Okay, so here it is, the final part of my 3-part speculation piece about what I expect and what I hope is to come from Marvel: Avengers Alliance. If you haven't read the other 2 parts please check them out; in part 1 I cover heroes I want and/or expect to see added to the game and in part 2 I cover the villains. If you're like me and like to explore all the potential this game has to offer than I recommend checking those out to see my suggestions.
Anyways on with this blog now. So I've covered the heroes and villains of this game, what else is there? Well there's pretty much everything else in this game that doesn't directly involve combat between the heroes and villains. It's hard for me to list exactly what I hope to cover in this final part because there are just so many things and issues that it's hard to keep track of everything that is going in and out of my head, so it'll be a work-in-progress type thing until I finish it, but I'll try keep everything simplified down to categories so it is easy to scan through for you guys. That being said there are a few topics I know I will be discussing, including alternate attires, stages and things I feel need to be corrected in the game.
Well no sense babbling on, let's get started!
Alternate Attires
Two things I'd like to note here, I'm avoiding the inclusions of attires related to upcoming movies. So any attires that are likely to show up in game during the time the movies come out will not make my list. The final one is that I am still unsure of the image and linking policies here on the wikia, so I won't be adding pics or links to accompany these ideas. But you should be able to find these pretty easily on Google image search regardless.
- Iron Man 2 Suitcase Armor - I know I just noted that attires from the movies would not be making this list, but technically I said upcoming movies, which doesn't include the movies that are already out. The suitcase armor from Iron Man 2 (may also be called the MK V armor, but I am not sure) was an awesome sight to see and I still wish it would appear again in future Iron Man movies, but if that doesn't happen it'd be nice to see it included in the game at least.
- Juggernaut Colossus - Okay, this one may not be possible, but I really liked the Juggernaut Colossus attire. Not only did he gain so much more power through Cyttorak, but he also had a huge shift in personality. The reason I say it may not be possible is because we already have Juggernaut in the game, so it may not make sense to have 2 characters with similar powers.
- Marvel NOW! Cyclops - I know alot of people dislike Cyclops' new look, but personally I like it. And much like Juggernaut Colossus this change in attire marked a big change in the characters' personality as well. The former boy scout Cyclops, who was once one of the blander X-Men characters suddenly became an anti-hero or possibly villain depending on your perspective. Not only that but it seems that this is a costume change that is going to stick around for awhile.
- Power Man Luke Cage - Luke Cage may have done away with his former Power Man identity (and it seems someone else in the Marvel Universe has taken up the name), but many Marvel fans still remember his retro attire. I think it's funny knowing Luke Cage as he is now and then looking back at what he used to look like and wonder how he ever let himself do that. But given the rarity of alternate Luke Cage attires I think it may be one of the few we can look forward to for him.
- Captain Marvel Ms. Marvel - Aside from the awkward naming of this attire (alliteration much?), I think this is another modern comic incarnation we need to see make its' way into the game. There is a problem with it though and that is that there are other characters that have used the name Captain Marvel that could potentially make the game as well (including Protector/Noh-Varr from my Heroes list).
- Fantastic Four She-Hulk - She-Hulk has never really had that one "it" uniform, even her most common outfit in the comics and default attire in the game isn't that memorable. But at least with the Fantastic Four attire she would have the iconic Fantastic Four symbol on her costume. Also, they added a Spider-Man Fantastic Four costume to the game already but not a She-Hulk alt? I just find that weird.
- Casual Wolverine - I've mentioned it before, but I am a life-long Wolverine fan, which is why I am a little disappointed with the only alternate attire we have for him. While yes, it is a classic attire of his, it doesn't really stand-out from the default attire that much. I think there are plenty of great choices that would stand-out from his classic blue and yellow. My number one choice for him is a casual attire look, and I'm leaning towards tank-top and jeans look, although his biker jacket look is also pretty common for him to wear.
- Meteorite Moonstone - I think most of us know Moonstone was a villain before and was also apart of the Thunderbolts. But what seems to be forgotten by many of us is that when she was originally with the Thunderbolts she changed her name and costume to become Meteorite, and fought evil under that identity. Seeing as how Moonstone is back to being a good-girl in the game I think it would make sense to add this alt in the future.
- Iron Spider Spider-Man - I make it no secret I am not a fan of Spider-Man, but I'd be lying if I didn't acknowledge that he has more than his fair share of costumes to choose from. My favorite attire of his is the Iron Spider costume he donned for part of the Civil War event. Aside from just looking awesome it also had 3 mechanical spider appendages that Spiderman was able to use.
- Mohawk Storm - When I was alot younger and first got into comics X-Men was one of my favorite comics to read and in that series Storm had a mohawk, which was quite unique for a female who didn't also dress up in punk attire. It was also very memorable, which seems why when they made a X-Men consisting of all women recently Storm was seen sporting the mohawk again. I don't really care which version of storm they pick, new or old, so long as she's rocking the 'hawk.
