STACK #191 Sep 2020

GAMING FEATURE

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A-DAY OUT WITH MARVEL’S AVENGERS continued

be upgraded to the PS5 version for free, while those who go Xbox One now won’t pay to get the Xbox Series X mix if they invest in the new X-machine. We found Marvel’s Avengers highly entertaining and a blast when playing with friends – Marvel’s Avengers , assemble !

Graphically, Marvel’s Avengers looks great, and the updated Black Widow character model looks much better than its earlier incarnation. As it stands, the game feels a bit like Destiny 2 , in that it will constantly evolve, with regular updates and DLC drops. Best of all, all new characters and regions will be delivered at no additional cost – and there’ll be no loot boxes or pay-to-win scenarios. Available this month for PS4, Xbox One and PC, it's exciting to note that enhanced versions of Marvel’s Avengers are in the pipeline to launch alongside the new generation PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X consoles. Even better, those who go for PS4 now will

are available, offering ways to play for various styles. For example, if you prefer providing air support and ranged damage, then Iron Man will deliver. As well as each of the characters’ powers, abilities and ultimates, they also have their weaknesses. Iron Man’s reactor needs to charge if his repulsors are used too much, while Hulk has no real ranged attacks. Sure, he can pick up debris and hurl it, but he just isn’t quite as effective as Iron Man.

Marvel’s universe has blessed the world with several top gaming experiences through the years. Here are our favourites from the past decade or so. Words Amy Flower SUPER, THANKS FOR ASKING!

MARVEL ULTIMATE ALLIANCE 3: THE BLACK ORDER (2019) Switch

MARVEL PINBALL (2010) PS3/PS4/Xbox

action, this one also brought a very cool time-bending dynamic into play to defeat Kang the Conqueror.

360/Xbox One/Wii U/3DS/PS Vita/PC In all, the pinball masters at Hungary’s Zen

MARVEL VS. CAPCOM: INFINITE (2017) PS4/Xbox One/PC

After a decade-long break, Marvel’s Ultimate Alliance got another gig, pretty much rebooting the series with a new setting and no continuity from preceding releases. Taking many cues from Marvel’s comic book universe, it boasted the largest character roster yet in an action adventure with added multiplayer that saw players taking on big bad Thanos. Can you seriously tell us that the chance to step into the boots of Tony Stark’s alter ego and fly all over the place in virtual reality doesn’t appeal? There were a lot of expectations to live up to here, and once it arrived it delivered. The addictive shooter presented a variety of missions, with the ultimate aim of bringing down mysterious hacker Ghost. MARVEL’S IRON MAN VR (2020) PS VR

Studios unleashed their talents on 23 different Marvel-themed tables that played just like the real thing – well, if they were actually real-world pinnies. While all the usual stars of the Marvel show got their time in the spotlight, so too did some of the lesser-known heroes like Moon Knight and A-Force. DEADPOOL (2013) PS3/PS4/Xbox 360/Xbox One/PC Long before he took over movie screens, the merc with a mouth

DISNEY INFINITY 2.0 (2014) PS3/PS4/Xbox 360/Xbox One/Wii U/PS Vita/PC While seen as a bit of a joke by many, the “toys to life” craze – the likes of Skylanders , Disney Infinity , LEGO Dimensions – not only gave us some solid video game action, but also some incredibly stylish and detailed collectibles. The range of Marvel figures released to accompany this second Disney Infinity outing were superb – and the game was fun, too! LEGO MARVEL SUPER HEROES 2 (2017) PS4/Xbox One/Switch/PC So many LEGO games, but this third outing of the Marvel universe doing their block was the finest of them all. Taking the usual

Crossovers are familiar to comic fans and this sixth entry in the series, that took some of arcade giant Capcom’s most famous stars and banged them together with Marvel’s mightiest, was a blast. This one changed the mix from three-on-three to two-on-two tag team bouts, as the two worlds collided to save Earth from the threat of Ultron Sigma. MARVEL’S SPIDER- MAN (2018) PS4

was busy breaking

One of Marvel’s most treasured heroes has starred in several games through the years, but none as

fourth walls on our home consoles with his usual shenanigans. The plot,

mightily fine as he got here, thanks to the people at Insomniac. Full of fab fan service, the third-person swinger saw Spidey out to thwart super- human crime lord Mister Negative’s plot to seize control of New York City’s criminal underworld.

when not being interrupted by you-know-who, revolved around Deadpool teaming up with the X-Men and Cable to thwart a world domination plot (you have to have a world domination plot!) by Mister Sinister.

route of jamming in as many characters as possible, all with their various attributes to help in the puzzle solving

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10 SEPTEMBER 2020