Hey folks! If you’ve been with us here at MMORPG.com for a while, you’ll already know that we run this weekly feature called The List for everything related to MMOs and RPGs - because who doesn’t like itemizing things?! For the past while, David Jagneaux has been penning the column, and he’s done a spectacular job with it. I’m excited to be taking it over, and we’ll kick it off this week with everyone’s (or at least my and Mike B.’s) favorite Marvel-themed online action RPG: Marvel Heroes. Here are five reasons why you should be playing Gazillion’s game right now!
5) Trying Out New Heroes Is Free
If there’s one thing that every MMO needs, it’s the ability to give every character or class a whirl before investing real money into the game. Marvel Heroes launched with only a handful of free characters available, but unless you really wanted to play as Hawkeye, Daredevil, or a number of other superheroes who are not Wolverine or Spider-Man (sorry, Rocket Racoon), you’d have to spend some cash. Now, you can play any hero (other than those which have just been released) to level 10 before needing to unlock them. Even Squirrel Girl!
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4) You Can Team Up with Carnage and Pirate Deadpool
Marvel Heroes has a fun feature called Team-Ups, where you can unlock other Marvel characters to sidekick with you as you punch Bullseye and other villains in the face. These Team-Ups include fan favorites like Domino, Groot, and Quicksilver, as well as more obscure characters such as Beta Ray Bill, Arachne, and Clea. Some are available through purchase, while others are only unlockable through completing events or achievements.
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3) It’s the Closest Thing We’re Going to Get to Ultimate Alliance Right Now
I loved the X-Men Legends games for PS2, and to my eternal shame, slept on the Marvel: Ultimate Alliance titles. A case could be made for Marvel vs. Capcom as having a substantial roster, but there’s nothing quite like a cooperative action RPG experience to bring the excitement of the Marvel universe to life. Marvel Heroes does this very well, and provides a number of different environments and activities for you to get your superhero dungeon crawling fix by your lonesome or with friends.
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2) You Can Play As Squirrel Girl
The ability to play Squirrel Girl, a member of the New Avengers and one of Deadpool’s many nemeses, cannot be overemphasized as one of Marvel Heroes’ greatest strengths. Even if you have no idea who or what she is, her presence on the roster alongside the likes of Cable, Gambit, Psylocke, and Nightcrawler should be enough to let you know that the Gazillion team is more than familiar with the universe and its quirks. If you love Marvel comics, it’s more than likely that you’ll find something that resonates with you here.
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1) There’s a Marvel Heroes 2016 Rebranding in the Works
Gazillion is very good about running thematically appropriate activities and movie tie-ins. The Mystic Mayhem event and release of Ant-Man as a playable character are two recent examples, and there’s every reason to believe that Marvel Heroes has a whole lot more of that in store. The game is a shining example of what continued player feedback and developer interaction can do for an MMORPG, and has come a spectacularly long way from its admittedly threadbare launch. Gazillion’s MMO is headed for a 2016 rebranding, which may sound like a simple marketing shift, but if Marvel Heroes’ history is telling, the game is only going to get better, with more features, heroes, and content, over time.
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Are you playing Marvel Heroes? What are some of your favorite things about the superhero MMORPG?
