Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2
| Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 | |
|---|---|
 Cover art for Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 | |
| Developer(s) | Traveller's Tales |
| Publisher(s) | Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, Feral Interactive (macOS) |
| Director(s) |
Stephen Sharples Arthur Parsons |
| Producer(s) |
Jennifer Burbeck David Geeson |
| Designer(s) | Arthur Parsons |
| Programmer(s) | Steve Harding |
| Artist(s) | Leon Warren |
| Writer(s) |
Kurt Busiek Stephen Sharples |
| Composer(s) | Ian Livingstone |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release |
14 November 2017
|
| Genre(s) | Action-adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 is a Lego-themed action-adventure video game developed by Traveller's Tales and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and Xbox One on 14 November 2017,[1][2] and by Feral Interactive for macOS on 2 August 2018[3]. It is the sequel to Lego Marvel Super Heroes and the third installment of the Lego Marvel franchise.[4]
With the core gameplay following the same style of past Lego titles, the game features the ability to manipulate time and a four-player competitive Super Hero battle mode.[5] Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2's storyline centers around superheroes from different eras and realities of the Marvel Universe as they fight against the time-traveling villain Kang the Conqueror in a battle across space and time.[6]
Gameplay
Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 is an action-adventure game played from a third-person perspective. The game features a similar gameplay to its predecessors and other Lego video games, alternating between various action-adventure sequences and puzzle-solving scenarios.[7] The ability to manipulate time is allowed to players directly from the new open world of Chronopolis, which is a myriad of 17 different Marvel locations (consisting of a variation of Ancient Egypt, an apocalyptic Asgard, Attilan, Hala, the Hydra Empire, K'un-L'un, Knowhere, Lemuria, Man-Thing's Swamp, Manhattan, an alternate version of Medieval England, a Marvel Noir version of New York City, Nueva York, an variation of the Old West, Sakaar, Wakanda, and Xandar) linked through time and space and surrounding Kang the Conqueror's Citadel.[8] The game also introduces a new four-player competitive Super Hero battle mode, allowing players to fight each other cooperatively in battle arenas.[9][10]
Characters
Much like the two previous Lego Marvel games, the players are able to take control of a roster of iconic characters from the Marvel Universe, each with their own unique abilities. For example, Star-Lord is capable of flight, Black Panther can activate claw switches, and Spider-Man can swing on his webs, crawl on walls and use his spider-sense to detect hidden objects. The game also features characters from different time periods and realities over the Marvel Universe, which includes Spider-Gwen, a cowboy version of Captain America, a medieval counterpart of Hulk, and many others.[11] In addition, the game also features variations of sundry characters, like Iron Duck (who is merely Howard the Duck wearing the Iron Man's armor) and Carnom (a fusion of the Venom symbiote and the Carnage symbiote that is exclusive to the game).[12]
While some characters are just based on the comic books, others have their visuals taken from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, such as the Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Strange, and Ant-Man. Using the ability to manipulate time, the players can change the look and abilities of certain characters. For instance, they can take Baby Groot (from the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2) and move time forward for him to become his adult version, and Spider-Man can go both ways with his Noir and 2099 counterparts.[13]
Downloadable content
On 6 October, ten DLC packs were announced for the game. Of these ten, there are six level packs and four character packs based on Marvel Cinematic Universe films, superhero teams, and time variant heroes.[14]
- On 19 December, a Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 level pack was released, featuring a level based on the opening scene of the film. It adds several new characters, including Kraglin, Stakar Ogord, Tullk, Ego and variants of Star-Lord and Rocket Raccoon.[15]
- On 13 February, a Black Panther level pack was released. It features new characters from the film, such as Okoye, Nakia, Everett Ross, Ulysses Klaue and Erik Killmonger. However, the level included had no connection to the film.[16]
- On 20 March, a Cloak and Dagger level pack was released, and introduced the playable characters Cloak and Dagger, Mister Negative, Blackout, Shroud, Nightmare, and Silvermane. The level included takes place immediately after Cloak and Dagger gain their powers, and involves them escaping their evil captor.[17]
- On 10 April, a Runaways level pack was released, which includes characters such as Nico Minoru, Chase Stein, Alex Wilder, Karolina Dean, Molly Hayes, and Gertrude Yorkes. The level is based on a story from the comic series, wherein the team travels to Marine Vivarium and encounters the Pride.[18]
- On 24 April, a level pack inspired by Avengers: Infinity War was released, which includes an original level where the player controls the Black Order as they invade Attilan. The pack unlocks Hulkbuster 2.0 and an adolescent Groot, as well as Thanos and the Black Order (consisting of Corvus Glaive, Cull Obsidian, Proxima Midnight, and Ebony Maw).[19]
- On 6 July, a final level pack inspired by Ant-Man and the Wasp was released, which includes an original level featuring Ant-Man and the Wasp as they try to recover Hank Pym's original Ant-Man helmet from Egghead, who plans to use it to create some AI Avengers. The DLC adds 8 new characters to the game: the "Ant-Man and the Wasp" version of Ant-Man (Scott Lang), the MCU version of the Wasp (Hope van Dyne), Crossfire, Egghead, the MCU version of Ghost, Giant-Man (Raz Malhotra), The Human Fly and Stinger (Cassie Lang).
