Gaming

‘Marvel Rivals’ Has the Potential to Overthrow ‘Overwatch’

‘Marvel Rivals’ has, so far, been exactly the kind of game I wanted ‘Overwatch’ to be, at least in terms of sheer shameless branding.

'Marvel Rivals' Has the Potential to Overthrow 'Overwatch'
Screenshot: NetEase Games

Before y’all get mad about this, hold on. Marvel Rivals is the game to get me into the “hero shooter” subgenre. I tried Overwatch — I really did. But at the end of the day, I’m just an indoctrinated, brand-motivated geek. If you throw some nerdy stuff behind it, I’ll lap it up. Overwatch is mechanically sound, and I enjoyed what I played when I did some sessions with friends.

But I can’t play as Spider-Man in Overwatch, now can I? Marvel Rivals has had many enticing gameplay clips leading up to its December 6 release date. I’ve been swept up by the hype machine, y’all. Back at Summer Game Fest, the world was treated to many Marvel Rivals hands-on impressions! Here’s a snippet from Shaan Joshi, who wrote up a glowing account of the gameplay on Epic Games’ official website!

Videos by VICE

“Take Iron Man, for example. There are virtually no limitations to how he can move about the map, as his flight isn’t limited by any timers or cooldown meters. This means you can hover and fly through the air indefinitely, letting less-seasoned players engage in combat without necessarily having to get up close and personal,” Joshi writes.

waypoint-marvel
Screenshot: NetEase Games

‘marvel rivals’ has excited me beyond reason

“Spider-Man, on the other hand, can swing across maps with blistering speed, stick to and climb up walls, and engage in fisticuffs, both on the ground and in the air. This frantic playstyle certainly comes with a steep learning curve, but also highlights the wide range of playstyles and skill levels Marvel Rivals caters to, letting both genre newcomers and grizzled veterans jump into the fray without being overwhelmed or under-challenged.”

That’s so cool. If each character is as unique as folks say, there’s so much potential for beautiful chaos. …Now, I can imagine balancing characters may be a bit of a nightmare for that first year or so. But I’m ready for the wildly different playstyles! Additionally, I’m a sucker for digging into the character vault for more “obscure” choices. Look, I’m still riding the high of Marvel’s Midnight Suns being a legit 20/10 tactical RPG. If Marvel Rivals can match that quality within the hero shooter subgenre? I’m all the way in.