Marvel Rivals Season 1, "Eternal Night Falls," has been immensely successful. After an impressive debut with a high player count in Season 0 last December, Marvel Rivals set the new gold standard for live service launches. As one of the latest and most popular additions to the hero-shooter genre, the excitement surrounding NetEase Games' title is not slowing down anytime soon.
Though comparisons between Overwatch 2 and Marvel Rivals haven't always been helpful, it is compelling to examine where each game excels and where they may fall short. As two standout titles in this niche, both games offer unique environments and characters. The way they handle ultimate voice lines, for example, is especially intriguing.
Marvel Rivals' Pick Rates Can Be Deceiving
Marvel Rivals allows players to view pick rates for any hero in the game thanks to the Hero Hot List, but it has a few tricky details to keep in mind.
How Marvel Rivals and Overwatch 2 Handle Ultimate Lines Uniquely
Marvel Rivals and Overwatch 2's Most Complicated Ultimate Lines
With Marvel Rivals still in Season 1 and many of its players new to the hero-shooter genre, keeping track of which ultimate voice lines are friendly and which are from an enemy can be difficult. In particular, voice lines for characters like Venom and Groot have the potential to be confusing, as their phrasing doesn't differ much. Some players have criticized enemy ultimate voice lines for not being distinct enough from ally ones, making them harder to differentiate.
Some of the most difficult-to-discern ultimate lines in Marvel Rivals are as follows:
|
Hero |
Enemy Voice Line |
Ally Voice Line |
|
Cloak & Dagger |
"Us against the world!" |
"It's co-op time!" |
|
Groot |
"We are Groot!" |
"I am Groot!" |
|
Hawkeye |
"Woo! I never miss!" |
"Here's how you shoot!" |
|
Jeff the Land Shark |
"Om, nom, nom!" |
"Yummy, yummy!" |
|
Mantis |
"We are undefeatable!" |
"Friends, gather around!" |
|
Namor |
*Horn noise* |
*Horn noise* |
|
Peni Parker |
"It's Spider-Time!" |
"Spider Mode!" |
|
Venom |
"We are Venom!" |
"We hunger!" |
|
Wolverine |
*Growling* "Rnngh, Raaah!" |
"Berserker Rage!" |
Namor stands out in Marvel Rivals with his high win rate and the absence of any voice line during his ultimate. While his ultimate, Horn of Proteus, summons Giganto to deal damage to enemies around the targeted location, the horn noise is rather brief and can be lost in the clutter of other sound effects. Comparably, Wolverine's enemy ultimate line also lacks distinguishable words, yet it feels reminiscent of certain voice lines in Overwatch 2, like Winston's Primal Rage ultimate, where he roars but doesn't necessarily say anything.
Though there are some variations of the lines that will play when in-game, especially if players are in the support role, a few similarly confusing ultimate lines in Overwatch 2 are as follows:
|
Hero |
Enemy Voice Line |
Ally Voice Line |
|
Ashe |
"B.O.B., do something!" |
"Get in there, B.O.B.!" |
|
D.Va |
"Nerf this!" |
"Activating self-destruct sequence!" |
|
Doomfist |
"Meteor strike!" |
"Incoming!" |
|
Bastion |
"Whe-whe-whe-wheee-whee-wheee!" |
"Whe-whe-whe-wheee-whee-wheee!" |
|
Echo |
"Adaptive circuits engaged: *insert hero*!" |
"Duplicating: *insert hero*" |
|
Junker Queen |
"Time for the reckoning!" |
"Let's take them to the Wasteland!" |
|
Junkrat |
"Fire in the hole!" |
"Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines!" |
|
Reinhardt |
"Hammer down!" |
"For the Crusaders!" |
|
Roadhog |
*Laughter* |
"Unloading scrap!" |
|
Sojourn |
"This ends now!" |
"It's go time!" |
|
Winston |
*Roar* |
*Roar* |
|
Wrecking Ball |
*Squeaking* "Area denied!" |
"Mine field deployed!" |
Marvel Rivals Ultimate Lines Differ In One Major Way
It is worth noting that in both games, the ultimate voice lines truly shine when an enemy shouts, which signifies the use of their ultimate voice by shouting in their native language. To illustrate, when playing Psylocke in Marvel Rivals, she shouts "Cho no mai o kurae!" When targeting enemies and "Watch me soar!" When aiding allies. Iron Fist is the only other character in the game who uses his native language for his ultimate, yelling "Qi guan chang hong!" As an enemy and "The Dragon unleashed!" When on the team’s side.
In contrast, Overwatch uses this tool with ultimate lines much more often, with heroes like Hanzo, Genji, Mei, Mercy, Widowmaker, and Zarya highlighting this. Perhaps in the future, Marvel Rivals will take a page out of Blizzard's book and create more differentiating dialogue for these critical moments. Furthermore, in Overwatch 2, players can hear all ultimates being used, regardless of their position on the map. In contrast, Marvel Rivals seemingly only plays ultimate voice lines for players close enough to the action.
Marvel Rivals
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 78 /100 Critics Rec: 84%
- Released
- December 6, 2024
- ESRB
- T For Teen // Violence
- Developer(s)
- NetEase Games
- Publisher(s)
- NetEase Games
WHERE TO PLAY
Marvel Rivals is a Super Hero Team-Based PVP Shooter!
Assemble an all-star Marvel squad, devise countless strategies by combining powers to form unique Team-Up skills and fight in destructible, ever-changing battlefields across the continually evolving Marvel universe!
A Deep and Varied Marvel Roster
Choose from a vast array of fan-favorite and cult-classic Marvel Super Heroes and Super Villains from across the Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, X-Men, and many more from across the Marvel Multiverse.
Fast and Fun 6v6 Action with Ever-Changing Game Dynamics
With intricate environments, fast-paced gameplay, and ever-changing battlefields, there's never a dull moment in Marvel Rivals! Battle as Super Heroes and Super Villains with incredible abilities and combine your powers to bring unexpected fun to the battlefield in a matter of seconds.
Dynamic Hero Synergy
Coordinate unique combinations between characters to ignite surprising Team-Up Skills! Unleash the synergy of combined superpowers and invent new tactics that can turn the tide of combat. Ride on Groot's back as Rocket Raccoon to take on your enemies as a dangerous duo, unleash Gamma energy as Hulk to charge Iron Man's armor for massive damage, and so much more!
Creative Environment Destruction
Tear your way through iconic Marvel worlds across destructible environments! From Asgard to the Tokyo of 2099, use superpowers to alter these environments, reshape the terrain, and craft a strategic advantage on the battlefield! Take cover to dodge attacks or use makeshift weapons to strike down enemies. Players will find countless ways to utilize the environment to claim victory!
Continually Evolving Universe and Robust Post-Launch Updates
The Marvel Multiverse brings infinite possibilities! Each seasonal drop will introduce new Super Heroes to the battlefield along with challenging and diverse maps! Unlock new content to implement across various gameplay strategies while experiencing thrilling action and endless possibilities in these adventurous team battles!
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op
- Cross-Platform Play
- Limited - console crossplay, no PC crossplay
- Cross Save
- No
- Franchise
- Marvel
- Number of Players
- 1-6
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Unknown
- PC Release Date
- December 6, 2024
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- December 6, 2024
- PS5 Release Date
- December 6, 2024
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter, Action, Multiplayer
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
- How Long To Beat
- 7.5 hours
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
- File Size Xbox Series
- 20 GB
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
