Team Talk | Marvel's Avengers vs Gotham Knights

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The final Marvel’s Avengers beta has only just finished and we recently got our first glimpse of Gotham Knights in action, so we thought it's about time to resurrect that decades old argument: Marvel or DC?

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by Chris Brand

@SuperCrisco

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by Team PTC

@pass_controller

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Chris | Marvel's Avengers

I've got nothing but love for the Arkham series. The story, pacing and combat are top notch and let's not forget those weird hallucinations when Bats inevitably gets poisoned and must race for a cure. Predictable, yet still fun every time. 

Though we've had the chance to play as other characters before, they were never as fleshed-out as Batman. This time, Warner Bros. have a reason to fully kit out the Bat-Family, hopefully giving each a wide array of gadgets and abilities that will rival the Dark Knight himself. The inclusion of co-op is also a huge selling point for me, adding longevity to a title that would otherwise be "one and done."

Having played just enough of Marvel's Avengers to get to grips with the basics, it seems to offer an engaging story (so far) and lovely, smooth combat, but with a larger roster, which will only grow as post-launch heroes release.

I was leaning towards Gotham Knights before getting my hands on Marvel's Avengers, but that opening A-Day mission had me flip-flopping quicker than the UK Government during a global pandemic. That cinematic feel has been perfectly captured, with Hulk displaying the same speed and agility he does in the movies.

If you need ideas for DLC heroes, Square Enix, we've got you covered.

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James | Gotham Knights

While Marvel have had a fairly firm stranglehold on the film universe for over a decade, their gaming past has been less successful.

Enter Marvel's Avengers, trotting out by now very familiar characters, Kamala aside, and asking the gaming public to love them.

While designs have been tweaked slightly since the initial reveal (see Thor's new hair do), the gameplay feels like an abstract mix of gameplay ideas which don't quite hang together convincingly.

Contrast that with DC in general. Not only is there the stunning Injustice games beating out Marvel efforts in the fighting genre and more charismatic portrayals in their LEGO games, there's the Arkham series, which took superhero games to a whole new level back in 2009.

Where Marvel has an ace in the hole though, as in the MCU, is Spider-Man. The Miles Morales-led expansion of the 2018 PS4 outing for Spidey looks shiny and will make the most of the PS5. Arguably though the combat that made the first so compelling is strongly influenced by the aforementioned Arkham series, giving DC the last laugh.

Batman taught Spidey everything he knows.

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Sam | Gotham Knights

Having played the Marvel’s Avengers beta over the weekend, I was left pretty underwhelmed. In fact, I couldn’t even be bothered to finish all of the missions and quit out before the end. Throw in the controversy surrounding Spider-Man’s PlayStation exclusivity and, somehow, Square Enix has managed to turn this Marvel fan away.

Gotham Knights, on the other hand, came as a nice surprise. The game’s DC FanDome reveal was expected in advance, though with Warner Bros. Montréal at the helm and not Batman: Arkham custodians Rocksteady I half feared the worst. WB Montréal’s Batman: Arkham Origins is hardly the acclaimed series’ highpoint, after all.

Granted we need to learn more about Gotham Knights to draw reliable comparisons, but the co-op gameplay shown in the reveal showcase puts what we’ve seen (and played) of Marvel’s Avengers to shame. There’s a veritable mix of combat and stealth, along with thoughtful use of gadgetry and teamwork; Avengers just tasks players with barrelling in and mashing buttons instead.

You can argue that there’s a place for that and you’d be right, but it got boring over the course of a single evening with the beta. When Marvel’s Avengers plans to stick around for years to come, that’s serious cause for concern.

It's not real co-op without fancy tag team abilities.

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​Liam | Gotham Knights

I missed out on the Marvel’s Avengers beta, so I’m still judging where I’ll get my next superhero fix with information gleaned from trailers and gameplay footage. Having just caught up on the deluge of justice coming our way, I can say that Gotham Knights has edged it.

The fact that it’s made by Warner Bros. Montreal and not Rocksteady doesn’t bother me the slightest. I know Arkham Origins is not held in as high regard as Rocksteady’s efforts (even though it still has its fans), but what I’ve seen of gameplay looks solid and reassuringly familiar.

I also think ditching Batman is a good idea, as not only do we get an opportunity to play as some of the lesser known heroes, but it eliminates the inevitable arguments that would have come about (at least in co-op) from everyone wanting to play as the Dark Knight.

But the inclusion of the Court of Owls and their Talon assassins as potential big baddies was by far the most exciting part of the Gotham Knights reveal trailer. Having read the comics in which they debuted as antagonists, they make an excellent ‘hidden hand’ type organisation, and Chris will be glad to know they’re also quite fond of psychedelic torture.

Whoever the Court of Owls are, you can be sure they're up to no good.

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Are you more hyped for Marvel's Avengers or Gotham Knights?