Marvel Heroes: Not just another MMO?

I had a chance, not too long ago, to test out the Marvel Heroes beta. As an avid World of Warcraft player I had to consciously forget everything I know and love about my MMO-RPG vice and give this game a serious chance; I’m glad I did.

From the log in screen, the beta characters available were a full roster of 23 iconic Marvel heroes. Some of the names on this list include Thor, Ironman, Captain America, Hulk, Spiderman, Daredevil, Storm, Thing, Hawkeye and Scarlet Witch, even some lesser known heroes such as Rocket Raccoon.

When first launched into game you can open up an in-game store (with a whopping 2000 credits given to you for the beta) where you can purchase more characters to use. They do allow you to swap heroes on the fly, but since each character levels independently you will have to start from the beginning for each hero you have.

Each hero plays in a unique way, with unique mechanics. Some of these traits can be simple, such as Captain America collecting shield points to enhance his arsenal of skills with additional effects like stuns, and some traits can be a bit more creative, like Scarlet Witch who builds up energy over time to alter reality in fun ways like debuffs or enemy transformations.

This game plays very similar to Diablo 2 (don’t we already have several Marvel games like this?)
The boss fights early on feel more like fighting strong enemies. Using a caster like Storm or Scarlet Witch I was able to just stay still and attack without worrying about fight mechanics. After a while this changes, and when fighting bosses like Rhino you have to be very mindful of fight mechanics or he will one-shot you. Don’t worry, they make these mechanics very obvious a few seconds before hand, giving you a chance to maneuver around them.

Each hero gets 3 talent trees to choose talents from (TALENTS!!! Yay!!) and this makes even basic gear feel useful (who doesn’t love seeing “+2” on lowbie gear?) The tower you start at (your main city in the beginning) is the Avengers Tower (a.k.a Stark Tower) and this is where you interact with vendors, crafters and other players. While out exploring the world you are able to assist other players who are not grouped with you, but for dungeons you only see your party members.

Random item drops will open up a cutscene and additional side quests; finding a VHS ad for Taskmaster’s fighting academy will provide you with a mission to find and defeat Taskmaster. Cutscenes keep the comic book aesthetic, and are interesting with great voice acting (they do seem a little similar to DC Online’s cutscenes…). There are also random world event bosses that players can engage with, that do not require players to be grouped in order to share the loot. Every player who participates is rewarded.

When near each other heroes will randomly interact with one another (player to player), the tone and what they say is based on the comic book relationship between the two characters.

It was a little annoying, but expected, to see clones of the same hero running around. Everyone is on an Ironman kick, so there was an infestation. Since equipping or changing your equipped gear doesn’t change your appearance (purchasing skins with real dollars do) it got to be a little too much after a while.

Overall, this game has some serious potential. It is different enough from what is out there already to bring a much needed and fresh perspective on the MMO market. The game is simple and the gameplay is easy to pick up so the learning curve isn’t intimidating for anyone who isn’t current with MMO’s. It’s as simple as remembering the left and right mouse buttons, plus 6 skills on your skill bar.