Marvel Rivals Feels Like Overwatch Without All The Baggage

I have over 1000 hours in Overwatch, but only about a dozen hours in Marvel Rivals, the megalithic comic makers’ attempt to cash in on Blizzard’s once-winning formula. In all the matches I’ve played in the game’s beta as the Guardians of the Galaxy leader Star-Lord alongside other heroes and villains in the Marvel universe, I find myself using Overwatch’s terminology. Escort matches are “payloads,” Star-Lord’s “Blaster Barrage” ability is a “Reaper Ult” because both have dual-wielding gunners dancing in gunfire and shooting enemies within a small radius. As new players have joined, my friends and I have relied on Overwatch comparisons as shorthand for how different heroes work. Marvel Rivals is pretty unapologetic in inviting those comparisons, but I can’t help but wonder what NetEase’s take on the genre has to offer players if I can’t boot it up without thinking of a different game. Maybe it’s that it doesn’t have ten years of drama and fan in-fighting to shape it yet. – Kenneth Shepard Read More