Tag: Avengers »

I don't know if you know this, but superheroes are Kind of A Big Deal. Every other week it feels like a new Marvel movie is coming out and the hype train for each release is undeniable. Just look at how the upcoming Avengers: Endgame broke sales records and sales sites at the same time within hours of tickets going on sale earlier this week.

I’m not here to talk movies though. That’s not what this site is about. Alongside releases in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (or MCU, if you're so inclined) are a plethora of the media tie-ins, not the least of which are mobile games, and I’m writing this to tell you that yes, indeed, there’s a fantastic superhero game that trumps all others, and you should all be playing it if you want your superhero fix. The only thing is, it's probably not a game you'd suspect.

There may be some decent Marvel mobile games out there. Heck, some might even be considered “good.” That said, the absolute best superhero game on iOS actually has no affiliation with Marvel, DC, or any other actual comic book publisher. Do you know where I'm going with this?

Avengers Initiative has temporarily dropped in price to $2.99 to celebrate the release of the movie on DVD/BluRay. Still no shawarma power-up in the game, though...

Marvel have announced a new episodic touch combat game for iPhone and iPad, Avengers Initiative. In this first episode, to be released Thursday, you play the Hulk. As the Hulk, you are tasked with defeating a large group of evil super-powered villians who have escaped from a top secret holding facility in an event known as The Pulse.

The Pulse was first introduced in the Facebook Marvel game, Avengers Alliance. Both that game and the iOS game are interconnected with a system called Marvel XP. This allows players to unlock in-game items and level up between the two games.

The gameplay itself takes some big cues from Infinity Blade, if you are familiar with that, the game plays in a similar way. The game functions by using touch and swipe mechanics to fight various foes in the game. You will face a series of enemies in different locations as you progress through the story. The game has full retina graphics and looks great on both the iPad and iPhone. Take a look out our fifteen minute walkthrough below of the beginning of the game to get an idea of the art style and gameplay.

Future episodes will hopefully follow quickly with the first one expected before the end of the year. In later episodes you will have the opportunity to play other members of the Avengers.

Marvel's Avengers Initiative will be released this Thursday, worldwide, for $6.99. It is not a free to play game. In-app purchase will be available to help power up and create custom uniforms for the Hulk, but will not be required to complete the game.

This week at 148Apps.com, Kevin Stout examined the question more than a few of us are asking: Why won't Nintendo release any games for iOS? Stout writes, "Nintendo recently reported its first annual loss, showing that perhaps 3DS isn’t enough of a success. Nintendo hasn’t even released its legacy games on mobile platforms where others like Sega have (Sonic the Hedgehog). While current CEO of Nintendo, Satoru Iwata, is in charge, it’s unlikely that Nintendo will acknowledge its mistake. When asked about releasing Nintendo games for smartphones, Iwata replied, “This is absolutely not under consideration. If we did this, Nintendo would cease to be Nintendo….”'

Read Stout's full commentary and analysis at 148Apps.

Meanwhile, Amy Solomon at GiggleApps took a look at a new Marvel Avengers app for kids: Avengers Origins: Assemble! is a very enjoyable universal interactive storybook that tells the tale of how The Avengers became a cohesive group after meeting Captain America. I really enjoy how these characters are introduced, making this a great primer for children new to Marvel comics. Interactive moments are included throughout that children will also enjoy such as dragging the tools used by each Avenger to their rightful owner."

Read Amy's full review at GiggleApps.

Last, but certainly not least, 148Apps.biz writer Carter Dotson reported on results from a recent MocoSpace study: "MocoSpace has announced the results of their new “Y U Play?” study that tries to answer the question of just why people play mobile games, anyway? The answer for the majority of people appears to be just pure entertainment. 34% of people like to play mobile games because “the games are fun,” and 32% do it because they are bored, or want to kill time."

Read more about the fascinating study at 148Apps.biz.

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Augmented reality apps are fun to play around with and display extra information about the world around us. But the Marvel AR app uses augmented reality to get extra information about fantasy worlds that we aren’t living in. With the Marvel AR app, users will be able to see additional features for their Marvel comics by using their iOS devices’ camera.

Select Marvel comics, the first of which to use the new app is Avengers vs. X-Men, will include behind the scenes footage, 3D action scenes, video recaps of past events, and more. Comics designed for use with Marvel AR will start featuring the AR red and white logo to flag throughout the book when the app should be used. Users will simply hold their iOS devices up to the comics and then will be presented with the bonus features.

This is a great way for comic readers who still enjoy buying the print editions to get to use their iOS devices to interact with their comics. The Marvel AR app is free.