In order to capitalize on the upcoming Avengers movie by Marvel Entertainment, the free MMO, Marvel Super Hero Squad Online is incorporating the original Avengers team, essentially recreating their first mission together. Aside from the new character availability, the update allows players to recreate the same conditions the team will face in the highly-anticipated movie, including Loki’s assault on Earth.
To accomplish their goal, the developers at HeroUp.com, introduced Ant-Man, who is not appearing in the upcoming movie, and Captain America, who is. Oddly enough, instead of calling him “Captain America,” the update refers to him as “Avengers Captain America,” which, judging by the costume Cap is wearing, matches the look and feel of Chris Evans’ version, like so:
While the differentiation makes sense, the fact that Marvel Super Hero Squad Online uses “Avengers” in its designation is funny, if not a little obtuse. But then again, if you add Captain America in his movie costume and don’t announce and/or acknowledge it, have you really updated anything? Without the designation, players will just assume the character isn’t movie-specific, something the update is clearly going for. Both the game developers and Marvel agree:
“I’ve always been a huge fan of the Avengers characters in comic books,” said Jay Minn, Studio Director for Gazillion Entertainment’s studio, The Amazing Society. “Having a chance to bring these amazing heroes to life in a family-friendly online game for the launch of the movie is a dream come true.”
And:
“Seeing both the classic and current costumed characters in for Marvel Super Hero Squad Online alongside new Avengers film content is extremely satisfying to see and play,” said TQ Jefferson, VP of Games Production at Marvel Entertainment.
While video game content updates are certainly an expected move as the marketing push increases, I’ve been a little surprised at how much footage of the movie Marvel has made available in the form of television previews. Are they giving too much of the movie away? Take a look for yourself with a few of these character spots:
Too much? Not enough? Let us know what you think.