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Marvel Powers United: Reviews and Impressions

Zenbane
MVP
MVP
Feel free to use this thread to post your thoughts on the game, as well as discuss different strategies, tips, tricks, etc.

A quick overview of my initial thoughts & impressions:
  • At release, I would give MPU a rating of 8/10. I remove 2 points only because the game really needs a strong Campaign.
  • The intro has a Prologue experience that is very much "epic campaign" style. This prologue leaves you craving more. There's little doubt that we'll see future updates for this epic campaign style coming to MPU (much like we've seen with The Unspoken), but for now... after the prologue you are essentially playing a multiplayer battle royale.
  • MPU is not just another wave Shooter. I would best describe this as, The Unspoken meets Robo Recall.
  • Playing as different characters does yield different "physical" strategies. If you want to be Spider Man, then get your "ring finger" ready, because you'll be spraying webs using the Grip button. If you want to play as Thor, then get not just your Arm ready for lots of swinging (think "hammer smashed faces") but also your pointer finger ready for lots of trigger lightning blasts. If you want to play as the Hulk, get your shoulders and legs ready for constant action.
  • Characters have a unique list of Powers, each of which are executed and activated differently. There's a progression system in place to reward you for mastering your Powers. There's a wide variety of achievements and unlocks available; from "character poses," to unique Outfits, to decorations for your space station (the entire game has you and your friends running around a 2-story space station above the Earth).
  • You can fly! When I first loaded the game I played as Spider Man. I ended up jumping atop a high pedestal and shooting webs down at the enemies. I thought I was so cool... until Star Lord and Dr. Strange literally "flew" by my head. In my next game I loaded up Thor, and sure enough... I was able to flying overhead and send my hammer and lightning down upon foes.
  • Teamwork is required. The objectives in each map involve more than just blasting enemies away until the end. You have to coordinate your attacks in order to achieve victory (defending multiple silo's at once). You also have to retrieve various objects and return them to a location in order to succeed. Something that can't be done easily without teamwork. The same goes for boss battles. While in their current form they are not overly complex, it is really easy for your entire group to get destroyed. You have to pay attention to your environment as well as help Revive fallen comrades.
I've seen 2 unique strategies so far, and there are certainly plenty more to be found:
  • When defending silo's, you can use Thor and spin your hammer rapidly, using it to deflect projectiles. Captain America's shield works well for defense too.
  • When fighting a boss,  you can have Spiderman focus on 'web binding' which makes it easier to hit the villains. I was playing as Hulk and I pounded Loki's spine for several seconds without taking damage because we had a Spiderman that knew his way with a web!

So that's the quick review. Here's a lengthier breakdown of the experience:

Note that my machine is not very high-end. I have a 980 GPU and for most of these initial screenshots, the game settings were at "low" graphic detail and low resolution. I ended up increasing the settings to "medium" with 70% resolution. Things began to look much crisper without sacrificing performance. However, if you have a beefy VR GPU then you can enjoy this game at its highest graphic detail and res.

The entire experience begins with a fantastic single-player prologue (a campaign). You start off choosing either Captain America or Black Widow. As you progress throughout the campaign you will encounter other heroes and all of the villains. It's a wonderful introduction to bringing the Marvel Universe in to Virtual Reality.

My absolute favorite part is when Captain Marvel asked me to take her hand,

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Once I gripped her hand, there was a stunning sequence where I was holding her shoulder as she flew me to cruiser in the sky. That experience is EXACTLY what I was wanting out of a Superhero-based VR game,


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I tried to take a screenshot of me looking "down" during this flight, but the visuals are hard to capture properly because you are engulfed in Captain Marvel's flame. But when you try it, I'm sure you'll fully appreciate this experience.

Next... you're greeted by Thanos and his crew. I have to say that the entire sequence really did remind me of how lucky it is to experience this stage of Virtual Reality.


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If you're a fan of games like "From Other Suns" then you'll also appreciate the fact that you can run around a space station with a nice view of Earth.

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This is where you'll spend most of your time as you progress through several aspects of the game.  You even get to hang out with baby Groot!

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One of your goals is to collect shards of the Cosmic Cube, while also unlocking collectibles and various custom attire for your favorite heroes. In the prologue you are limited to 2 characters, but once you enter this aspect of the game you can pick from the full list of Super Heroes. I'll update this thread at a later time with that list.

Each hero plays differently. Some of those differences are slight, others are drastic. For example, playing the Hulk is absolutely nothing like playing Spiderman. The Hulk is incredibly unique because your entire view changes.  You are a giant and everything will scale down for you, including the other super heroes. It's pretty badass, I have to admit.

There's a screen for each character that shows exactly how to use your Touch Controllers in order to utilize a character's full range of abilities,

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There are also screens that show your level progression with each ability, and what it will take for you to progress to the next level.