Plot
The Guardians of the Galaxy (Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax the Destroyer, Rocket Raccoon, and Groot) defend Xandar from Kang the Conqueror and Ravonna after receiving a distress signal from Nova Prime. After Kang uses his time crystal to bring Eson the Searcher from the end of time following Xandar's evacuation, the Guardians defeat him and Kang fires strange projectiles at the city just as they escape.
In Manhattan, the Avengers are holding a victory party that is attended by Captain America, Captain Marvel, Daredevil, Doctor Strange, Giant-Man, Iron Man, She-Hulk, Spider-Man, Thor, Wasp, and White Tiger while Hulk is away. The party is interrupted when they split into three groups to deal with three different threats:
- At a Siberian research facility, Captain America, She-Hulk, and Thor face off against Presence. They are able to defeat him just as the Winter Guard (Red Guardian, Darkstar, Crimson Dynamo, and Ursa Major) arrive.
- In the Pacific Ocean, Iron Man and Captain Marvel find an underwater base run by Attuma, who is being backed by Roxxon Energy Corporation, and are able to shut it down, though Iron Man is injured while taking a ramming from Attuma meant for Captain Marvel.
- At the Brooklyn Bridge, Spider-Man, Ms. Marvel, and White Tiger fight escaped inmates from the Raft as well as Shocker, Mysterio, Vulture, Kraven the Hunter, and Doctor Octopus.
As the Statue of Liberty is still being repaired, the Guardians of the Galaxy show up and warn Nick Fury of Kang, despite the latter having originally called them to help with the threat posed by Galactus in the first game. Just then, Kang transports Manhattan to a strange place called Chronopolis, Kang's "World of Worlds." Spider-Man meets Spider-Gwen, and the two defeat Vulture and drive off Green Goblin 2099. The Avengers investigate various portals showing up randomly and split in two teams:
- Captain America, Star-Lord, Gamora, Groot, and Doctor Strange head to medieval England and help Captain Avalon defeat Black Knight Nathan Garrett and Enchantress and free Sir Percy.
- Spider-Man, She-Hulk, and Ms. Marvel go to Wakanda to stop Klaw. They receive help from Black Panther into fighting Man-Ape, but Klaw gets away with Hydra Four's Bowman and Tactical Force.
Both teams end up in the Hydra Empire and make their way towards an airship run by Arnim Zola. While Captain America, Black Panther, and Star-Lord defeat Klaw, Bowman, and Tactical Force, they also defeat Baron Zemo following an air battle. Thor, Captain Marvel, and She-Hulk are tricked into attacking Man-Thing in his swamp as Kang uses this advantage to blow up the Nexus of All Realities, allowing him to perfectly merge the stolen locations into his own super city.
