"While Marvel Rivals is not perfect, it remains the most complete and feature-rich superhero live-service game released to date, and as we round out 2025, I cannot help but wonder what 2026 has in store for this genre-defining third-person shooter."
The hero shooter and competitive PvP shooter genres are dominated by first-person games, and while third-person titles have done well elsewhere, with games such as Fortnite dominating the battle royale charts for eight years, most attempts at third-person competitive shooters have ended in failure. Even well-made titles such as Rogue Company met a sad end after a promising start.
For NetEase to attempt to release a shooter based around a known IP (Marvel) not only greatly increased the risk of financial failure but also risked disinterest from non-fans.
That alone was a big gamble, but to make it third-person only was a move on par with betting your life savings on a high card draw.
And yet, that gamble paid off, and then some. Marvel Rivals actually dethroned Overwatch 2 as the definitive hero shooter for several months.
While things are now much more competitive, as Overwatch 2 has regained ground and the initial buzz around Marvel Rivals has cooled off, the end result remains a net positive for gamers.
With two very strong games now vying for our time and money, things can only improve from here, and I am genuinely excited to see what this level of competition leads to, as two massive publishers fight to secure their place at the top of what had previously been a rather stagnant genre, due to the new total domination of Overwatch for the better part of a decade.
Marvel Rivals’ ever-growing roster of characters caters for players of all skill levels and playstyles while also representing heroes from across the spectrum of humanity. I am personally thrilled that Marvel Rivals feels like a game for everyone while ensuring that this level of diversity is not purely performative.
Each and every hero feels not only authentic to the Marvel universe but also, for the most part, distinct from every other hero in the game.
While not every hero feels equally powerful in every situation, and at times the time-to-kill feels a little slow, when you find a hero that perfectly matches your playstyle it feels like putting on a well-worn pair of boots. Once I was in my element, the slightly longer kill times and occasionally less impactful abilities no longer bothered me.
I love how the developers opted for a comic book aesthetic for Marvel Rivals. While I could see a more realistic visual style working well, realistic visuals often age much quicker than stylised ones.
With the developers undoubtedly intending to support Marvel Rivals for many years, finding a timeless style is one way they can avoid costly remodels in the future, especially as the game continues to grow with new playable heroes and maps each season.
A common allegation against Marvel Rivals is that it is a gooner game, and honestly, this is partially valid, though not in a very obvious way.
While it clearly releases characters that cater to certain fetishes (big thighs, feet, muscle mommies, etc.), it does so in a predominantly tasteful way. While some of the outfits are rather revealing, they are often no more revealing than the source material, and in general, comic book superheroes, regardless of gender, have fantastic figures and form-fitting costumes.
Personally, I feel that compared to titles such as Vindictus ↪ and The First Descendant ↪, Marvel Rivals is not a gooner game in the traditional sense. For the most part, none of the character skins would cause the average person to lust after them.
While this may seem like a non-issue, lust is a very serious matter, one that Jesus Christ Himself addressed directly in the Gospel of Matthew, where He said:
With that in mind, if you find yourself lusting after any particular character or characters in Marvel Rivals, then by all means play something else.
But for the average gamer, especially those with an interest in superheroes, there is nothing about Marvel Rivals that intrinsically makes it a “gooner game.”
With the launch of Marvel Rivals’ temporary Marvel Zombies mode, players were given something that Overwatch 2 players have been craving since the cancellation of its campaign.
While we may yet see Overwatch 2 release PvE content now that it is finally regaining ground lost to Marvel Rivals, as of right now, for any PvP-centric title to release even a moderately fleshed-out PvE mode is a positive step, and one that will make Marvel Rivals appealing to an even wider audience.
While I love PvP modes and honestly prefer them as far as live-service games are concerned, there is a sizable number of players (including some of my best friends) who dislike PvP immensely. I am personally thrilled to see the PvE crowd being catered to in this way.
Is Marvel Rivals’ Zombie mode perfect? No. In fact, it’s rather mediocre, but it’s a huge step in the right direction, and one that NetEase should capitalise on as much as possible if they hope to beat Overwatch 2’s rumoured PvE revival to market.
Marvel Rivals is a free-to-play third person shooter game developed and published by NetEase Games, it released on 6 December 2024, and is available on PC, Playstation 4, Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Marvel Rivals supports:
Marvel Rivals offers the following matchmaking options:
The Marvel Rivals in-game store sells:
Marvel Rivals supports the following peripherals:
Marvel Rivals is rated PEGI 12+ and contains:
Marvel Rivals is a refreshingly solid take on the hero shooter genre thanks to the way it combines traditional mechanics with beloved characters and a thoughtful approach to combat design, ensuring that each hero feels authentic and fun to play.
While I feel the developers have made a few missteps along the way, such as launching without full cross-progression support, all things considered, you will not find a better superhero live-service game in 2025.
With the developers releasing their first PvE content in Fall 2025, I cannot wait to see how they build on the success of Marvel Zombies, whether by expanding that mode or creating new PvE experiences for players to enjoy.
Ultimately, a fantastic game, and one that I fully recommend to fans of Marvel Comics and hero shooters in general.
We found Marvel Rivals to be a great game, meaning it delivers a memorable experience with only minor imperfections that don't detract from the overall enjoyment of the game.
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