The 'Marvel's Avengers' Beta is Large, Deep and Hard to Put Down

Marvel's Avengers is one of the most-anticipated game releases of 2020 and the beta is about to open for those who pre-ordered the game for PS4.

The game is set to deliver a comic book-esque story, team online battles and in-depth customization of characters that will bring a different playing experience for everyone. But does the next Crystal Dynamics game deliver on the goods? I had the chance to play an early-access version of the same beta that PS4 players will enjoy over the weekend and I truly enjoyed my experience with Marvel's Avengers.

While the beta gave a hefty amount of content, you can just tell that there is a lot that will go into the game when it launches in September. Here are my impressions and what to expect before you jump into the beta yourselves.

KAMALA KHAN IS THE STAR OF THIS STORY

The first part of the beta is the story campaign. Fans who have followed the games development over the years have probably seen the A-Day sequence that kicks off the campaign.

It sets up the overarching story of the Avengers failing and what it means when innocents die because of the actions of superheroes. It's a tried and true premise for many a story, but the opening mission acts more as a tutorial.

This tutorial introduces each of the five Avengers and what makes them different. The game instructs you how to perform universal moves like light and heavy attacks and will show players the ropes as you make your way through the mission.

While the first part of the story is bombastic, the second part is what really drew me in, and in particular the performance of Sandra Saan, the voice of Kamala Khan. Her delivery and the way she bounces between exuberant fan-girl and insecure teenager is magnificent and her interactions with Bruce Banner really make playing through this part a lot of fun. I can't wait to see the rest of it and Kamala's interactions with the rest of the Avengers.

The story will be as much about Kamala becoming a hero as it is about her getting the team back together and I'm looking forward to it.

MULTIPLAYER MODES OFFER DIFFERENT BUT SATISFYING EXPERIENCES

Once the story portion is complete, players will gain access to HARM rooms and then War Zone and Drop Zone missions. These are where you really learn each character's combat skills and where you'll spend most of your time.

HARM rooms are simulations where wave after wave of enemies come after you and your party. This is the perfect place to train and level up your heroes as they scale to your power. I'm not usually a fan of these "survival" modes, but I lost a lot of time playing these HARM rooms over and over to master Black Widow--who I gravitated toward.

As for War Zones and Drop Zones, this is where you'll want to team up with friends online. Drop Zones are quick, single-objective missions, while War Zones have multiple layers and take longer. Both mission types differ in scope and level, but it gave me a better sense of what to expect in terms of varying environments and mission types.

Some mission objectives is to defeat a bunch of AIM enemies, while others have you destroy important tech in an AIM lab. There's also another where you and you team have to hold a specific spot on the map longer than the enemy so you need to fight off wave after wave of enemies.

I got to play these missions solo and with people online, and they both have their pros and cons. Of course, when you're solo with your AI team you can more freely explore the environments and look for resources and new gear as the AI follows you. Oftentimes, when I was paired with another player they wanted to go straight into the mission objective. I don't blame them, we only had a limited amount of time with the game so looking for gear is not a priority.

As with other online games, these missions in Marvel's Avengers will be best if you play with friends you will want to communicate with. Coming up with tactics and teaming up like the Avengers will be a lot of fun when the game launches.

THE DEPTH OF CHARACTER CUSTOMIZATION IS DAUNTING BUT EXCITING

There are six characters to play as and while you don't necessarily have to choose one, the game encourages you to use all of them, you'll definitely gravitate towards a specific Avenger.

For me it was Black Widow as I tend to choose characters who excel at melee combat, but all six Avengers feel and play differently, and they offer something to contribute to teams while on missions.

Whether it's the long-range and flight of Iron Man, the destructive force of The Hulk or the field support of Ms. Marvel, there's something for everyone. Unfortunately, we don't get the full scope of what each character can do as the complete skill trees are locked, but the little that we do see shows how players can make their Avengers excel in certain areas of their tool kits.

Black Widow for example has her melee attacks that can be upgraded to have Natasha learn different combos, aerial attacks etc. However, she also has access to a pistol for long range attacks and these can be upgraded to increase the size of your ammo, how many shots fire at once or even what guns you can use. I was able to upgrade her abilities to add a shotgun to my arsenal and I could easily swap between the two.

However you want to play as your Avenger, this game will likely be able to accommodate it.

And don't get me started on the various gear and resources that can boost stats when performing perfect dodges, or add special effects to attacks. Iron Man can blast gamma radiated beams if you find the right gear, or you can have Hulk shrink anything he punches using Pym Particles. Seeing all these stats and different effects, materials and resources can be a bit jarring, even daunting, but I'm eager to learn what they mean and how to best use them and you will too.

Seemingly anything goes in Marvel's Avengers and the beta gives but a taste of what's to come. I highly recommend hopping on the beta if you can, if nothing else to bring out the Hulkbuster and take out some robots.

Marvel's Avengers is scheduled for release on September 4 on PS4, Xbox One, PC and Google Stadia.