The MCU movies opened the Marvel franchise to many fans and perfectly crafted the way how many superhero team-ups would look on the bigger screen.
At some point, you probably imagined how amazing it would be if there was a game that would let you play exactly how the Avengers fought the aliens back in the first movie. Well, that's Marvel's Avengers for you.
But again, imagine if you take those superheroes, and pit them against 6 other superheroes in a matchmaking system similar to something that Blizzard already did 8 years ago.
Well, that's Marvel Rivals for you—and from the looks of it, it's here to stay.
Marvel Rivals is the latest contender in the PvP shooter genre. With titans such as Overwatch, Valorant, and Team Fortress 2, it's possible to think that Marvel Rivals will probably have a difficult time keeping up with these massive titles.
Out of all the games that were mentioned, Marvel Rivals seems to be most similar to Overwatch, albeit having a different camera angle. If you are new to the PvP shooter genre or you are an avid Overwatch player and would want to have something new to play to wash off those toxic ranked matches, then here are 7 massive differences between Marvel Rivals and Overwatch that you need to know.
Team Composition
Initially, Overwatch had a 6v6 player composition but then shifted to 5v5 in Overwatch 2. Featuring two tanks, two supports, and two damage dealers, the gameplay differed so much that the meta already changed when the game shifted to 5v5.
Marvel Rivals also features 6v6, an Overwatch feature that many veteran players liked. On top of this, Marvel Rivals does not have a role queue or role lock option, letting players choose whatever roles they want, anytime they want.
If that's not a recipe for an everyone-is-a-tank disaster then it's probably the most fun way anyone could play.
Camera Perspective
Overwatch is played through a first-person perspective while Marvel Rivals is played as a third-person shooter, similar to how Fortnite is played. This allows you to actually see your characters and any possible customizations you can add to them.
Overwatch, on the other hand, gives you a much wider view in the first-person perspective. While this does not show you how your characters look like when they have their back turned on you, the game feels much more focused by just showing you what is exactly happening in front of you.
Team Synergy
Overwatch's characters have their own set of abilities but the interactions between the characters are pretty standard and are contained to the specific skill effect of the characters.
In Marvel Rivals, each character will have a specific and unique interaction depending on who is their teammate. These interactions are tied to the character as skills and can be used in synergy between other characters, making for a much more cohesive team fight.
Playing as Rocket Raccoon while you have Groot as a teammate can produce some exciting plays compared to just having characters who do not synergize with each other.
Battle Pass
Battle passes and season passes are not uncommon anymore in modern shooter games. Sometimes, even single-player games have oddly implemented season passes (Looking at you, Star Wars Outlaws). Marvel Rivals will have non-expiring battle passes, letting you catch up on cosmetics and content you might've missed.
Overwatch has the standard "finish it this season or forever hold your peace" kind of battle pass, which is something that modern gaming should probably say goodbye to sooner or later.
Characters
Marvel Rivals has an IP of one of the world's largest catalogues of superheroes whereas Overwatch 2 will have 42 characters. With more characters set to arrive in Marvel Rivals in each upcoming season, you can expect that the game will have more characters than Overwatch by the end of next year.
However, Overwatch's characters are original characters that have so much room to grow and can have updated abilities should Blizzard decide to add more to the game's lore. Either way, both games have an interesting cast but Marvel Rivals is expected to have more as the years go by.
Character Bans/Pics
Overwatch initially had the option to ban heroes but Overwatch 2 completely changed this and allowed players to pick anyone they want to use. Marvel Rivals allows players to ban heroes after reaching a certain competitive rank.
Once you've reached Diamond 3, each team will get to ban one hero at the start of the match. If you're sick of seeing Jeff the Land Shark in all of your games, then you have to grind your way up and ban him from your games for all eternity.
Destructible Buildings
While superheroes are often known for causing massive city-wide destruction with no concern for collateral damage or insurance claims, Marvel Rivals tones things down by letting players demolish buildings instead.
This introduces a unique gameplay mechanic, allowing you to blast through flanking walls where opponents might be hiding. Sick and tired of that one sniping enemy? Smash that wall and pound your way to victory.
Overwatch has interesting maps but is far from the kind of destructibility that Marvel Rivals offers.
Maps from both games benefit from the unique features of each of the games, but Marvel Rivals will let you destroy walls if you keep on dying for the past 5 minutes. No more toxic chat, just blast 'em walls.
These 7 differences may make or break your Marvel Rivals experience, but it has a fresh take on the old shooter genre. Marvel Rivals may slowly convince you to give up Overwatch or will possibly cement your opinion that Overwatch is the better game, but there's no way to be sure unless you try it.
Whether you are up for some superhero action in Marvel Rivals or prefer the proven-and-tested formula of Overwatch 2, be sure to stay updated with the latest gaming news and stories by following Gfinity Esports.