Marvel’s Avengers will finally add Spider-Man and its first raid

By Andrew Zucosky Published September 8, 2021

Crystal Dynamics recently released a 2021 road map for Marvel’s Avengers. It showcases all of the new content that players can expect for the rest of the year. Most notable in the road map is that Spider-Man is finally coming as a playable character, plus players will see the game’s first raid and new reworks to the gear and resources.

It has been a full year since Marvel’s Avengers was released, and it has seen a plethora of updates and changes to help it rebound from its less than ideal launch. With this new road map, players will finally get content that was supposed to be in the game since the start. Before the game was released, Square Enix announced that Spider-Man would be a playable character for PlayStation players. However, it has been a full year and Spider-Man has not swung into the game as of yet. The webslinger will finally join the roster with a new Hero Event, but no other details have been announced.

Roadmap for Marvel's Avengers — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Besides the new hero, Marvel’s Avengers will have its first raid, called Discordant Sound, where players will face off against Klaw and conclude his story that started in the War for Wakanda update. The raid will see players team up in a four-person party and go up against what Crystal Dynamics calls the most challenging content yet. The raid will be available in both Standard mode and Elite mode, which require power levels of 150 to 160 and 160 to 170 respectively.

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Crystal Dynamics is also looking to rework some of the systems in the game to make it more streamlined. Fragments, a resource in the game used for upgrading, will be used as general currency, where Polychron and Upgrade Modules will be reserved for more specific upgrades like artifacts and gear upgrades.

Andrew has been playing video games since he was a small boy, and he finally got good at them like a week ago. He has been in…

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Gaming

The best video games of October 2023: Mario, Spider-Man 2, and more

Spider-Man soars through the air in a biomechanical suit in Marvel's Spider-Man 2.

October 2023 was one of the best months for video games in a long time. From the indie to the AAA space, there was a spectacular new game coming out every few days. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and Super Mario Bros. Wonder arrived and improved upon their predecessors in almost every way, while indies like Jusant and Wargroove 2 hit the scene with fresh ideas. While the phrase “there’s something for everyone” is played out in the game industry, that truly felt like it was the case this month.
Having so much to play can also be overwhelming, though. Players are left to sift through which titles are worth checking out, which are fine, and which should be passed up entirely. To help you out on that search, I’ve rounded up our seven favorite games released during the blockbuster gaming month of October 2023.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Nintendo dropped a brand new 2D Mario game this month, and it's outstanding. Super Mario Bros. Wonder lives up to its namesake, eliciting a sense of wonder with its expertly designed levels that reward players who poke around in them and also feature Wonder Effects that can drastically change what players are doing on the stage. From singing Piranha Plants to a top-down perspective shift, Super Mario Bros. Wonder stays consistently fresh and creative the whole way through.
“With its wealth of unpredictable levels, Super Mario Bros. Wonder is the series’ best 2D entry since its SNES days,” Giovanni Colantonio wrote in a four-star review of Super Mario Bros. Wonder. “It’s still the same familiar platformer, but one that’s been given a new lease on life thanks to a fantastic new art style, delightfully absurd transformations, and flexible difficulty. It’s the closest I’ve gotten to recapturing those magic moments with the original platformers, even if there’s still room for Mario to grow into his new overalls.”
Personally, Super Mario Bros. Wonder is my favorite game of the year and one that I know will appeal to gamers of all ages and skill levels. If you only play one game on this list, I urge you to make it this one. Super Mario Bros. Wonder is available now exclusively on Nintendo Switch.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2

Gaming

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 fixes one of its predecessor’s biggest flaws

Venom perched on a rooftop.

Insomniac Games has always had a penchant for silky smooth controls, and while Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 doesn’t make any drastic changes to gameplay, the new Symbiote and Bioelectric abilities give both heroes (Peter Parker and Miles Morales) more options when taking on groups of enemies. Both Spider-Men are a joy to play as in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Traversal has also seen minor, but helpful improvements, with the addition of web swings and the ability to swing around corners, which ensure that almost no roadblocks to movement exist while playing as a Spider-Man.

That’s why I was surprised that some of the most memorable moments of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 for me were moments where I wasn’t in control of Peter or Miles -- and I’m not just referring to the sequences where I controlled a drone or Spider-Bot. Some of the weakest parts of the first Marvel’s Spider-Man were the ones where I wasn't controlling the titular hero. That’s not the case in this sequel, though, making that one place where Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is a clear, drastic improvement over its predecessor.

Gaming

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 lets its villains evolve in ways comics never could

Mysterio in Marvel's Spider-Man 2.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2, like the best Spider-Man stories, leaves a lasting impact on its characters. In comics, events like Death of Gwen Stacy, the corruption of Peter with the symbiote, Peter's marriage to MJ, and the reveal of his identity during Civil War left a mark on both the web-slinger and readers because they were character-driven moments that felt like they would change Spider-Man forever. Not all of these moments were actually allowed to do that, though. To maintain a brand identity and accommodate an ever-revolving door of writers, Marvel Comics always tries to get Spider-Man back to a status quo after radical changes.

Most infamously, One More Day undid Peter Parker and Mary Jane’s marriage and the fact that people knew Spider-Man’s identity after Civil War. Although there are still plenty of excellent Spider-Man stories coming out to this day, personal stories with a feeling of permanence are rare unless the comic is set in an alternate universe like the excellent Spider-Man: Life Story.