Marvel's Avengers vs Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League
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00:00 "I could be your way out. A chance to do some good."
00:05 "Hey Harley Quinn! Arkham Gazette! Just a quick question."
00:11 Oh how the mighty have fallen.
00:14 Welcome to Mojo Plays, and in this instalment of Versus,
00:16 we're pitting the lowest points in Marvel and DC's gaming catalogue against one another.
00:22 Marvel's Avengers vs Suicide Squad killed the Justice League.
00:26 That's right, we're not having these two colossal disappointments battled it out to see which is
00:30 slightly better, we're debating which is the absolute worst.
00:34 "Well I'd say I'm insulted, but 50% recognition ain't bad."
00:38 Minor spoilers ahead, if you even care by this point.
00:42 Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified about
00:46 our latest videos.
00:47 Round one, story.
00:52 "Sounds pretty big for an accident."
00:54 "There are no accidents."
00:56 "Dor, tell me to check it out. At once."
00:58 "Try to keep up."
00:59 On paper, both of these concepts should be instant wins, but as always seems to be the case,
01:05 it's in the execution that separates the good from the dreadful.
01:08 After a day of celebration turns into one of tragedy, the Avengers go their separate ways,
01:13 only to be reunited by budding hero Kamala Khan when the world once again comes under threat.
01:18 "I know, I look ridiculous."
01:22 "Yeah, of course you do."
01:24 "No, no, no, no, no, no, we all do. It's part of the job."
01:28 Getting the old superhero gang back together,
01:31 dealing with everyone's emotional baggage while learning to become a team again,
01:34 yeah it's a little cliche, but if anyone can sell it, it's the Avengers.
01:39 While Kamala was undoubtedly a highlight, the campaign for Marvel's Avengers ranged from fun to
01:44 meh at a moment's notice, offering no real surprises other than standard superhero fare,
01:49 which some players were more than happy to indulge in.
01:52 "You're welcome."
01:57 Kill the Justice League on the other hand was on track to reach the highest of highs as only the
02:02 Arkhamverse could deliver, what with a solid intro that had the Suicide Squad tasked with
02:07 taking down brainwashed versions of the world's finest heroes.
02:10 "Welcome to Task Force X."
02:18 Alas, this just meant they had further to fall, with a final act that decimated
02:22 any hope of the game reaching the same levels shown in Rocksteady's previous work.
02:27 Had this been an Elseworlds story with no link to the older Arkham games,
02:30 maybe it wouldn't have stung so much, but the untimely manner in which the Justice League are
02:34 done in while the squad plot armour their way to the most depressingly open-ended conclusion
02:39 to make way for more live service content squashed whatever hope was left.
02:44 "So we get to play with a bunch of cool shit from alternate universes and then what? Retire?"
02:50 Avengers' narrative is no Infinity War, but it is its biggest strength by far,
02:56 whereas the story that the Suicide Squad chose to tell, and how they told it,
03:00 proved to be one of its biggest failures.
03:02 Loser? Suicide Squad, kill the Justice League.
03:06 "If he gets captured, I'll kill you myself."
03:09 "You know, I'm starting to not like her."
03:12 Round 2 - Monetisation
03:14 Marvel's Avengers is bloated, stuffed, and damn right saturated with various virtual currency.
03:20 Some are for unlocks, some are for upgrades, and a few are needed to unlock your upgrades.
03:25 Seriously, between the credits, units, fragments, upgrade modules, nanites, nanotubes, catalysts,
03:31 plasmas, urus, DNA keys and more, it's way too easy to get confused as to what you even
03:36 need at any given time. Doesn't help that whatever you're grinding for will likely
03:40 only afford you cosmetics and new equipment that are barely worth it in the long run,
03:44 which makes the fact that most of these can be purchased with real world money seem all the more
03:48 predatory. "Alright, you know what, maybe I can help you with some upgrades for that. Gear's
03:52 already spinning." "Really?" "Yeah."
03:55 For as much as fans may scream about Suicide Squad getting wrong, at the very least it doesn't have
04:00 the most egregious monetisation practices. There are no loot boxes to speak of, and its future
04:05 cosmetic only battle passes are going to be free, for now. We'll have to see how they handle those
04:10 premium tiers going forward, though we will admit how the inbuilt store handles its cosmetics by
04:15 forcing players to purchase bundles instead of individual pieces is a little scummy.
04:20 "This is a hall for heroes, not you."
04:26 Greed truly did ruin whatever potential both these games had, though we'd be remiss if we
04:31 didn't drag Avengers across the pavement for how abhorrent it was when it came to trying to turn
04:37 players into piggy banks. Loser, Marvel's Avengers. Round 3, gameplay.
04:43 "Oh, I look so good in this suit." "Dashing, sir."
04:47 "You are right."
04:49 Oh boy, now here is where things get nasty. While no one can deny that repetition,
04:55 grind and a sense of dullness permeates the mission structure and overall tone of Marvel's
05:00 Avengers, there is at least… variety? Whether you're playing as Ms. Marvel, Thor, Iron Man,
05:06 or any other members of the team, they at least feel like their own character. Hulk
05:10 smashing certainly feels different than unleashing a Unibeam, that's for sure.
05:14 While we're not exactly thrilled that the final fight is against MODOK of all villains,
05:19 between the harm rooms, war, and drop zones, there was enough here to at least give
05:23 the illusion of diversity.
05:25 "You struggle against the unstoppable tide of progress, Avengers."
05:32 As for Suicide Squad? Yikes. Who thought that escort missions, indistinguishable
05:38 gunplay, and shooting the Justice League would make for a good gameplay loop?