- Classic Mockingbird - Mockingbird is a character that has been dead for quite awhile, so long in fact that until she returned in Secret Invasion I didn't even know she existed. After her return I did some research to get an idea of her backstory and powers, and while doing so I saw her original attire. Now I have to say I like her modern attire much more than her classic look, but I like this character so much in general that I think she deserves two attires in the game.
- Eldritch Armor Magik - Now I appreciate the fact that Playdom is already giving us an alternate attire for Magik, but as with Wolverine I like it when these attires look noticebly different from one another rather than a palette swap of colours. A costume that is more to my liking would be a version of Magik with her Eldritch armor and possibly including her horns and hooves when in that form. Now that would be a look that is strikingly different.
- First Class Beast - Remember when Beast wasn't a big hairy cat-like creature? Remember when he was just a big and slightly hairy ape-man? Yeah, that's the Beast attire I want to see added. Seeing as we will be getting Iceman soon it would be nice to have all the First Class X-men in their original attire or close to it.
- Earth's Mightiest Heroes Wasp - Okay, I'll admit it, I love the Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes animated series. And I know that the Wasp that appears there doesn't have anything to do with the Wasp we see in the game, but if Playdom gets to pick and choose what versions of characters they like and what the attires get to look like for their version of the Marvel universe in the game, then I highly suggest they pick this Wasp costume as an alternate attire and I know I'm not the only one who wants this.
- Modern Shatterstar - Let me start by saying I am not fan of Shatterstar, I hardly know who he is and really I don't care. But damn, is his sprite in this game U-G-L-Y! They need to give this hero an alternate attire post-haste. And really any of his modern attires are better than what he has now. So yea, I'm just begging that they give use something, ANYTHING better than what he has now!
- Ultimate Spider-Woman - This one I hesitated to put on this list, mostly because I am sure I will get alot of people giving me flak that this version of Spider-Woman is a different universes (specifically the Ultimate Universe's) version of the character and not the Jessica Drew character from the main stream continuity. I know that, but in the same light the Heimdall we have in game right now isn't from the main continuity other, but rather the Marvel Cinematic Universe. So again if Playdon can pick and choose what they want to put in this game I am hoping we can get this alt.
Stages
I don't know what the best term is to use, but I'm going to go with stages. By that I mean the setting in which a single mission takes place and where you will select deploys, heroic battles and incursions from. These aren't a big concern overall for the game, but I feel there are alot of interesting places we have yet to see in the Marvel universe.
- Wakanda - Now I hate to add locations that seem to be all but confirmed to be added soon to the game, because it doesn't really bring any of my own personal insight to the topic. However Wakanda is a pretty big deal to the Marvel universe, being the source of the very valuable material Vibranium. Plus it is the home of the Black Panther, a character who is already in the game and his queen Storm, who is also in the game. But like I said it looks like we'll be seeing it included in a future chapter along with Man-Ape.
- Atlantis - If you've read either of the two previous parts to my blog you'll know that I am pushing pretty hard for an Atlantis themed Spec Ops. Given that there are a great many aquatic Marvel superheroes and villains it only makes sense that we have a stage in which we can appropriately introduce them, and it seems like there would be no better fit than Atlantis.
- Canadian Wilderness - This is another result of a Spec Ops I have been pushing, but it's also home to a couple of the characters already in the game (Wolverine and Deadpool). So not only would it make sense for introducing new Canadian heroes to the game, but there is already a Canadian connection with some of the heroes. The reason i chose the Canadian Wilderness as compared to a named city is because it seems whenever a story takes place in Canada all the action takes place out in the woods anyways.
- Asgard - It's funny when you think about it, but looking at the current roster we have Thor, Sif, Heimdall, Loki and Valkyrie all residing in Asgard, yet not a single mission takes place there. Truly there is an opportunity being missed here. I mentioned Ulik as a possible enemy to be added in the second part of my blog, and this would be an ideal spot for him to appear. And if we don't get Asgard they should at least add in one of the other nine realms.
- Hell/Limbo - It's hard to really nail down which version of hell I want to have added to the game. I mean Mephisto and Ghostrider are both in the game, so it'd be cool to see the realm they come from added. But then again Magik is in the game and Limbo is a place where alot of X-Men stories take place or lead to, so a mission taking place there would be a good choice too. Plus there are multiple other realms within hell ruled by other powerful beings that could also be included. So really I would just like to see the inclusion of at least one of these places.
- Blue Area of the Moon - Playdom missed a golden opportunity to add this locale into the game when they had the Spec Ops featuring Black Bolt and Thane. But I think they could still work in an Inhumans subplot into the ongoing chapters of Season 2 and let us travel to the moon for a mission. Plus with the Gaurdians of the Galaxy movie coming out, having a location take place in space would be a good idea.
