From today you can download the open beta for Marvel’s Avengers on PlayStation 4. The game launches on September 1 or 4 depending on which version you pre-order, but this weekend you can give the game a go early. I wouldn’t’ say this about every game, but I really do recommend that you try this one before you buy it, because I can see it splitting gamers right down the middle.
I had the pleasure of playing the closed beta for Marvel’s Avengers last week, and I was a bit surprised by what I played. Having avoided all press and videos of the game so far, I didn’t know what to expect, but I have to say that I expected more than what was there.
The early parts of gameplay see you charging around as the Avengers, I don’t know where it takes place in terms of the overall story, but it felt like it was early on. What I played through felt a lot like The Order 1886, a piece of gameplay that was mainly on-rails, and simply required me to press a couple of buttons every now and then. Yes, there were slightly open sections, but in reality they were tiny and closed off compared to most, if not all games today.
Like I mentioned, I don’t know if this is meant to be a tutorial level or something that opens up much more afterwards, but what I played screamed interactive movie. If you think about a game along the lines of anything that Quantic Dream has made, but add in a bit more gameplay, then you’re right on the money.
Marvel is a massive property. There are millions of fans around the world, and this game is pretty much guaranteed to sell well because of that fact alone. However, I think that some, about half, will be disappointed by the gameplay if the closed beta is anything close to the majority of the game. Considering how far hero games have gone over the last few years, it felt ridiculous that I was playing a slice of a story, instead of making the story as I moved around as an Avenger.
I’ll be playing the open beta this weekend as well to see if I come across something different, but you definitely should if you’re at all looking forward to the game. Don’t go in blind on this one.