The Avengers and Guardians receive a signal from beyond Chronopolis. To boost it to perfection, Gamora, Rocket, and Groot are dispatched to meet up with Star-Lord and Drax in the Old West to find a negative ion emitter. When MODOK attacks, they receive help from the local Captain America into fighting him. After the fight, the Wild West version of the Circus of Crime abducts Rocket and Groot causing Star-Lord to join Kid Colt and Arizona Annie in catching up to them. After defeating Captain Corbett, Star-Lord and Kid Colt fight MODOK again, which ends with Star-Lord claiming the negative ion emitter from MODOK's chair and freeing Rocket and Groot. With use of the negative ion emitter, the heroes learn that the person contacting them is Cosmo the Spacedog from Knowhere, having received a distress call from someone he refers to as the "pretty lady". They then split in two teams to get Heimdall so they can locate the shards of the Nexus of All Realities and the Book of the Vishanti so Doctor Strange can unify its energy:
- Doctor Strange heads to the Sanctum Sanctorum with Spider-Man and She-Hulk to get the Book of the Vishanti only find Baron Mordo trying to steal it so that he can have Kang bend to the knee of Dormammu and have Chronopolis be absorbed by the Dark Dimension. The heroes defeat Baron Mordo and claim the Book, while Wong stays behind to further defend the Sanctum.
- Thor, Captain America, and Captain Marvel head to a ruined version of Asgard to find Heimdall. When they arrive, they find that Loki, who survived the events of the previous game thanks to Kang, has impersonated Odin after sending him on a fool's errand while establishing an alliance with Kang. They are then confronted by Surtur, who they defeat with the aid of Loki and an alternate version of Jane Foster with Thor's powers, though Loki runs off in the aftermath.
Heimdall reveals the location of five Nexus shards, and three separate teams (one consisting of Spider-Man, Ms. Marvel, and She-Hulk, a second consisting of the Guardians of the Galaxy, and a third consisting of Captain America, Captain Marvel, Doctor Strange, and Thor) are sent to recover them:
- Spider-Man's team heads to K'un-Lun to find a Nexus shard, but cannot enter because a mysterious voice states that they needed to have the power of the Iron Fist with them. They head to Manhattan Noir, where they overthrow the Kingpin and defeat both Hammerhead and Elektra Noir with the help of the Defenders (Iron Fist, Daredevil, and Luke Cage) and Spider-Man Noir. She-Hulk remains with Daredevil, Luke, and Spider-Man Noir to clean up, though they will eventually join the fight against Kang, while Iron Fist goes with Spider-Man and Ms. Marvel back to K'un-Lun. Once inside, Iron Fist, Spider-Man, and Ms. Marvel see that the shard is embedded in the heart of the dragon Shou-Lao and they are confronted by Steel Serpent, who wants the power of the Iron Fist for himself. They defeat him and Iron Fist removes the shard and gives it to the team before returning to help Daredevil and Luke. Spider-Man and Ms. Marvel head to "Nueva York" and go inside Alchemax after defeating Electro 2099. Aided by Spider-Man 2099, Spider-Gwen, and She-Hulk, they fight scientists who have become possessed by the Symbiotes. They see Green Goblin 2099 use the shard to fuse the Venom Symbiote and the Carnage Symbiote into a new creature dubbed "Carnom" by Spider-Man. They defeat Carnom and claim the shard, and Spider-Man 2099 and Spider-Gwen stay behind to deal with Carnom who chases after Green Goblin 2099 in retaliation for its abuse. Though they promise to help out against Kang once they are done.
- The Guardians of the Galaxy journey to the Kree city Hala and recover a Nexus shard after defeating Ronan the Accuser, who planned on using it to lead the Kree against Kang for displacing them, but are confronted by an unseen figure. Meanwhile in the Inhuman city of Attilan, Black Bolt, Medusa, and Crystal learn from Triton and Lockjaw that Maximus the Mad has sold out his family to the Kree and assumed the Inhuman throne. Black Bolt and Medusa defeat Sentry-459 before meeting up with the others. Maximus states he is allying with the Kree in order to crush Kang as payback for dragging Attilan into Chronopolis. Maximus is eventually dethroned and order is restored to the Inhuman city. Black Bolt and Medusa head to Hala to confront Ronan, but find Ronan defeated and the Guardians of the Galaxy mind-controlled by the Supreme Intelligence. They break Star-Lord, Rocket, and Groot from their mind-control and defeat the Supreme Intelligence, thus freeing Gamora and Drax. The Inhuman Royal Family accept the Guardians' offer of helping the Avengers defeat Kang.
