Why LEGO Marvel’s Avengers Isn’t Just for Kids

Do you like fun? What’s that? You do? Well, come on down, because if there’s one thing you should’ve learned by now, it’s that the folks at TT Games – makers of LEGO Marvel’s Avengers, which came out this week – know how to pack a title with plenty of excitement. What you might not know, though, is that despite the LEGO moniker, these games have plenty to offer gamers of all ages, from comic book fans to folks just looking to blow off some steam with a high-quality beat-’em-up.

For fans of the Marvel Universe, first of all, you can’t ask for better than LEGO Marvel’s Avengers’ lineup of characters: More than 200 Marvel heroes and villains populate this title. You’ll start out with plenty to choose from, and the game’s story campaign will walk you through unlocking quite a few others. Part of the fun comes in discovering secret characters and unlocking the hidden ones through exploration, clever exploitation of secrets, and using your knowledge of comic book lore.

Don’t be quick to scoff at the “LEGO-ness” of the graphics, either – like TT Games’ previous LEGO titles, LEGO Marvel’s Avengers is crisp, vibrant and filled with clever references to the movies and comics. The actual voice actors from Marvel’s television and film series will also be reprising some of the roles in LEGO Marvel’s Avengers, and plenty of the music should be familiar to die-hard fans.

Of course, no game is much without quality gameplay, and LEGO Marvel’s Avengers offers that in spades. With the main characters from the Avengers films (and many more) facing off against a huge cast of foes, players will need to use each character’s individual special abilities and fighting acumen to take on waves of enemies and bosses – and use their noggins to solve puzzles, too. The game features local two-player cooperative gameplay, and each pair of superheroes (or villains) has a unique team-up ability, meaning there are more than 800 in the game. In other words, it will take you a while to learn the subtler combinations, and to master what pairings are right for what situations.

While any (or all!) of this gameplay can certainly be enjoyed by kids, it’s not necessarily targeted squarely at them. If you love Marvel comics (or LEGOs), and you enjoy well-constructed video games, LEGO Marvel’s Avengers is for you. Play with your kids… or “borrow” the copy that was meant for your kids, and play it when they’re not looking. Just have fun!