Marvel Could Throw its Hat into a Popular Genre’s Ring After An MCU Project

Marvel Could Throw its Hat into a Popular Genre's Ring After An MCU Project

As a seasoned gamer with over two decades under my belt, I’ve seen the evolution of gaming from 2D pixel art to immersive, high-definition worlds. Marvel has always been a staple in my gaming diet, but I can’t help but feel that they’ve played it safe for far too long.

Over time, Marvel has ventured into numerous genres and gaming styles, offering everything from open-world action-adventures, tactical strategy games with supernatural elements, multiplayer live-service games, to virtual reality titles as well. This diversity ensures a rich selection of gaming experiences for fans across various preferences.

Reflecting on the past ten to twenty years of Marvel video games, it’s clear that most offer third-person action experiences, typically rated Teen or lower by ESRB. These games handle serious topics and create dramatic scenes, but they generally maintain a lighthearted tone, aligning well with Marvel’s established brand. Occasionally, it would be intriguing if Marvel ventured into exploring darker, more mature themes, perhaps even experimenting with horror gaming – a genre that could potentially resonate wonderfully with fans next year.

Marvel Zombies Could Pave the Way for a New Type of Marvel Video Game

The Marvel Zombies Comic Offers Some Great Inspiration

In November 2005, the “Crossover” arc of the Ultimate Fantastic Four comics culminated. During this series, Reed Richards receives a call from a counterpart in another universe, and he ventures into that world. Remarkably, this world was inhabited by zombified renditions of Marvel’s heroes and villains, setting the stage for the Marvel Zombies run that commenced only a month after.

Published between December 2005 and April 2007, the comic book series Marvel Zombies was initially a five-part limited edition work by Robert Kirkman (known for his work on The Walking Dead) and Sean Phillips. The story unfolds in an alternate universe, Earth-2149, hinted at in the Ultimate Fantastic Four. Here, a virus has transformed Earth’s powerful heroes and villains into zombie-like creatures that feed on human flesh. Unlike typical zombie narratives, these flesh-eaters in Marvel Zombies retain much of their cognitive abilities and superpowers, making the horror come not just from their hunger but also from what they might do to satisfy it.

Ever since the 2005-2007 miniseries, “Marvel Zombies” has produced numerous sequels and offshoots, transforming into a full-fledged Marvel comic series. The latest installment in this series is “Marvel Zombies: Dawn of Decay”, which started in September and will conclude in December after a four-issue run.

The Upcoming Marvel Zombies Disney+ Series Could Lay The Groundwork for a Game

In 2021, Marvel debuted the animated show “What If…?” on Disney+. One of its episodes, titled “What If…Zombies?”, drew inspiration from the “Marvel Zombies” comic series. However, in this version of events, it’s not an alien virus that infects the Avengers, but rather Janet van Dyne who contracts something while in the Quantum Realm.

In the upcoming series, Marvel Zombies (to be released in October 2025), Bruce Banner returns to Earth to warn mankind about Thanos’ approach, only to be attacked by a horde of zombified superheroes, including Doctor Strange and Iron Man. The narrative then focuses on characters like Wasp, Spider-Man, Hulk, Black Panther, and Vision, who are struggling to discover a remedy for the zombie plague as they band together to survive.

What a Marvel Zombies Video Game Could Look Like

In the forthcoming “Marvel Zombies” series, Marvel has an uncommon chance to create a more mature game and explore a genre that it hasn’t delved into much previously. A zombie game in the style of “Left 4 Dead” could fit perfectly with the “Marvel Zombies” adaptation, allowing players to join cooperative zombie-slaughtering missions as a group of famous Marvel characters or villains, traveling across popular Marvel locations.

At intervals between levels, gamers might encounter the opportunity to battle against zombified variants of well-loved Marvel characters. In essence, the allure of a Marvel Zombies game lies in allowing players to engage in combat with heroes they rarely get to fight, such as Captain America or Spider-Man. The Marvel Zombies concept would also open up space for a touch more gore than what’s typical in Marvel video games.

Read More

2024-11-29 02:44