Marvel Online Update

The Look – still 7/10

Originally I gave it a solid 7/10 and I think this is still about right.  The artwork on Marvel is pretty good but not difficult.  The theme has been captured well and the effects scroll nicely on my PC also.  It isn’t a graphically heavy engine so people on lower spec computers should still be ok.  There is minimal lag and it runs pretty well.  I can’t see this going any higher really as it would start to come away from the Marvel feel.

The Cost – 6/10

It is a free to play game but you can buy upgrade packs and many people got these.  I took the ultimate pack at £129 (a lot for a game that’s free).  This said the permanent 5% xp boost and other things are nice.  I have 24 characters to choose from so I can get all close combat with Wolverine or I can play a ranged attacking character like Hawkeye OR smash stuff as the Hulk.

The downside to the free to play option is you only get a few characters to choose from and have to unlock the rest.  The drop rates seem rare on this so I could see people losing interest maybe.  There is also the flip side with the ultimate pack – so many to play and not enough time to do them all justice (yet).

The currency in the game seems pretty redundant for me as an Ultimate player so far so I hope they sort that as for my £129 I got everything unlocked and can only really buy more ‘stash’ space, which I have done.

I gave this 2/10 earlier now it is more a 6/10 but if you got the game for nothing and are happy playing to unlock everything the game does it warrants a 10/10.  However, not everyone wants to put this much time into it, me included.

Game Play 7/10

Everything I said earlier still applies but I am going to give some info on some of the characters I am playing.  The 7/10 earlier rating still sticks, there isn’t much end game stuff yet but what there is I enjoy in spells.  It does have a repetitive feel like Diablo but it is bearable for now as I have 24 characters to switch between.

Here are my ratings so far for the people I have played to a decent level.

Punisher – 3/10 = he just seems very odd with little fluidity to him, even the level 20 ones I see are still using the same sort of things the character does at lower level.  His damage seems ok but he just feels disjointed to play.

Jean Grey – 6/10 = She has the Phoenix form which is pretty special and does a lot of good damage.  The trick is to spend as much time in this as you can and she is a great character.  I did find her a little dull but I hadn’t worked out at the time she needs to be in Phoenix as much as possible.

Daredevil – 8/10 = My main character at L33 I think, he has good solid melee damage and with his Action Roll ability can get nearly 80% dodge.  Triple strike is amazing as is the radar sense.  Stack as much dodge as you can and he is a good hard character.  He needs the dodge though so don’t avoid this or he will die easily.  In PVP he is good also, fast and can kick out nice damage.  Make sure you take Ninja Reflexes for a good attack speed boost as soon as you can, I like him a lot.  At L30 he calls Elektra which is pretty nice, she fights on if you die also = Result.  Stack dodge, attack speed and crit, you won’t regret it!

Cyclops – 9/10 = He is L22 and his Ricochet Blast is AMAZING.  The damage it does to groups of enemies is outstanding and it gives him the chance to mow through groups like no tomorrow.  He can’t take much damage though but he is very good.  Adding to that his permanent XP boost (currently 21%+) through talents makes him quick to level and very powerful.  Not sure he will live long in PVP though but I will let you know.  Ignore ALL PUNCH powers as far as I can tell – the Optics skill tree is the one to go down apart from Team Leader power.

Storm – 6/10 = She is L14 for me and ok, her basic attack seems a bit clumsy compared to others but she has flight early and good knockback abilities.  A decent character who seems very popular.  Her AOE damage can get through groups quickly but I think Cyclops is better.  Veteran command is handy as it is about the only use I have found for her additional resource called Command Points, spending them increases her leadership abilities but most of them seem ok – redundant.

Colossus – 6/10 = He is the big tank and seems pretty good.  He has some decent abilities and a additional feature called Armor.  This replenishes quickly and allows him to take even more damage.  Add to that his Guarded Stance (block ability) and he is hard to bring down.  Then add to that his Deflective Armor that knocks away lasers and missiles and he has some outstanding mitigation.  Just (for now) avoid sticking points in his Bulwark of Steel – defence seems a redundant stat.  Shame as I stacked a load of it!  If you’re playing him go with as much damage as you can as his own mitigation skills are very good.

Cable – 3/10 = He was my first choice character and sadly he is a bit flat.  His basic attacks just don’t seem to do enough damage against other characters and for this I think he needs to be looked at.  I will be honest and say I gave up playing him at L11.  He was just very weak, I’ve gone back a few times but he still doesn’t do it for me.

More to follow

Thankfully they have fixed most of the downtime issues they had and the game seems good fun and stable.  They will need to get some new content out soon and some new heroes (seems odd to say) but many are fairly similar.  Wolverine, Daredevil, Black Panther etc.

In short if you’re looking for a new game that is fun, scales well and looks nice – UPDATE MAY 2019 – SADLY THE GAME HAS ENDED – IT RAN INTO PROBLEMS, but it was great whilst it lasted..