With the continued success of the MCU, Wonderful is on a roll in Hollywood, and IP is starting to make waves in gaming, too, through the likes of Spiderman Y Guardians of the Galaxy. Some efforts have been met with overwhelming critical acclaim, but others like marvel avengers could not live up to the lofty name of the property. Every project that bears the company logo has to deal with inherently high expectations, which makes it harder to garner universal praise. Spiderman achieved this by far and time will tell if Guardians of the Galaxy finds the audience it truly deserves, so the seasoned comics company may be better served by finding other means to become a video game mainstay.
Most Marvel games will compete with AAA projects from top-tier in-house studios or even DC’s litany of exceptional releases, putting any Marvel release in the crosshairs of some of the biggest game developers and properties. As such, investing in more unpredictable, genre-splicing spinoffs could help make Marvel a name synonymous with games, comics, and movies. Nintendo has mastered the art, and the comic book titan would do well to heed the signs.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe Has Wide Appeal
As phase four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues, it has garnered a handful of critics while maintaining a strong fan base who find solace in even the most predictable MCU movies. They are certainly popular with many as the comedic timing, strong performances, enjoyable action and heartwarming moments appeal to moviegoers of all ages and backgrounds. Games often have a harder time making everyone happy, as the genres are so different in content and mechanics. Guardians of the Galaxy has good linear combat and level design similar to the likes of tomb Raider Y Unexploredbut it lacks the freedom of exploration that people love Spiderman. Instead, lego marvel avengers it’s a solid family-oriented couch co-op game, even years after its release, but it lacks the mechanical depth some might wish for.
Using the full reach of the Marvel brand to branch out into any number of genres could give the company’s characters more of a chance to find diverse audiences in all corners of gaming. The MCU has done this with relative ease, so it puts a horror spin on a Incredible Hulk Wakanda’s gameplay or implementation into a big strategy game could add more complexity to the characters fans have come to love in the MCU. Marvel in games can absolutely lean on its cinematic universe’s one-size-fits-all approach, but instead of making individual projects that appeal to everyone, it might be better to make spin-off games that cast a little net, giving the company a foothold. in most game genres.
The successes derived from Mario and Pokémon
Mario is the most recognizable face in gaming and has been Nintendo’s poster child since the mid-1980s. Pokemon is one of the highest-grossing media franchises in the world, and neither is too proud to do spin-offs. They are sometimes remembered as retro classics, with Paper Mario Y Pokemon Snap! each received new entries in their respective series recently. None of the titles mentioned belong to a genre even close to the main series, but they do have the same charm returning players have come to expect from the properties, which is perhaps the most important thing when dealing with such beloved franchises.
Marvel has its own charm, and each of its hundreds of characters, both obvious and obscure, have potential within at least one game genre. If a goofy Mario-like character can transition into any number of game genres, and the otherwise stalwart JRPG Pokemon can produce some really fantastic 3D arena fighters, GPS augmented reality titles like pokemon goand physical card games, then Marvel’s sheer diversity puts it in a perfect position to launch many spin-offs in the same way.
Different Marvel characters require a different approach.
In the movies, Marvel has done well to fit their characters into a format that never drastically changes with each release. Subtle shifts in tone are appreciated, but many MCU movies have a familiarity that’s hard to ignore. Using the same process in games would not be wise. The time it takes to develop an AAA experience is simply too long to produce a title with a new protagonist that isn’t too different from previous games. Innovation is important, and the wide space of personalities in Marvel’s toy box means that distributing them across different spin-off titles would be best based on who they are.
The next Glutton The game is sure to be drastically different from Insomniac’s previous works with Spiderman, and it would be much better, since Wolverine and Spider-Man are very different people. If a Storm-focused spin-off is greenlit, it would have to be even different, as the format that fits Logan won’t necessarily be right for every member of the X-Men.
Third-person action/adventure is the chosen flavor of PlayStation’s own franchises, and it works for those products, but Marvel shouldn’t fall into the trap of thinking that success is only based on one genre with just a handful of iconic characters. . A SSX-The Silver Surfer-focused arcade-style racer might be awesome, but terrible for Captain America or Thor. Marvel has to choose their venom in games wisely, so spin-offs and genre swaps would be the best course of action.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is no stranger to the concept of spin-offs, taking supporting characters and making them the star of their own project. The problem comes when the end result doesn’t feel different enough from the series that spawned it, and the same goes for video games. Creating excellently done spin-offs can give characters a chance to thrive in an environment that showcases their strengths and minimizes any weaknesses. Pokemon Y Mario continue to demonstrate that they can expand the legacy of a property, ensuring that they reach audiences of all stripes, and Wonderful should do the same.
