Avengers Beta Review: 4 Ups & 6 Downs

3. Iron Man & Black Widow's Combat Variety

Let's start to broach combat, because you'll be doing a LOT of it.

I'll get to why the experience feels so sterile in time, but at least if you're playing as a multi-faceted character like Iron Man or Black Widow, your options are more varied.

Unlike the sluggish Hulk whose charged attack will see you interrupted practically every time, Iron Man can take flight, alternate ranged blasts with closing distance for melee, charge up a chest beam or dodge right over enemies.

Black Widow is much the same, with a greater reliance on counters. While Iron Man can enter a defensive stance, Natasha has specific arm drags and tornado leg takedowns if you nail the timing on a parry.

Her twin pistols, various grenades, martial arts choreography and even a grapple hook to across to enemies or escape a fight all make her a versatile fighter. She's in another league to the restrictive, melee-focused likes of Kamala and Hulk.