Since its official reveal at E3 2019, there's been a lingering skepticism over Crystal Dynamics' Marvel's Avengers game, not least because publisher Square Enix has refrained from showing any actual gameplay... until now.
As part of its Gamescom 2019 presence in Cologne this week, over 18 minutes of Marvel's Avengers gameplay was dropped online, revealing the first opening act of the game in all its cataclysmic glory.
For a bit of story context before you hit play below, the gameplay takes place on Avengers Day – a Macy's Day parade style celebration of Marvel's hero unit in San Francisco – before a terrorist attack (led by comic book villain Taskmaster) hits the Golden Gate bridge. But we'll let Earth's mightiest heroes take it from here...
This is undoubtedly the most impressive look at Marvel's Avengers yet, giving us a much better idea of how the game plays in real time, with each playable hero offering distinct combat styles and set piece encounters, from Hulk's charging smash run to Thor's God of War style brawls.
At least now we have a better idea why actor Nolan North (who plays Iron Man in the game) called Marvel's Avengers more impressive to work on than Uncharted and The Last of Us. I'm still struggling to get my head around that statement, obviously, but it's not quite as confusing as it was.
For more, check out the biggest new games of 2019 on the way, or watch our Release Radar below for a guide to everything else out this.