05:43 "Waller, send us assistance. Green Lantern." "You put a target on our packs, Waller."
05:48 We're not saying that the squad don't have it in them to make an amazing game,
05:52 nor are we totally against battling evil versions of our favourite heroes.
05:55 But when you break up the repetitive drudgery of taking down your billionth Brainiac-controlled
06:00 tank by shooting Superman out of the sky with a minigun with zero fanfare or challenge,
06:06 you know you messed up.
06:08 Speaking of Brainiac, don't get us started on his flimsy excuse of a final boss fight.
06:14 He turns into the Flash and makes you act out the first boss fight all over again.
06:18 Rinse, repeat, reload.
06:20 "Once you've defeated all thirteen Brainiacs?" "Yes."
06:26 "You mean twelve." "Hmm."
06:31 No one considers the gameplay of Marvel's Avengers great, but it's a damn sight better
06:35 than the looter-shooter shenanigans Suicide Squad dumped into our laps.
06:39 Would it have really been that hard to leave the guns to Deadshot and let the other members
06:43 shine with their own weapons? Eh, too little too late now.
06:46 Loser? Suicide Squad. Kill the Justice League.
06:49 "Perhaps I can modify it in time for the next alien invasion."
06:54 "Or perhaps I should use it on one of them."
06:56 Round 4. Characters. What's a superhero game without its superheroes?
07:02 Given the culture-defining impact the MCU has had, it was interesting to see how Marvel's
07:07 Avengers was going to take things in its own direction, and the result was… meh.
07:12 Thor being down and out and having to slowly regain his godliness, Kamala Khan being the
07:16 fangirl who reignites the passion in the hero she's idolised all her life, these feel like
07:21 story beats you'd expect to come out of a typical Avengers comic book, and thanks to
07:25 the talents of some of the biggest voice actors in the industry, the cast retains some sense
07:29 of heroic familiarity. But these moments are few and far between, and with the game's
07:34 numerous other issues, the shine wears off rather quickly.
07:37 "You know, Avengers assemble." "Yeah, we don't really say that."
07:45 "Just be cool, okay?" "Got it."
07:48 If we're talking about performances, if we're talking about character models,
07:52 then Kill the Justice League knocks it out of the park. The squad all feel like themselves,
07:57 all act in a way that teaches between the anti-heroes you want to root for,
08:01 and the villains that make you wince. Besides, you can't go wrong with the likes of Tara Strong.
08:06 "Finally some good news." "They keep the strong stuff in medical."
08:12 Alas, what lets them, and everything else down, is the writing.
08:16 Especially when it comes to the side characters.
08:19 Batman turning into a murderer whose final words in the Arkhamverse are nothing more than sheep
08:24 throw away banter with Harley before she executes him? "Are we done with your bad stand-up routine?"
08:31 It's downright depressing, especially when a few tweaks here and there would have made
08:35 all the difference from a character standpoint. Also, why the hell is Poison Ivy now a child?
08:40 Ugh, where do I undo her tragic death in Arkham Knight?
08:43 We certainly have more than a few problems with Suicide Squad's treatment of the Justice League,
08:48 but they get more things right than wrong with its central cast. The Avengers, on the other hand,
08:53 are mostly shadows of themselves that fail to define themselves against their more popular
08:57 counterparts. Loser, Marvel's Avengers. "Impostor! Show yourself!"
09:05 Round 5, Legacy of Shame. "We did this, and she needs your help."
09:11 For every step forward Square Enix seems to be making these days,
09:15 they also have a habit of taking two steps back. Marvel's Avengers was them taking two steps back,
09:21 tripping on their own feet, somersaulting, and planting down face first. It was a catastrophe.
09:28 Not even Spider-Man or Black Panther could save it. It's a stain on Square Enix's reputation just
09:33 as much as their obsession with the blockchain, and by extension, it crippled the chances of
09:38 another Avengers game finding popularity and recognition moving forward. If anything,
09:43 they've dumped all that pressure on Insomniac's shoulders. We can't help but feel for Crystal
09:48 Dynamics here. Even if they made the rotten thing, it's clear they weren't allowed to play
09:52 to their strengths. "Coming to terms with my failings." "Not making news!" "Alright, alright,
09:57 alright, alright, alright, everyone just take a breath." Kill the Justice League may be new on
10:03 the scene, but the negative impact it's had is likely going to be felt throughout 2024.
10:08 Sure, it's not as vacuous a project as half the titles we got last year, but coming from
10:13 Rocksteady of all developers, who had established one of the seminal video game trilogies of our
10:18 time, to come out with something as ill-conceived and ill-fated as this? It cuts deep. Does it
10:24 still have a chance to make the most of its endgame and better itself? Absolutely. But there's no
10:28 escaping its dismal first impression. One that, AGAIN, had you snipe down the Man of Steel with
10:35 a minigun. Still can't get over that. "Hell, we murdered the whole Justice League!
10:41 In self-defence, since they were all totally evil." Suicide Squad may still be public enemy number
10:49 one, and the tarnishing of Rocksteady's Arkhamverse may be a hard pill for many to swallow,
10:54 but when it comes to Square Enix, who took something as popular as the Avengers and let
10:58 it straight into financial ruin, it's an industry failure that's still being discussed and analysed
11:03 to this day. Loser? Marvel's Avengers. "So much for making you see reason. If you wish to stand
11:11 with your captain, you can die together." With a total of 3-2, Marvel's Avengers loses this bout,
11:19 and once again cements itself as one of the worst superhero games in modern memory.
11:24 "We just give up. We didn't give up, Tony. We failed. At least I can admit that."
11:31 Did you enjoy this video? Check out these other clips from Mojo Plays,
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11:39 [Music]