Everything We Learned from Today’s Marvel’s Avengers “War Table” Presentation

Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics just finished Marvel’s Avengers’ “War Table” presentation, in which they showed off new trailers, gameplay segments and information concerning the upcoming game. Here’s everything you need to know:

“The MODOK Threat” Trailer

The presentation kicked off with a new trailer, showing the story unveil through young superhero Kamala Khan’s perspective. Following an accident referred to as “A-Day” which ends up taking many lives, including that of Captain America, the government pins the blame on the Avengers, some of whom agree that superheroes should be disbanded. It’s all extremely reminiscent of Pixar’s The Incredibles, but then again that film took huge influence from Marvel comics, so you take some and you give some.

The trailer then reveals Marvel’s Avengers’s ultimate baddie, and it’s not Thanos: it’s MODOK, standing for, of course, Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing. Originally a maniacal floating head from the Marvel comics in the ‘60s, MODOK has been updated for the modern era to pose the largest threat to this iteration of the Avengers.

“Once an Avenger” Gameplay Segment

They also showed off a seven-minute slice of gameplay, in which Thor tears through a group of robots and adversaries before the helicarrier they fight on falls, leading him to save it through… electricity? It sure looks like the Force to me, but I haven’t read the comic books, so what do I know?

Most of the segment focused on Thor’s abilities, which make use of his mighty hammer, Mjolnir. The god of thunder thrusts the hammer at his foes and then summons it back to use in melee combat, not unlike how a different deity, Kratos, uses his axe in 2018’s God of War.

Co-Op War Zones

One of the most difficult things for Square to message about this game has been how its multiplayer elements tie into the game’s single-player campaign. The picture is still a little murky now, but much clearer than before.

There seem to be two types of missions: single-player campaign and war zones. The former is only available to play on your own, but the latter can be played either with AI allies or actual players online. Although Crystal Dynamics editorial director Casey Lynch promises significant story progression in both types of missions, this also seems to be where Crystal hopes the game will have legs beyond launch, so we’ll see.

Lynch also explained customization options, which allow you to use different skill trees to give each hero different abilities, and also various cosmetic outfits from through Marvel’s history. Some of these will be attainable through in-game activities, although Lynch also said others would “only be available in [the game’s] online marketplace,” which raises concerns for the use of loot boxes.

The presentation closed with a tease at another “War Table” stream before the game’s launch, where they promise to show the game’s pre-launch beta, discuss the launch itself and its first post-launch hero.

Speaking of launches, Marvel’s Avengers launches Sept. 4 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC and Stadia, and will be a launch title for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X when they release holiday 2020. Owners of PlayStation 4 or Xbox One copies of the game will get a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X copy for free, respectively.

For more on Marvel, watch the whole presentation here, learn about the upcoming game Spider-Man: Miles Morales and read our review of the blockbuster film Avengers: Endgame.