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Fighting the villains isn't overly complex, however, with some strategy and coordinated teamwork, the experience can be very rewarding. It's easy to stay away from the villains and just projectile attack them to death. However, getting up-close-and-personal is pretty damn fun.

Venom, for example, looks great up close. And his attacks are very well implemented.

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Overall, this game has a worthy addiction factor if you're looking for fast-paced battle royale combat. Getting a good group of players together creates a highly rewarding experience. Especially once you start using combo attacks, where certain Superhero abilities compliment each other nicely.

I am still going through the list of Heroes, but so far the Hulk is the only one who can grab enemies with his bare hands and have some real fun with their bodies!

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My favorite thing about MPU is that it has set a new "baseline standard" for VR experiences in terms of "context" and "content." For example, now it is going to be commonplace to have Spiderman randomly run in front of you blasting his webs...

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This is the "new normal." And I like it!

Not to mention that "superhero selfies" (which happen at the end of every mission) are also a new normal; which often leads to lots of laughing between Players.

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MPU is well-worth the price of admission. It's made not only for VR from the ground up, but it's made for those Touch Controllers. Solo play is possible for every aspect of the game (so far). However, it is not as rewarding as playing with others. If you're looking for Player's to join, feel free to use this thread to coordinate playtimes.

Happy hunting!
78 REPLIES 78

MowTin
Expert Trustee

Nacaryus said:

watching groot dance in VR is one of my favourite moments in MPU..give him more dance moves :smile:

It would be cool if you could pick him up. 

Are there any plans for updates? And has anyone figured out how to exit the practice stage? I was in a game where someone chose the practice stage and we were stuck there. I had to shut the game down to get out.  
i7 9700k 3090 rtx   CV1, Rift-S, Index, G2

MowTin
Expert Trustee

Zenbane said:
Some things they are ignoring with their attempt to generalize:
  • Deadpool's SMG's do not have accurate aiming, and it takes a lot of direct hits to take down a single enemy. The SMG's are good for quick bursts, but the hand-cannons are far more accurate and do way more damage.
  • Deadpool's Katana blasts take lots of arm movement, and are difficult to aim at longer distances. You can do way more damage (especially against bosses) by actually using them for melee.
  • If you stay in the air, you literally can't complete missions that cause you to go underground. Plus, Bosses can fly too, and can one-shot your arse. Knowing when to Fly vs Land is a legit strategy.

Basically, the person who wrote this was clearly letting his teammates do all the work. Everyone else was using their skills and he was being a Spambot. Then he takes to the web and was like, "wtf this is so easy for me."

I'll have to try him again but I remember feeling that his hand cannons didn't do enough damage compared to just throwing his Katana's which were usually instakills. And melee with the Katanas required more strikes that just throwing the Katanas. 

I think a balance pass is definitely necessary but I doubt they'll have the courage to do so. 

This game has so much potential to be great. The prologue gives you a taste of what is possible. Will they add more missions that are like the prologue but much longer? Any plans to update? 
i7 9700k 3090 rtx   CV1, Rift-S, Index, G2

MowTin
Expert Trustee
When you're Spiderman, you can grab those projectiles the mini-bosses throw at you with your web and throw them back. And you can snatch rockets the enemies shoot at relays out of the air then throw them back. It feels totally badass when you do it. 

You can also use your web to move from location to location. 

He's really a fun character. 
i7 9700k 3090 rtx   CV1, Rift-S, Index, G2

Zenbane
MVP
MVP
I actually suck as Spiderman. But I have seen what you're talking about, MowTin. Spiderman seems to be the most "fun" character to master. The number of tricks you can do is awesome. But it takes some serious mastery of "timing" and "accuracy."

Doum76
Expert Protege

Zenbane said:

Sorry to hear that, @Doum76

Are you using the new Oculus Home version, Rift Core 2.0? 

I have zero problems, but I'm using this version.

I noticed that more and more kids do show up. But they don't really bother me. I have a 3 year old myself so I became somewhat of a "softie" when it comes to gaming with kids. I was gaming with a youngen that couldn't have been older than 7 or 8 years old. He asked me to take him to the "Dark Dimension" because he hadn't been there. As soon as I loaded it up for him, he literally screamed with the highest pitch that has ever come through my Rift's audio, "THAT'S AMAZING!!"

I don't think he stopped screaming for the entire mission (which we won).




I prefer gaming with adults, but some of these kids are hilarious.