- K'un L'un - I almost overlooked this location until I remembered Iron Fist was in this game. While they do mention K'un L'un in his bio it's not really clear that it is actually a place instead of just a type of martial arts. Being a mystical place it's most likely that any storyline that leads here would have to have some element of magic to it, but given the amount of magical characters in the game it shouldn't be hard to come up with something.
- Latveria - Seeing as how we are traveling outside the US now in the game I see no reason why this shouldn't be an option. Especially given the fact that Dr. Doom is now an ally to SHIELD, we would even have permission to be in his country. Given Doom's interest in the Pulse it would be logical that other villains would try infiltrate his country/home to try see what he has found out about Iso-8 and it's uses.
- Japan - I know it's a bit of a generalization to just say Japan, but given that there are so many locations to choose from I can't really think which one would be best. With the inclusion of Sunfire a mission taking place with Big Hero 6 and occuring at the Cool World Amusement Park would be awesome, but then again Wolverine visits alot of cool locations during his time in Japan as well, so maybe one of those would be better. Then again the Hand originates from Japan as well, so maybe we should have a mission near their base of operations.
- Mojoverse - The Mojoverse is one of those places that lies outside of the main Marvel universe, but given that people like Shatterstar and Spiral have since shown up in the game I think it's about time we go to their place of origin. Mojoverse seems like the kind of location that would be featured in a Spec Ops, maybe best suited to introduce Longshot if he is to be included. But regadless in some shape or form it should make an appearance.
Characters to Change
This last sections deals with everything I think is flawed or just plain wrong with the characters in the game. Many of their abilities are missing or work incorrectly. And while I am sure some characters have their reasons for not functioning the way they are supposed to, I think there are many others that could use a little fine-tuning.
- Hulks' Healing and Resistances - While the Hulk is a durable monster, he does take damage from time to time. However he does have a notable healing factor similar in effect to that of Wolverines'. Yet in the game Hulk doesn't have this ability at all. Now I know Hulk already has a really good passive ability so maybe this would make him too OP, but would it be possibile to give him a buff that makes him recover from bleeding a round or two quicker? This is also an ability that should be shared by many of the other Hulk-related heroes, albeit to differing degrees. Then there is the Hulk's resistance to radiation and heat that needs to be addressed. He has been shown on multiple occasions to be resistant to heat/fire and as far as radiation goes not only has he been shown to be resistant or immune to it, but sometimes it makes him stronger. Again, I can see how adding these to his current abilities might make him overpowered, but it would be nice to see them added if only as part of an alternate attire.
- Spider-Sense - I have alot of qualms about spider-sense in general, which is part of the reason I dislike Spider-Man, but overlooking all that and focusing on how it works in game there is one issue that comes up. Spider-sense has been shown to be able to pick up on incoming attacks, except when they are coming from allies and people who also possess spider-sense. Given this fact, spider-sense should not work when an ally attacks you (for example when disoriented) or when you are attacked by any of the symbiotic enemies (such as Agent Venom in PVP or regular Venom).These are little things that I think could be changed with ease by Playdom.
- Doom Stronger than Hulk - Doom May be able to go toe-to-to with the Hulk and possible even defeat him, however his base stat for strength should not be above that of Hulk. I mean c'mon, Huk is supposed to be "the strongest there is", so how is Doom stronger?
- Human Torch Heals himself? - I'll admit I am not a follower of the Fantastic Four, but I feel I have fairly good knowledge of the Marvel universe's characters and powers, but I've never seen or heard of the Human Torch being able to heal himself. I even checked his write-up on Wikipedia and there's nothing mentioned about his ability to heal. So where's this coming from?
- Asgardians > Olympians - If you are an Asgardian you will have certain natural resistances to damage over time effects in the game. As an Olympian you get jack. Asgardians are supposed to also have many resistances similar to Asgardians, but in game they are missing. This just seems to make Olympians seem like lesser Gods, which is upsetting given the fact Thor and Herc are fairly evenly matched in the comics.
- Hercules and Ares - According to the comics and mythology both Ares and Hercules are sons of Zeus, yet in the game only Herc gets the 'Son of Zeus' passive. What gives?
- Loki IS a Frost Giant - Since Loki is a frost giant wouldn't it make sense to give him some passive ability to acknowledge this? I mean they knew enough to avoid giving him the Asgardian passive, but yet he doesn't have any resistance to chill or ice attacks that other frost giants have. It would be nice if they fixed this, plus it might help make people complain less about how he is worthless in PVP.
Okay, well that about wraps up my 3-part blog, and I hoped you enjoyed what I put down in all 3 parts. I have to say part 1 and 2 were both alot longer than I expected, but this part 3 was actually a bit shorter. I really thought I had more to talk about here, but it's just not coming to mind. But this is plenty long enough anyways and I guess I can always blog about those things later if they come back to me.
As for what I might discuss in the future I'm not too sure at the moment, so I think I'll take a break to come up with ideas. Until then have fun!