Marvel Rivals already slaps in closed beta

The latest Marvel Rivals closed beta started last night, and I hopped in for a quick look. As a result, I'm afraid that my "quick look" is going to morph into "obsessive play throughout the beta and bitter disappointment when it ends". This game is giving me everything I was hoping for, scratching that Overwatch itch while also delivering something fresh.

I don't know why it took so long for the powers that be to decide that superheroes were a natural fit for this sort of gameplay. I mean, the genre is called "hero shooter", so you would think that this would have hit the market five years ago. But regardless of any reasons why it took so long, the good news is that the folks at NetEase seem to have hit this one out of the park. 

I tend to zero in an a particular character or two in order to get my bearings in games of this nature, so in Marvel Rivals, I've been focusing on Namor as my damage dealer and Mantis for heals. Namor is a spectacular presence, able to toss short-lived octopus turrets right into the fray. He also does great damage from a pretty good range, making his an ideal back-up DPS character that can play the back and still wreck shop. Mantis also does better when you keep her out of the fray, but her heal-over-time powers are an enormous help to the team, and they don't require a ton of precision to execute. Her ultimate is a very nice AOE heal, which can turn the tide of battle in an instant.

Marvel Rivals quickly got the attention of my kids, and I don't think I've ever seen them lock in on a game as quickly as they did this one. My 11-year-old daughter went on a 22 character kill streak with Star Lord during her second match ever, acing the entire enemy team twice. My 8-year-old has focused in on Black Panther as his character of choice, and while he's still getting accustomed to the gameplay, I have no doubts that he will soon be dominating this game as much as he does Fortnite. 

Of course, we still don't have any idea how this game will be monetized, but I'm hoping that it goes the whole "cosmetic battle pass" route and steers clear of any possible grossness. As it stands, Marvel Rivals feels pretty premium, and I wouldn't mind tossing down some cash to keep the goodie river flowing. 

If you can get your hands on a code to jump into the closed beta, I highly recommend doing so. This is a game that is going to take over the conversation when it releases, so you might as well get some practice runs in now. Marvel Rivals has "winner" written all over it.