Marvel RivalsNetEase's without shame Overwatch– similar featuring the heroes and villains that have captivated comic book readers and moviegoers for decades, are already at a crossroads. It's less than a week old, but it's clear even now that the decisions NetEase makes in the coming months will determine whether it remains a chaotic, unbalanced explosion or he joins the ranks of his heroic shooters as a smart evening, ready for fun. which is only liked by a fraction of it his big fans. I have spent years fishing over Blizzard's Overwatch patch notes, watching content creators nitpick every little tweak to damage productivity and suffering loss of some of the most interesting shooting resources I've always used because someone was yelling at the abilities they believed to be “unfair.” I don't know what Marvel Rivals in a year, so I recommend you play it now before the team behind it has a chance to take down the things that make it fun.
If you have ever played Overwatchyou know exactly what you are getting into. Marvel Rivals he has three roles: the tanky Vanguard, the damage-dealing Duelist, and the supportive Strategist, all working together as the edges of a single body towards the common goal of ' stand in one place together without conflict long enough to win a game. I won't mince words. Marvel Rivals is so derivative of Overwatch it would be a shame if the game wasn't also a ton of fun to play. It has the same objective structures and more than half of the members of its hero roster have a direct parallel in the Blizzard shooter (if not several). My friends and I have been playing the game for twelve hours and they still crash Overwatchlore when describing defenders' objectives as “payloaders” or calling Star-Lord's Reaper-esque “Blaster Barrage” ability as “Reaper Ult” since both moves including dual-wielding gunslingers turning their guns around and firing bullets at anyone near them. To call Marvel Rivals derivative would be an understatement, and the idea of one large corporation looking at another large corporation's homework and barely trying to make it look like they didn't copy if it doesn't sit well with you, you don't have to apply. If you're willing to overlook that, though, you're in luck, as it is Marvel Rivals lack of meaningful repetition, he makes up for feeling like he hasn't lost sight of being enjoyable to the average person.
Like their clear motivations in Overwatch, Marvel Rivals' There are more troublemakers than the other positions, but almost all heroes are capable of making big plays through flexible tools. There is an unfairness in the design of the heroes Marvel Rivals that's strong, even if it takes a look at the game itself sometimes. Favorite (Hate) is Jeff the Land Sharksince the little guy has a high healing output but can also eat an entire enemy team with little chance for them to counter. Iron Fist is as big a threat as possible to the hero who is usually stuck on land worry Iron Man flying away at full speed. Cloak and Dagger is a strategic duo that you can swap between on the fly, with the former specializing in sabotage, such as blinding enemies so they can't see their targets, while the latter is a more supportive healing. All these heroes have such extensive resources that it is sometimes difficult to keep track of what is happening on the screen, much less even remember what each character can do. Most Marvel Rivals fights begin with 12 people walking into space and end with a constellation of color and destruction as neat voice lines unfold across the battlefield. Most heroes in Marvel Rivals feel like they were built for a co-op PvE game with the levels of disproportionate destruction they are capable of.
But in the middle of all the chaos, you can still find some heroes who feel more focused in their role. Star-Lord, my main guy, is a very mobile dual-pistol user whose main job is to hit and run. It feels unbelievable to zip around a battlefield of Marvel heroes like the chucklefuck Chris Pratt and then destroy the enemy team with your ultimate, flying freely around the map while your guns lock on your enemies automatically. Marvel Rivals know the strength of a good pop-off, and there are so many opportunities to do so. Sometimes it can be as simple as finding a good position, like leaving a Peni Parker bomb right at the enemy's spawn door or placing a Doctor Strange portal right in front of them that leads to a side chase the map. But it wouldn't be a team-based shooter if you couldn't create great plays with your team, and one thing separates them. Marvel Rivals using team capabilities to promote specific team pieces that provide codified benefits.
Team abilities include active and passive buffs for specific team pieces. For example, Rocket Raccoon can ride behind Groot, sacrificing free movement for more damage reduction, and Groot gets a pocket healer. Having Scarlet Witch and Magneto on one team gives the latter a huge metallic sword to swing around when enemies get too close. Hulk can throw Wolverine across the battlefield so he can close distance quickly. Not all team abilities are created equal, but it's still an interesting spin on the hero shooter format, albeit one that encourages a unique team composition. In a competitive game with more of a meta focus, some would probably argue that this leaves some heroes and compositions really beneficial. But I don't think I'm too worried about those discussions right now, and I hope NetEase isn't either.
Just days in, I'm already seeing so many people complaining that such a hero needs to be buffed, or that some abilities need to be taken out of the game. It feels like both players and NetEase are at a stage where they have to decide what they want Marvel Rivals to be, and whether or not they want to see the game fall into the same traps Overwatch Yes. There is a version of events where NetEase is hanging on every word of balance-hungry players looking for the next competitive bite and Marvel Rivals losing much of the current hypocrisy and confusion. Right now, most characters feel powerful, and that's because Marvel Rivals it doesn't feel like it runs ideal for a very balanced hero shooter in which all characters are equal in competition with each other. Such balance is a good idea, but the pursuit of it has drained other games of what made them special.
In a superhero game, you want to feel superpowered, right? Marvel Rivals realizing that, and even if there are some famous characters that could use some tweaks (Captain America, you're a super soldier, why beat like you haven't caught the serum yet?), if it will start catering to those who already think the game is “broken” and needs to be fixed, it will likely lose the very features that draw so many fans towards it game Not every game has to be the next big esports sensation, and I hope so Marvel Rivals it doesn't erase its rough edges chasing the same things that other games have lost players aiming for. No, don't give me any of this “it could work for us” nonsense. Just stay the course. Stay silly tasting, with great power to play with friends and people will come and stay. Don't start Marvel Rivals esports division. Don't give toxic players a reason to treat casual players like they're ruining their lives by not helping set up a pop-off viral clip. Identify why people are playing your game now instead of running something that will never work.
I feel like I'm coming Marvel Rivals hard for something NetEase hasn't shown much interest in doing yet. It's just that I've spent years watching my friends' interest in it Overwatch crater, and there is something magical about a hero shooter that we all gather together to play for hours. Eventually, yes, people will move on to other things. But now, Marvel Rivals it has the ability to encourage learning from mistakes, rather than repeating them. For now, one of these is super fun. Let's keep it that way, shall we?
