You haven't really played Marvel's Avengers until you play it on the PS5. It's been a few months since the PS5 was released and became the hottest non-vaccine-related item on the planet, and we're finally starting to see games take full advantage of this bulky bad boy and its impressive hardware. Though Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales was already a very impressive game before it got a PS5 upgrade, Marvel's Avengers really shows the power of a next-gen upgrade compared to last-gen consoles.
We won't get much into details about the game, both because it's been out since September and because you really should go and read our video games editor Dave Trumbore's full review of the main campaign and its two, fairly short expansions. Suffice it to say, everything you love or hate about Crystal Dynamics' superhero action RPG is still there.
What is new, however, is a huge improvement over the visuals and framerate. Like the regular PS4 version, there are two game modes, one prioritizing visual fidelity, and the other enhancing framerate performance. Arguably the most instantly noticeable difference is when you play Highest Performance Mode.
Like the PS4 Pro version, Highest Performance Mode makes the game run at 2160p checkerboard resolution that drops when needed in order to sustain 60 FPS gameplay, and it mostly succeeds at that. Playing through the main campaign and some of the expansion, the framerate rarely dropped, and when it did, it was but a handful of frames during heavy action scenes — mostly when playing as Hulk, or against dozens of enemies. The higher framerate is especially noticeable and impressive when playing as Kamala, with her polymorph abilities running smoothly as you smash wave after wave of AIM robots. Even though the focus of this mode is the framerate, it still runs better than the PS4 Pro's quality mode, with superior textures, motion blur, and shadowing.
Granted, even if the framerate doesn't drop that often, the dynamic resolution does. The more destruction and mayhem you cause (again, blame Hulk), the lower the resolution gets, even dropping to 1440p during a couple of moments. You might be able to work around this somewhat if you play on a good TV — full disclosure, this review is based on a playthrough done on an OLED TV, which already does a lot of the heavy-lifting for you, visuals-wise — but it's still a sacrifice you're making for that sweet and smooth movement. The bigger flaw with High Performance Mode, however, is poorly-rendered text throughout Marvel's Avengers, which looks like it's displayed at sub-HD resolutions when viewed at a distance, and only become readable when you get closer.
If you want the game to look its absolute best, or simply want to smash and punch to your heart's content as Hulk, then you might want to sacrifice the high framerate and turn on Highest Quality Mode. First of all, you will be able to read any and all text like you have an actual hawkeye, and the mode also removes the checkerboard rendering in favor of native 4K resolution while capping the framerate at 30 FPS that the game keeps steady no matter what. This is the most beautiful this game has ever looked, with shadows and filtering getting significant improvements.
Shadowing and light reflection look like they belong in a Pixar film, but the true highlight of this mode is the unfiltered, relentless destruction effects. Particle effects look vastly superior, especially during explosions, and debris actually feels like it has weight to it and you don't just walk through a huge piece of wall that Hulk throws at someone; debris actually stays on screen for a long while before disappearing. Whether you're shooting AIM robots at a distance to see them crumble piece by piece, or you want Hulk to leave no computer monitor, desk, piece of concrete, or wall unscathed, this is the way to go for most dynamic action.
That being said, the actual star of this upgrade is the new loading times — or lack thereof. A quick Google search can show you the comparison between the PS4's excruciatingly long loading times, and the PS5's near-instant run from home screen to gameplay, all in less than 30 seconds. Say goodbye to the endless loading screen featuring giant versions of the Avengers, in favor of, you know, actually playing the game. I managed to go from one operation in the main campaign to train in the HARM Room with Hawkeye as part of the "Operation: Future Imperfect" DLC in just a few seconds, which only made me very excited about the possibilities for open-world RPGs.
Though not as noticeable as the framerate, or loading times, another cool feature added specifically to the PS5 version is the use of adaptive triggers courtesy of the new DualSense PS5 controller. The game adds resistance to the triggers, mostly during range attacks, that adapts and changes depending on which weapon and which character you're using. Playing as Captain America, the resistance that's felt before throwing the shield feels heavier than Kamala's fist punches, but significantly lighter than Hawkeye's heavy draw of a bow. There's even a difference in weight and resistance to how Clint and Kate draw their bows, because of their difference in experience using them. The best way to test this is with Black Widow, as the triggers change resistance depending on whether you're shooting with a pistol, a rifle, or a submachine gun.
Marvel's Avenger's new next-gen upgrade may not be enough to convince players who were disappointed with the game to buy it, as it's still the same game. But if you're curious about playing your favorite Avenger in glorious 4K resolution or smooth 60 FPS, and not having to wait to load up a campaign, then this is a great opportunity to test out your new PS5. If this is what can be done with just an upgrade, then we're headed to a bright future free of Kree invasions.
Rating B+