- Captain America's team goes to the underwater city of Lemuria, but Attuma ambushes them and sends them to Sakaar, where they are forced to battle the World Breakers (consisting of Hulk, Red Hulk, Maestro, and Greenskyn Smashtroll) and the Red King, the latter of whom seeks to win favor with Kang. Hulk is freed from the Red King's control and the Red King himself is defeated. Captain America's team heads back to Lumeria with Hulk and defeat Attuma and Torg with the help of Stingray and claim the Nexus shard. As Stingray brings the shard back to Wasp, the others head to Ancient Egypt and meet a Pharaoh who tells them they must complete three tests to claim the shard. They complete the first two, but are tricked into being locked in a pyramid with Horus. They make their way through various traps, during which Horus accepts the offer of helping them vanquish Kang, and eventually make it to the mummy's chamber. The Pharaoh, now revealed to be Loki, removes the shard from the coffin and the Living Mummy comes to life, attacking the Avengers. They defeat him before going for Loki. As the heroes claim the Nexus shard, Horus forces Loki to set right all that he wronged in Egypt.
Returning to Avengers Mansion with all the Nexus shards, Doctor Strange prepares to unite the shards so they can bring Knowhere to Chronopolis and use the repurposed Celestial head to deliver an EMP powerful enough to take down Kang's defenses. Ravonna secretly turns on Kang when she sees the Avengers are good people and warns Wasp that Kang knows what they are going to do, but is too late as Rocket has activated the portal device built by Tony Stark and Giant-Man. Ego the Living Planet nearly comes through, but the Avengers and company work to correct this error while fighting Kang's soldiers. After Ego disappears, vowing to Kang that he will remember this impertinence, Doctor Strange brings Knowhere in just in time.
Iron Man, Spider-Man, and Star-Lord all go up and help Cosmo set off the EMP, which successfully takes down Kang's shield yet the Nova Corps are knocked out of the sky by Kang's sword-shaped warship Damocles. Iron Man's team break into the warship and try to fight Kang, but find he projected himself via hologram on the ship and causes it to plummet toward the ground. Although Kang sends Korvac to destroy them, but they defeat him and escape the ship before it -crash-lands just outside of Nueva York.
Captain America, Captain Marvel, and Doctor Strange infiltrate Kang's citadel, but are discovered when Star-Lord decides to tag along and causes a ruckus. The four make it to Kang and battle him, but he uses one of his machines to project a giant and solid holographic version of himself and uses his crystal to restore Damocles, holding it like an actual sword. Kang challenges Captain America to battle him one-on-one, and Cap finds and uses an identical machine to battle and defeat Kang. Refusing to believe this is the end for him, Kang prepares to use his crystal to cause the heroes' victory to never happen, only to find that Ravonna had taken the crystal when he wasn't looking. She sides with the Avengers, revealing herself to have been the "pretty lady" who contacted Cosmo in the first place, and turns Kang into an infant so that he would have a second chance. The heroes celebrate with a party, with Ravonna intending to send all the locations to their original places in time and space once the remaining villainous forces are taken care of.
In a mid-credits scene, infant Kang is playing with a flying toy sword and says "Kang" among infant-babble.
In a post-credits scene, Captain America, Captain Marvel, and Tony Stark are walking on Liberty Island when Ravonna (now calling herself Terminatrix) and the Supreme Intelligence, accompanied by Cosmo, Man-Thing, and an elderly Kang, arrive and inform them about a chronal fracture incident that they need help with.
Reception
| Reception | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||
The game was well received by critics, who praised the game's linguistic content as well as the possibility to play with various Marvel characters.
