IN THE NEWS: Marvel’s Avengers Has Arrived on Xbox Game Pass

If you’ve ever wanted to play Marvel’s Avengers but didn’t want to have to pay a significant amount for it, Xbox Game Pass has introduced the least expensive option to try it out. By purchasing a basic Game Pass subscription for a month at $9.99, you will be able to not only check out the Marvel-themed game but also hundreds of other games offered in the Game Pass library. If you already have Game Pass, then it’s there waiting for you to install and play as part of your subscription. You can also play Marvel’s Avengers through Xbox Cloud, which is a game streaming service with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate ($14.99/month) that requires no installation at all.

I was never going to purchase Marvel’s Avengers. The fact that it is first and foremost a live service game means that it isn’t one that I would be able to keep or truly own. When the server goes down, it is truly “Game Over” since there is no offline mode. And in respect to content, I’m at the mercy of whatever is provided at any time, even if it means I lose content that I paid for at some point. This happened to me with Destiny 2 after I had spent $60 on the game along with two DLCs that were shelved and made unavailable in favor of the newest DLC.

To be honest, I was also thrown off by the light roster. With the three DLC characters (Hawkeye, Kate Bishop, Black Panther), the total number of playable heroes now stands at nine. I understand that for some gamers, nine playable characters would more than suffice. But when you have Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 containing more than 50 playable characters, LEGO Marvel Super Heroes including hundreds, and Marvel Future Fight bringing to the table its own cast of hundreds, nine seems quite low. I thought very negatively of it at first, but considering the depth that each of the playable characters possess, the lower number likely works better. That’s likely what the game’s developer, Crystal Dynamics, had in mind from the beginning.

I put in some time with the main campaign on Thursday. What a great experience that was a wonderful surprise. Marvel’s Avengers runs very well through Xbox Cloud. Everything was in working order, looked great, sounded good, and was responsive. In the 90 minutes I played, I only had one hiccup that involved some frame skipping, but it was overall very smooth. This is a game I can’t wait to continue. Kamala Khan is an endearing protagonist and I look forward to seeing how her story turns out. After playing this game with a year under its belt and extra content added, I can say I would have been happy to purchase this game if it wasn’t live service. The same goes for Outriders. Interestingly enough, both Marvel’s Avengers and Outriders were published by Square Enix. Heck, I would even be still playing Destiny 2 to this day if it wasn’t live service. All three are really solid games.

That’s the cool part about Game Pass. I can now play live service games through Game Pass while still holding to my commitment of no longer purchasing them. If I didn’t have the service, I would have completely missed out on the delightful moments I’ve experienced in Marvel’s Avengers and Outriders. Since I subscribed last year, I’ve been able to play an assortment of games that I never would have given a second glance to if I had to purchase them first. Some of my experiences with Game Pass games did lead to full purchases such as Vambrace: Cold Soul, Crackdown 3, Halo: Spartan Strike, and Halo: Spartan Assault. For the most part, the games I’ve played on there are ones that I wasn’t interested in owning but I’m still glad I played them. Game Pass is a terrific service and one I believe is well worth the price if you are a PC or Xbox gamer. And with its cloud streaming ability, you can even play the games on mobile and android devices as well. What I’ve learned most about myself through being a subscriber is that I don’t need to own every game I play.

Experiences like Thursday night make me proud to be an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscriber. I remember when I first signed up for the “3 Months for $1” deal and I thought I would likely cancel my subscription when the special rate was no longer valid. But I’ve stayed and my monthly payment went from $1 to $4.99 to $9.99 to finally $14.99 when I upgraded to Game Pass Ultimate. With the value I receive from the service, I happily pay my fee each month. The “Ultimate” tier gives you access to cloud gaming, which has been a game-changer for me as I can play games without sacrificing hard drive space. And the cloud library has some games you won’t find on the listings for the PC version of Game Pass.

Anyway, I’m thrilled that Marvel’s Avengers is on Game Pass. The service just keeps paying for itself. Some of the other recent additions to Game Pass include Scarlet Nexus (one of my frontrunners for Game of the Year), Unsighted, A.I. The Somnium Files (one of the best visual novels ever made), Dandy Ace, Astral Ascending, and Lemnis Gate. The video gaming hits just keep coming on the best gaming subscription platform. Happy Game Pass Gaming.

-LandoRigs (TVGA)
admin@videogamersadvocate.com