Starting in October you could play as the angry Wolverine or the powerful Scarlet Witch in the Massively Multiplayer Online game Marvel Heroes.
MMORPGs based upon superheroes is not a new thing. NCSoft started the ball rolling first with their City of Heroes (then added expansions like City of Villains). Later Sony and Warner Bros. created DC Universe Online, where players could interact with famous villains and heroes like Joker and Superman. But players couldn't play as the popular heroes or villains in the DC Universe and just as their side kicks. Marvel, working with Gazillion Entertainment, intends to release their own MMORPG. Except there will be a few differences in Marvel Heroes: Free-to-play, emphasis on action, and being able to play as recognizable superheroes in the Marvel universe.
So far favorite characters from the Marvel Universe will appear: Spider-man, Wolverine, and the Thing. At PAX (Penny Arcade Expo) Gazillion unveiled three new characters: Daredevil, Punisher, and Squirrel Girl. A new trailer shows off two of the new characters (Daredevil and Punisher) along with other recognizable superheroes (the Thing, Spider-man, Hulk, Wolverine, etc.) fighting off thugs in the streets of Hell's Kitchen. The main goal of the game is to stop Doctor Doom from destroying the world with the Cosmic Cube. I'm not sure what that is, but the story is crafted by comic-book super-scribe Brian Michael Bendis, so maybe Marvel fans and Bendis knows what the Cosmic Cube is capable of.
Marvel Heroes will be an MMORPG, but its combat and character development would be more familiar to fans of the Diablo and other point and click action RPGs. Created by David Brevik, the visionary behind Diablo and Diablo 2, the game will have players fight against hordes of enemies in randomly generated worlds. Along the way players can collect loot to power up their favorite heroes and even change their attire from the normal comic book look. Players can even collect superheroes as they progress through the game; such as Thor, Captain America, and Iron Man.
Marvel Heroes is a free to play MMORPG with no release date announced yet. A closed beta will start this October 1st, 2012. For more information, visit the Marvel Heroes Web site.
