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Marvel Rivals has fully captured my attention like no live-service has done in many years, which is saying a lot because I have a rule to avoid them like the plague. I don’t play Fortnite or Call of Duty, and I’ve since left World of Warcraft behind. I haven’t touched League of Legends in years, and can’t even remember who the last champion release was when I stopped playing (it was Sett, I believe). But for one reason or another, Marvel Rivals has made it impossible to ignore and has me hooked.
No Character Feels Truly Weak
I’ve jumped around the roster a lot and at no point did I think, “Wow. This character sucks.” If you feel that way about some characters, revisit them. Dig into their kit and find what their niche is. Once I started playing Magik as more of an assassin, it totally clicked for me. Now I’m nearing ‘Lord’ proficiency with her!
And speaking of characters, the roster—even the original roster—is phenomenal as hell. So many to pick from, a lot of fan favorites, and a few I wasn’t expecting to love as much as I do, like Captain America or Squirrel Girl.
Matches Never Last Too Long
This is a big plus for me because boy did I hate the long sessions in League of Legends. Sitting there for, on average, 45 minutes was quite the commitment. I haven’t measured it myself, but I’ve had matches last less than 10 minutes, but on average it’s around 10 minutes. That’s the perfect length, in my opinion. I can easily weave those into my breaks for a quick decompression.
It helps that the TTK (time to kill) is fairly fast, sometimes too fast, but I believe it works that players go down faster. If we were all healthier, it would impact the speed of the game. I’d be less likely to requeue right after a match and, eventually, Marvel Rivals would be shelved for good.
The MVP System is Very Inclusive
While it may feel minor on the surface, I think having an inclusive MVP system is one of the strongest reasons I requeue. What I mean by that is the MVP system isn’t solely concerned with having the most kills or doing the most damage. I’ve been MVP multiple times as a tank and even more so as a healer.
I don’t remember my days playing support in League of Legends fondly. They never got the recognition they deserved (and that is why I always made it a point to thank them my support, too). In Marvel Rivals, it actually feels awesome playing a support because the MVP system shares the love pretty evenly. I’m likelier to skip playing DPS or tank if we’re down a healer.
I Do Have Some Grievances
It’s mostly all fun and games in Marvel Rivals, but there are a few nitpicks that I hope get ironed out over time or are avoided entirely.
First off, I’ll never stop raging against microtransactions. I don’t care if the game is free. I don’t care if they’re cosmetic. I don’t care if they’re optional. Dropping $16 to $26 on a skin is ridiculous to me and I’ll keep yelling at clouds for as long as I breathe. I know there are the $6 recolors, but we both know those are lame.
Lastly, I worry about the frequency of new characters added to the roster. Too many champions is one of the defining reasons for my leaving League of Legends. Not to mention many felt like their kits were just carbon copies of another.
Right now, every character in Marvel Rivals feels wholly unique and none feel too similar to one another. My hope is the release of characters is a trickle rather than a steady stream. Give developers time to cook on their kits so that every character retains that uniqueness.
