You may remember some buzz about Marvel Heroes when we first interviewed Dave Brevik during PAX Prime this year! We've just had the chance to sit down with some of the head developers during a round-table press event and talk about the real meat of the game.
Before we delve into that though, have a glimpse of what the game's all about in their features trailer from New York Comic-Con 2012:
If you haven't heard of the game yet, you're in for a treat. Marvel Heroes combines the best of the MMO genre with the best of the Action RPG genre, blending persistent worlds, multiple people on the same maps, co-op quests, an economy, and more into a neat, well-polished package. Now, to the details:
BUSINESS MODEL
This is a free-to-play title, designed to be that way from the ground up. There is a microtransaction system, but you'll mostly be buying cosmetic items and boosts - nothing that will overpower you against people who choose not to spend IRL cash.
Heroes are available as well through the shop, but both these and the costumes are also attainable in-game, giving players the choice to go after them in either way.
HEROES
There are 26 heroes announced so far, but the team has access to all 8,000+ of the characters contained within the Marvel Universe. Each of these heroes is, in a way, its own class. You can customize each hero to play very differently as you level up and progress through the game, with various talents, skills, and statting. Heroes aren't role-locked, which means each character is responsible for its own survival. Makeup is determined by the abilities given to each hero, revolving largely around their personalities.
The unique abilities and aforementioned customization available for each character can make even the same heroes insanely different. For example, you could have one Wolverine hero concentrating heavily on speed and DPS output, while having another focused on bleeds. Costumes add another way to make your hero unique, if only in look! Your gear itself has random stats, much like the Diablo series. Collect and build entire gearsets to complement your playstyle and skill choices.
Possibly the coolest feature? You'll be able to change which hero you're controlling on the fly, as long as you're out of combat.
GAMEPLAY
There's a lot of new info, so we'll give you a rundown bullet-style:
- Runs on Unreal Engine with a unique server client, giving the game an amazing look and feel
- Gameplay is focused less on MMO style and more on the ARPG aspect
- Dynamic invasions and mini-quests will keep players entertained and cooperating together
- Trading is available via Auction House - planned to be kind of like the one in World of Warcraft
- Players will be able to change difficulties in predetermined areas
- Towns are more of a central hub, with other maps being public instances or private instances for you and your friends
- Quests aren't grindy, and will revolve around the storyline of taking down Dr. Doom
- An hour's worth of motion comics have been packed in to tell the story, drawn by a variety of Marvel artists and voiced by many of the franchise's actors
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