Avengers video game beta impressions: Destiny, this ain’t

Combining a looter-shooter with a beat-’em-up may not be gaming’s PB + chocolate.

Avengers, assemble. (All images from this article were captured from real PS4 Pro gameplay, so this is how the Avengers look in their new 2020 video game.)

Enlarge / Avengers, assemble. (All images from this article were captured from real PS4 Pro gameplay, so this is how the Avengers look in their new 2020 video game.) (credit: Crystal Dynamics / Square Enix)

After over a year of rumors, teases, and reveals, we have finally played the upcoming Avengers video game, slated to launch on PS4, Xbox One, and Windows PC on September 4. It's arguably the biggest Avengers-themed game ever made, in part thanks to a massive effort by developers Crystal Dynamics (makers of the modern Tomb Raider trilogy). Many of you will soon get to play the same content when the game's beta test opens Friday, August 7, exclusively for PS4 players who preordered the game. (By month's end, all three platforms will have open beta periods, no purchase required; more on that below.)

We've been careful about covering this superhero game, in part because its performance looked suspect during E3 2019 and because we couldn't tell how its Destiny-inspired looter-shooter system would translate to the beat-'em-up genre. This beta's selection of missions and story sequences has firmed up our suspicions on what to expect in the final game—and the news isn't great.

Feeling weak in a world of heroes

  • The campaign content in the beta focuses on Hulk and Ms. Marvel. You can see a much improved facial rendering pass compared to previously revealed footage.

The beta opens with an all-star superhero brawl in San Francisco, primarily atop the Golden Gate Bridge, and it may look familiar, as this previously premiered at last year's E3. It's a show-of-force intro, with players jumping from one familiar superhero to the next: Thor, Hulk, Iron Man, Captain America, and Black Widow. Each comes with a mix of melee, ranged, counter, and special attacks, and each can put the serious smackdown on large crowds of generic robo-soldier foes. Pummel, run, jump, and repeat.

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Die Energie- und Klimawochenschau: Von umstrittener Braunkohle, anhaltender Windkraftflaute und austrocknenden Flüssen

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Torrent Piracy Saves Silent Bob’s 50th Birthday Drive-In Cinema Party

When friends of Kevin Smith, aka Silent Bob, threw a 50th birthday party for the actor/director at a drive-in cinema in the US, the plan was to watch the Jay and Silent Bob Reboot. Unfortunately, the cinema’s systems broke down, threatening to ruin the event. Fortunately, a filmmaker was there to download the movie from a torrent site and the show went ahead as planned.

From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Silent BobWhile the terms movie piracy and cinema often appear in the same conversations, the connections are rarely positive.

Studios, distributors, and theaters believe that piracy represents an existential threat to their business models and nothing positive ever comes from it. But for actor and director Kevin Smith, aka Silent Bob from the Jay and Silent Bob movies, the accessibility of a pirated copy of his latest movie prevented his 50th birthday bash from turning into a complete disaster.

Jay and Silent Bob Reboot at the Drive-In

In 2019, Smith directed and starred in Jay and Silent Bob Reboot. The comedy film, which enjoyed box office success, was due to be the centerpiece at Smith’s half-century celebrations this week.

Organized by friends, the movie was to be shown at Smith’s party at Paramount Drive-In, something the actor says he was looking forward to as he’d never seen one of his movies from the comfort of his own car before. But things didn’t go to plan.

The Reboot…Failed to Boot. Piracy To The Rescue

According to Smith, there were problems at the cinema. The venue’s DCP (Digital Cinema Package), which contains all the necessary files and systems which allow a movie to be shown to the audience, decided to break down, meaning that Silent Bob would have even less to say than usual, effectively ruining the event.

Luckily, however, it transpires that writer, filmmaker, and party guest Josh Roush is a bit of a whizz when it comes to disaster recovery, as Smith explains.

“The drive-in’s DCP broke down so we would’ve had to cancel altogether were it not for @joshroush bringing a separate sound system and downloading a Torrent of #jayandsilentbobreboot off an illegal site,” Smith wrote on Facebook a few hours ago.

A World First For Torrents? Maybe…

Over the years, piracy has been connected to drive-in cinemas. People have been known to record entire movies from their cars and place them online but the environment has also proved convenient for those looking to grab film soundtracks, which are later combined with video recorded elsewhere.

At least as far as we’re aware, however, this is the first time that a pirated copy of a movie has actually been shown at a cinema in the United States. And surely, it must be the first instance where a pirated copy has been obtained from a torrent site to ensure that a director can enjoy his own movie and not have his 50th party ruined.

Phew…No One Got Arrested and Fun Times Ensued

The good news is that despite this potentially being some kind of terrible copyright crime in the eyes of the US Government, a good time was had by all, no one was arrested, and the director was glad that a pirate site saved his once-in-a-lifetime event.

“I know as a filmmaker I should be demonizing movie piracy – but last night, it saved our asses!” Smith says. “Many thanks to everyone for making the trip for my 50th, and for practicing safe social distancing and wearing masks in the process!”

Smith adds that the event went so well that he’s looking at “duplicating” the event with his live shows. Whether that means showing a pirated copy again isn’t clear but if the feds show up, he can credibly exercise his right to remain silent.

From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.