I'm using the latest Oculus version, got to say it haven'T crashed since a few days, exempt this morning, as i was waiting to get on the main room after a mission, i got a Fat Error, first time it happens, but got to admit, as i was waiting i did sit on the cornet of the bed, i presume the Game didn't liked a Laysy Super Hero 😛

Yeah some kids are funny and still good, but when you get a kid that is barely able to speak, the mission end up never starting cuz he doesn'T press the Y. 🙂 Happenned a few times, the kid was so small, his toon semed like a folded person coming out of a treasure chest since it wasn'T calibrated, heads folding on his back, arms odly folded 3 times on each others at the 3 articulations, and the knees almost to his chick... i had pain for the super hero seing this, must had hurt. 😛 So i simply left the queue those few times, but i swear, i waited quite a few minutes before leaving. 🙂 I just feel bad when there is a really young kid the group and you get a Hulk coming in and standing in front of you and poiting his greeny in-between thingy. 😞

Syrellaris
Rising Star
@Zenbane Thanks for sharing your review. It was a good read. 

jamisonmiller
Expert Protege

Zenbane said:


MowTin said:


Deadpool’s SMGs, for instance, can be literally fired infinitely by holding the trigger down the entire match. You can also pull out his Katanas and throw an unlimited number of them at enemies (this turns out to be incredibly effective, and means you’ll have little reason to use the katanas for slashing, let alone your SMGs, pistols, or throwing stars). Characters who can hover can do so indefinitely, and there’s almost never a reason not to be in the air as it gives you the best angle for zapping baddies. 





Some things they are ignoring with their attempt to generalize:
  • Deadpool's SMG's do not have accurate aiming, and it takes a lot of direct hits to take down a single enemy. The SMG's are good for quick bursts, but the hand-cannons are far more accurate and do way more damage.
  • Deadpool's Katana blasts take lots of arm movement, and are difficult to aim at longer distances. You can do way more damage (especially against bosses) by actually using them for melee.
  • If you stay in the air, you literally can't complete missions that cause you to go underground. Plus, Bosses can fly too, and can one-shot your arse. Knowing when to Fly vs Land is a legit strategy.

Basically, the person who wrote this was clearly letting his teammates do all the work. Everyone else was using their skills and he was being a Spambot. Then he takes to the web and was like, "wtf this is so easy for me."



… Or using the Hulk you can literally just clap the whole time and wipe out the whole map of enemies...but this does make you look mentally challenged on the field so best not to do it so often 😄

you are right, flying is not a game changing advantage over ground based characters, a lot of maps have fantastic vantage points for ground characters to use if you need the elevation! 

as I said before, I have mastered all the characters, most are very easy to do solo. just pick a match then spam the abilities required and presto! mastered! 

It does feel like most of these are a little too easy and limited just the  4 'goals' and that's it... the only one I had trouble with was Thor's 'hammer time' requirement (20 enemies in 20 seconds) found that throwing the hammer during his charged ability provided enough damage to complete this however 😉  

Still a little disappointed with the overly child centred themes of the game, was it really necessary to go THAT far? If I have to watch another Scientist Supreme intro I will almost be driven to Vincent van Gogh cutting my ears off from lameness extremes!! one does not simply refer to themselves as "Evil" and look cool. every time I hear "masters of Evil" I cringe.  😄

And again the whole Inhumans and lockjaw thing was a bit too much for me. I was never a fan of Inhumans to begin with, having the characters for others would still be fine, but centring the whole thing around a giant dog really broke the atmosphere greatly....

well, it is only early days, I noticed on the menu the location you are at ( 'something' Station) is listed, so other bases of operations may be added, hopefully with a more mature setting. I am sure there will be a lot of updates to come! 🙂



 

MowTin
Expert Trustee
@jamisonmiller

I like Lockjaw. I'm a dog owner so maybe I'm biased in favor of jaws. I like feeding him bones. It's one of the positives imo. I wouldn't remove it. I don't see why I dog is childish.

I agree with most of your other points. The repetition is starting to wear on me and my opinion of the game is declining. If you're going to make a game with only one mode then you should avoid forcing players to hear the same dialog over and over and over again.  
i7 9700k 3090 rtx   CV1, Rift-S, Index, G2

Zenbane
MVP
MVP
I'm a fan of Lockjaw as well, but to each his own. First World Problems? lol

I read a blog about some of the updates coming. The developer is hard at work adding more content. They are actively listening to the Community.

We all burned through Version 1 of this release pretty damn fast, and hard. That's the hallmark of a "good product." I'm taking a break until the next release, but I have no doubt that each major update will have the community back to full commitment. MPU is a great ride.

MowTin
Expert Trustee
I'm worried that the new content will just be more heroes and a couple more maps. 

Thank God for Skyrim VR, Fallout VR, Project Cars 2, IL-2, Elite Dangerous and other ports. 
i7 9700k 3090 rtx   CV1, Rift-S, Index, G2