Marvel?s Avengers is one of those fascinating games that I get the feeling we won?t truly fully grasp until it?s in our hands in September. I?ve been notably critical of it in the past. Each new thing I see about the game just begs more questions about what the experience actually is and how it all works together as a whole. This intriguing, yet difficult to communicate approach is what made me so excited to sit down with Crystal Dynamics Head of Studio Scot Amos, Lead Designer Philippe Therien, and Lead Combat Designer Vince Napoli to talk more about Marvel?s Avengers and just what we can expect.
My first question centered on the challenge of tackling the Avengers as a property, something that?s received its widest popularity most recently through the Marvel Cinematic Universe films. Amos likened it to the way Crystal Dynamics redefined Lara Croft and Tomb Raider. It was balancing the source material with an injection of new creative ideas. Not only is the studio coming off of the success of the last decade of Marvel films, but off of 80 years of comic book history. He reminds me that once upon a time, the MCU adaptations of characters and storylines saw their own fair share of criticisms from longtime comics fans, so he knew that the team would face push back no matter how they chose to adapt the property. But it was important to the team to make Marvel?s Avengers their own unique adaptation, which in part led to the unique choice of villain: M.O.D.O.K.
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