If the popularity of the current crop of Marvel films is anything to go by the upcoming virtual reality (VR) experience Marvel Powers United VR by Sanzaru Games for Oculus Rift is going to be met with quite a bit of excitement. Several playable characters have already been revealed such as Black Panther last week. Today it’s the turn of the villains, with Venom and Ultron now confirmed to be making an appearance.
Everyone’s lovable anti-hero Venom is the convergence of two beings who share a fierce hatred of Spider-Man: disgruntled journalist Eddie Brock, and a spurned alien symbiote. Bonded and fused at the molecular level, Venom possesses incredible strength and abilities as well as knowledge of Spider-Man’s true identity. Having made a brief appearance in 2007 film Spider-Man 3, and getting his own flick later this year, Venom is one of the most popular characters in the Marvel Universe.
Then there’s Ultron, a being created with the best of intentions, unfortunately the sentient robot rebels and becomes a threat to all humanity. “After being driven off into the far reaches of the cosmos by the Avengers and their allies, it was believed Ultron had been destroyed,” explains the synopsis. “However, his frayed consciousness persisted until he came into contact with a techno-organic alien race which assisted him in unifying his fragmented consciousness back into focus and into a new upgraded body. Ultron has targeted Earth and its mighty heroes once again, but this time he is coming prepared with new powers, abilities and strong allies.”
No details have yet been revealed on their actual in-game powers but expect them to be fairly brutal.
Marvel Powers United VR is expected to be released on 26th July, 2018, with a price point of $39.99 (USD). The title is already available for pre-order, with interested customers needing to head to the Oculus Store for further info.
Other characters confirmed so far include Captain Marvel, The Hulk, Rocket Racoon, Deadpool, Black Bolt, Crystal and Thor. Check out VRFocus’ preview of Marvel Powers United VR for some hands-on thoughts. As further details are released, VRFocus will keep you updated.
Kreamer explains that Sanzaru Games had worked with Disney, Marvel and Oculus Studios before so when the concept of the videogame was presented to them, they simply couldn’t resist working on it. Sanzaru Games worked with Disney on a videogame named Tron Runner and had already worked with Oculus Studios on two VR games, 
The Hulk’s moveset is appropriately brutal, relying on slow and heavy attacks delivered in close proximity. Basic punches – performed simply by swinging your arms – will do some damage, but grabbing and throwing your opponents in a similar fashion to 
This formula essentially makes Marvel Powers United VR a sort of co-operative MOBA. The players work together to defend waves of enemies as they build their own powers before executing on larger scale enemies. It eschews the tower defence ruleset of strategy-over-action and instead opts for a more immediate experience, and does so with the ideal that players can work together while still playing their own little battles with the enemy AI. The only real issue with this at present is that there’s no sense of depth on offer – is there more to each character than the four basic attacks? Marvel Powers United VR is part-FPS, part-MOBA, and with that looks to be an enjoyable experience for both VR newcomers and Marvel fans alike, but those familiar with the VR medium will have to wait and see if Sanzaru Games end up with just another wave shooter. Albeit one 
