step forward . Obviously the development is the same; Here you can read our analysis of Marvel’s Avengers and we also offer you the analysis of the first DLC of the game Operation Kate Bishop: A by IMA.
What can we expect from the game on the new hardware? Both PS5 and Xbox Series X will display the game at native 4K resolution and 60 FPS rate. The visuals have been improved as well, with new armor-destroying effects and heroic abilities, high-resolution textures, and lighting and reflections effects.
On the other hand, the game benefits from improvements in the anisotropic filter (which affects the display of oblique textures) and ambient occlusion (the lighting depending on the geometry of the stage). SSD disks allow very short loading times.
All those who have the previous version (PS4 or Xbox One) will be able to update the game for free and transfer their saved games. And also Marvel’s Avengers will allow cross-play between generations.
The PS5 version also takes advantage of the Tempest Engine audio engine to offer enhanced 3D sound and will offer haptic vibration thanks to the Dualsense controller. But the improvements are not limited to the technical section. With this new version, new content also arrives.
Replay the Avengers Reassemble campaign
The Marvel’s Avengers campaign (starring Ms. Marvel / Kamala Khan and featuring the Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, Black Widow, and Captain America) was one of the aspects we liked the most in the original release.
Now we have the opportunity to play it again, to enjoy the visual improvements (or simply to “refresh” the history of A-Day and subsequent events). However, it should be noted that it is not a new game +.
This means that we will replay the Avengers Reassemble campaign as is, without new rewards, or a higher level of difficulty. The only novelty that we are going to notice is that the effects of our blows have been adapted so that “we feel more powerful”.
It is one of the aspects that Crystal Dynamics has decided to modify based on the “feedback” of the users . Now the Avengers are capable of fighting at the level that anyone would expect after watching the MCU movies or reading the comics.
They also offer us the possibility of customizing the HARM room in which we carry out the Avengers training in a virtual environment. We can select the number and level of enemies, the final bosses to face and the dangers of the stage.
Imperfect future
The “next gen” update for Marvel’s Avengers comes with new content and a new character, Clint Barton / Hawkeye . Here we offer you our interview with the actor who plays Hawkeye in the game , and who tells us about his sources of inspiration to recreate the character.
The Future Imperfect DLC is based on the Hulk comic of the same name , and introduces us to a new enemy, Maestro (the aging and ruthless version of the Hulk himself) who has taken control of the wastelands in the future.
Through Monica Rappaccini’s experiments, we will travel through time with Hawkeye, to visit an Earth destroyed after the Kree attack. This desert environment, in which we find remains of cities and SHIELD facilities, serves as the setting for a new adventure, which continues the Marvel’s Avengers narrative and which involves the return of Taskmaster and the appearance of new IMA creations.
We can play the new DLC at the end of the campaign and Kate Bishop’s story, or directly from the menu. And it is not the only content that adds to Marvel’s Avengers in 2021.
Very soon the Tachyon Anomaly event will be added to the game , which allows heroes from different eras to coincide in the same place (and therefore the multiplayer mode will allow playing with four versions of the same character), new sectors of villains and the difficulty missions Omega.
Coinciding with the premiere of the movie Black Widow (scheduled for next May) we will also have access to an event dedicated to Black Widow. Red Room Takeover transforms the HARM room with a new color and additional threat levels. And he will have a final mission in which he will have to help Natasha Romanoff in a very special confrontation.
And it is not the only connection of the game with the UCM (Marvel Cinematic Universe), since throughout the year the costumes of the heroes inspired by the movies will also arrive.
Kate Bishop, Hawkeye … and soon Black Panther
Two new heroes have already joined since the launch of Marvel’s Avengers. It’s about Kate Bishop and Clint Barton (the two versions of Hawkeye) and we have confirmed the next superhero that will come to the team; It is about Black Panther, and it will appear in the third DLC: Battle for Wakanda .
Battle for Wakanda will appear in 2021 and will include a new scenario, a new character, new outfits for the entire team, and an additional villain, Klaw, who has his own troops. In addition, with this DLC the maximum level that the Avengers can reach is increased (it has not yet been confirmed what the new “level cap” will be).
We will also have a new base of operations, in Wakanda, that we can visit from the war table with faction vendors and new characters.