If you’re like me and was left scratching your head at the Marvel’s Avengers reveal during Square Enix’s E3 conference — wondering what exactly the games was, and how exactly all this co-op stuff works in a game like this — we have some answers now.
Crystal Dynamics Avengers game will be split into two parts it seems. One story path is strictly designed for single-player and the mission that opens the reveal trailer with The Avengers dealing with an attack on the Golden Gate Bridge is one of these single-player only missions. This makes lots of sense given the design of that mission which has you being automatically switched between characters in a cinematic feel.
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Speaking to Game Informer, Scot Amos the Head of Studio at Crystal Dynamics explained the games two separate elements.
“We have a bespoke single-player campaign that is designed to be one of those single-player experiences where you bounce between the different heroes,” Amos clarifies. “You get just a piece of them. That acts like the beginning of the game. This is just to get the world up and running. As you go through that bespoke campaign, there will be missions that are tailored for certain heroes. They all string together in a full arc, but you’re effectively unlocking those heroes. And then we have a much broader world where we’re going to play with this other story arc or this other mission path, that opens up to whatever heroes [the player] has. All that content, that’s out there for co-op is also playable single-player. We have made this massive world where we’re going to keep adding more missions and more regions and more superheroes. I can play 99 percent of that single-player, but there are also pieces that we encourage you to go play in multiplayer, and that actually do further the story.”
So it seems you’ll be able to work on your single-player stuff and get a focused Marvel story here if that’s all you want. You’ll even be able to do the co-op designed stuff with AI Avengers if you wanted which is good to know for those that prefer playing alone.
Of course, the long term content for Marvel’s Avengers is going to revolve around more co-op based stuff and even sounds like a games-as-service and Crystal Dynamics have teased as much during the games reveal. The preemptive message that the game will have no loot boxes probably means it will have micro-transactions of some sort including colours for Iron Man’s suit maybe?
You’ll also be able to level up and spec out your Avengers your own way. But if you only like to play as say The Hulk, and then you spend a bunch of money on a costume for him and then can’t play him while matchmaking for a mission because someone else already has him — it’d be disappointing for sure.
We still need a lot of information about Marvel’s Avengers, but knowing that the single-player campaign will be its own thing helps paint a picture in my head at least.
How do you feel though? Let us know in the comments below.
