Although the sequel to this would royally scupper its chances at a third instalment thanks to completely missing the mark on what made the original so great, part one really was a phenomenal title, twinning Baldurs Gate/Diablo-esque combat with a team of writers who knew Marvel's universe like the back of their hand. Everyone from M.O.D.O.K to Black Panther, Moon Knight and Ghost Rider got in on the action, not to mention the more expected inclusions like Iron Man or Spidey rounding off the roster nicely. That's as well as the fact brawling felt immediately responsive, featuring a great sense of progression towards unlocking some slick screen-clearing special moves and the acknowledgment of team-specific powers, meaning if you paired up members of the X-Men, Fantastic Four or Avengers together it benefitted your XP greatly. The fact the closest iteration to this fantastic game formula is the divisive Marvel Heroes micro-transaction-a-thon is a huge misstep, as any who played this - or will seek it out after reading this - can attest to, there's rarely been a game that ticks so many Marvel fans' boxes so well.
