Somehow, Marvel Heroes (which is now technically named Marvel Heroes 2016) doesn’t seem to generate a lot of discussion among fans of MMO gaming. To be sure, it stands apart from some of the classic themes and atmospheres associated with the genre. But it still caters to a huge community of online players and involves seemingly limitless characters from the biggest name in modern entertainment. And the truth is, it’s actually a pretty well-rounded game.
If you’ve been skeptical, as some are, that this can stand as a strong MMO and not just a fun shoutout to Marvel cinema, consider some of the following.
First and foremost, this is one of the more prominent online MMOs that actually falls into the ARPG category. That may or may not matter to you depending on your particular style and preference, but I think a post in a discussion on Reddit nailed why it works for Marvel specifically. Basically, it discussed how an RPG is all about “us” whereas an ARPG is “inherently more heroic” than the standard RPG, because of the ability to build up an individual character to take on a group. This works both for and against Marvel in a way. Part of the fun for fans is gathering a variety of characters they love from comics and films. However, the chance to take up a single favourite and build him to genuine superhero status is really appealing. The ARPG status of Marvel Heroes alone helps the game stand out, but it’s worth mentioning given the character and subject matter.
With all that said, a lot of the additional fun in Marvel Heroes is that it ropes in characters from Marvel who are meaningful to a lot of comic book fans, regardless of the films—and that’s unique in Marvel gaming. Generally speaking, fans of these more obscure Marvel characters have to go digging for chances to find them in video games. The jackpot options at Betfair have really been the best bet for a while, thanks to the platform’s tendency to use Marvel themes as a way of making casino content more interesting. Jackpot and slot machine titles revolving around Blade, the Fantastic Four, Daredevil, and others have been a bit of an oasis for folks who are tired of Avengers-only games that don’t live up to the splendour of the films anyway. But at Marvel Heroes, not only are pretty much all noteworthy Marvel comics characters involved, a lot of them are playable. It’s just a wonderful, rare collection of iconic characters rather t
han those created just for an MMO experience.
Perhaps best of all for a lot of regular MMO gaming fans is the scope of this game. I’m not sure it can be put any better than it was in a write-up at Ten Ton Hammer when the site gave Marvel Heroes 2015 its Game of The Year award: Marvel Heroes offers “an unparalleled amount of raw gaming fun, deep progression systems, and a seemingly never ending stream of meaningful gameplay updates.” In simpler terms, this game is big, deep, and constantly being updated either with new editions for each year (as now seems to be the pattern) or simply with new characters, upgrades, and areas. In a sense it’s a very fluid MMO, and that keeps it interesting no matter how often you play.
Marvel Heroes 2016 is also free to play, which means it’s very easy for you to give it a shot and decide for yourself if all of the above makes it a worthwhile game! But don’t just discount it because of Marvel fatigue—it’s actually a pretty impressive experience.