Accolades
| Year | Award | Category | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Game Critics Awards | Best Family/Social Game | Nominated | [23] |
| Gamescom 2017 | Best Family Game | Nominated | [24] | |
| 2018 | New York Game Awards 2018 | Central Park Children's Zoo Award for Best Kids Game | Nominated | [25] |
| National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers Awards | Performance in a Comedy, Supporting (Dar Dash) | Nominated | [26][27] | |
| Nickelodeon's 2018 Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Video Game | Nominated | [28][29] | |
| Develop Awards | Animation | Nominated | [30] |
Audio
Due to the game being affected by the 2016–17 video game voice actor strike, the cast from the previous game as well from Lego Marvel's Avengers did not return to reprise their roles as they were affiliated with the Screen Actors Guild‐American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA).[31] While in favor of a new voice cast, Greg Miller voices Howard the Duck[32] and Peter Serafinowicz voices Kang the Conqueror.[33] Sacha Dhawan reprised his role as Steel Serpent from the Iron Fist Netflix television series.[34]
References
- ↑ Whitehead, Thomas (15 May 2017). "LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 Confirmed for Nintendo Switch". Nintendo Life. Gamer Network. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
- ↑ Sarkar, Samit (15 May 2017). "Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 coming to PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
- ↑ "Be transported into the Marvel Universe with LEGO® Marvel Super Heroes 2, out now for macOS!". 2 August 2018. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
- ↑ Hussain, Tamoor (26 May 2017). "Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 Officially Announced With New Teaser". GameSpot. CBS Interactive.
- ↑ Saed, Sherif (15 May 2017). "Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 is here to save the year". VG247. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
- ↑ Kato, Matthew (15 May 2017). "Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 Takes To The Future & The Past". Game Informer. GameStop. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
- ↑ Phillips, Tom (15 May 2017). "Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 announced". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
- ↑ Minotti, Mike (15 May 2017). "Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 is flying to Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and PC". VentureBeat. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
- ↑ Scott-Jones, Richard (15 May 2017). "Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 coming November 17, watch a teaser trailer with Baby Groot". PCGamesN. Future plc. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
- ↑ Dunning, Jason (15 May 2017). "LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 Coming to PS4, Xbox & PC". PlayStation LifeStyle. CraveOnline. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
- ↑ Glagowski, Peter (15 May 2017). "Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 gets teased, full trailer to be shown May 23". Destructoid. Enthusiast Gaming. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
- ↑ Collinson, Gary (21 July 2017). "Howard the Duck and Carnom come to Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2". Flickering Myth. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
- ↑ O'Connor, Alice (16 May 2017). "LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 KONK!ing to November". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Gamer Network. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
- ↑ Dornbush, Jonathon (9 October 2017). "LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 Season Pass Content, MCU Packs Revealed". IGN. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
- ↑ Perry, Spencer (19 December 2017). "LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 DLC adds Guardians Vol. 2 characters". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
- ↑ Dornbush, Jonathon (13 February 2018). "LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 Black Panther DLC Revealed". IGN. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
- ↑ "Cloak & Dagger Join LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2". CBR. 20 March 2018. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
- ↑ "LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 Adds The Runaways Via DLC". CINEMABLEND. 12 April 2018. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
- ↑ "LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 Gets Infinity War DLC". ComingSoon.net. 19 April 2018. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
- ↑ "Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive.
- ↑ "Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 for Switch Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive.
- ↑ "Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive.
- ↑ "Game Critics Awards: Best of E3 2017 (2017 Nominees)". Game Critics Awards. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
- ↑ Khan, Zubi (21 August 2017). "Gamescom 2017 Award Nominees". CGM. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
- ↑ Whitney, Kayla (25 January 2018). "Complete list of winners of the New York Game Awards 2018". AXS. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
- ↑ "Nominee List for 2017". National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers. 9 February 2018. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
- ↑ "Horizon wins 7; Mario GOTY". National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers. 13 March 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
- ↑ "NICKELODEON ANNOUNCES 2018 KIDS' CHOICE AWARDS NOMINATIONS". Nick.com. Viacom. 26 February 2018. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
- ↑ Drysdale, Jennifer (24 March 2018). "2018 Kids' Choice Awards: The Complete Winners List". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
- ↑ MCV staff (21 May 2018). "Announcing the Develop Awards 2018 nominations shortlist". The Market for Computer & Video Games. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
- ↑ Brian (3 November 2016). ""LEGO Marvel 2" spotted on voice actor strike document". Nintendo Everything.
- ↑
- ↑
- ↑