Back in June, video game developer Crystal Dynamics brought a trailer for their hotly-anticipated video game, MARVEL'S AVENGERS, to this year's E3. Unfortunately, while the footage revealed glimmers of potential for the action-based adventure game, many fans were left feeling underwhelmed by the title's overall presentation. Be it the questionable character models, confusing gameplay mechanics, or bewildering voice work, players looking forward to the long-gestating interactive Avengers project were left with more questions than answers as to what they could expect from the upcoming release.
Thankfully, Crystal Dynamics today has unveiled a new gameplay video that, in my personal opinion, has the game looking epic AF. Titled Marvel's Avengers: A-Day Prologue Gameplay Footage, the new preview shows off nearly 20-minutes worth of Avengers action that places the game in a much better light, overall.
In the footage for the game's tutorial level, we witness Thor, Iron Man, Hulk, Captain America and Black Widow working alongside one another to save pedestrians from an attack on the San Francisco Bridge. As the video unfolds, players are invited to take control of one Avenger after another, giving them a chance to test each freedom fighter's unique abilities and power sets. Granted, the voice work and character models are still a bit jarring, but from what I can see, the gameplay looks like it will have you feeling like a bonafide Avenger and then some.
For me, the biggest takeaway from this video are the ways in which the Avengers interact with the environment. When you're the Hulk, you can actually see his massive fingers digging into the sides of trucks as he leaps from one burning vehicle to another. As Iron Man, every repulsor blast you unleash leaves a wake of fire and destruction. When Thor calls upon the thunder, the electricity dances along the pavement and travels up through either enemies or objects along the bridge. It's stuff like this and more that now has me very excited to play this game. Oh, and R.I.P. to all the agents who undoubtedly lost their lives during this battle. Let the violence debates begin, I suppose.
As a studio, Crystal Dynamics is known for producing critical and commercial darlings such as the Tomb Raider and Legacy of Kain franchises. With still some time to go before their Avengers project is unleashed, I'm beginning to feel like they might have a real hit on their hands when the game launches on most platforms come March 15, 2020.