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[Drayco21]

Developer: Kabam Studios
Platforms: Android, iOS
Release Date: December 10, 2014
File Size: 521 MB

Marvel: Contest of Champions is a free-to-play fighting game developed exclusively for touch screen mobile devices by Kabam (The Godfather: Five Families, Dragons of Atlantis), based on the characters from Marvel Comics and the popular Marvel Cinematic Universe films. While it lacks the depth of a console fighting game, the controls are basic, but with enough depth to offer an entertaining mobile experience. Players can perform light attacks by tapping the right side of the screen, medium and dash attacks by swiping the right side instead, heavy attacks by holding and releasing the right side of the screen, and backdashes by swiping to the left. Holding down the left side of the screen allows the player to block. While fighting, meter is earned, which can be used to unleash a character-specific super move. Leveling and ranking up heroes earns new and stronger supers, but the stronger moves cost more bars of meter.

Roster:

There are six classes of heroes; Science, Technology, Cosmic, Mutant, Skill, and Mystic. Each class has an advantage against one of the others, providing a small boost in health and damage to champions when facing them. Science is strong against Mystic, which is strong against Cosmic, which is strong against Technology, which is strong against Mutant, which is strong against Skill, which is strong against Science.

Science Heroes:
Abomination (Classic) (Emil Blonsky)
Ant-Man (MCU Ant-Man) (Scott Lang)
Captain America (MCU Avengers) (Steve Rogers)
Captain America (MCU World War 2) (Steve Rogers)
Electro (Marvel Now) (Maxwell Dillon)
Hulk (Savage Green Hulk) (Bruce Banner)
Hulk (Joe Fixit) (Bruce Banner)
Luke Cage (Modern) (Luke Cage)
Red Hulk (Modern) (Thunderbolt Ross)
Rhino (Classic) (Aleksei Sytsevich)
She-Hulk (Modern) (Jennifer Walters)
Spider-Man (Classic) (Peter Parker)
Spider-Man (Ultimate) (Miles Morales)
Spider-Gwen (Modern) (Gwen Stacey)
Yellowjacket (MCU Ant-Man) (Darren Cross)

Technology:
Iron Man (Mark VII Avengers Armor) (Tony Stark)
Iron Man (MCU Hulkbuster Armor) (Tony Stark)
Iron Patriot (Norman Osborn)
Rocket Raccoon (MCU- Guardians of the Galaxy)
Star-Lord (MCU- Longcoat) (Peter Jason Quill)
Ultron (MCU- Ultron Prime)
The Vision (Classic)
The Vision (MCU- Age of Ultron)
War Machine (MCU- Age of Ultron)

Cosmic:
Black Bolt (Classic) (Blackagar Boltagon)
Captain Marvel (Marvel Now) (Carol Danvers)
Drax the Destroyer (Marvel Now) (Arthur Douglas)
Gamora (Marvel Now Battle Armor)
Groot (MCU- Guardians of the Galaxy)
Iron Man (Superior Iron Man) (Tony Stark)
Ms. Marvel (Marvel Now) (Kamala Khan)
Ms. Marvel (Warbird) (Carol Danvers)
Ronan the Accuser (Classic)
Spider-Man (Symbiote) (Peter Parker)
Thor (Marvel Now)
Venom (Classic Eddie Brock)
Venompool

Mutant:
Colossus (Astonishing) (Piotr Rasputin)
Cyclops (Marvel Now) (Scott Summers)
Cyclops (Classic) (Scott Summers)
Deadpool (Classic) (Wade Wilson)
Deadpool (X-Force) (Wade Wilson)
Magneto (Classic) (Max Eisenhardt)
Magneto (Marvel Now) (Max Eisenhardt)
Old Man Logan (All-New All-Different) (James "Logan" Howlett)
Storm (Marvel Now) (Ororo Munroe)
Wolverine (Astonishing) (James "Logan" Howlett)
X-23 (All-New, All-Different)

Skill:
Agent Venom (Modern) (Flash Thompson)
Black Panther (Armored) (T'Challa)
Black Widow (Modern) (Natasha Romanov)
Daredevil (Modern) (Matt Murdock)
Daredevil (MCU- Netflix) (Matt Murdock)
Elektra (Classic) (Elektra Natchios)
Hawkeye (Marvel Now) (Clint Barton)
Moon Knight (Marvel Now) (Marc Spector)
Punisher (Classic) (Frank Castle)
Winter Soldier (Marvel Now) (Bucky Barnes)

Mystic:
Doctor Strange (Classic) (Stephen Strange)
Guillotine (Original Character) (Jeannine Sauvage)
Iron Fist (Classic) (Danny Rand)
Iron Fist (Heroic Age) (Danny Rand)
Juggernaut (Classic) (Cain Marko)
Magik (Marvel Now) (Illyana Rasputina)
Scarlet Witch (Classic) (Wanda Maximoff)
Thor (Jane Foster)
Unstoppable Colossus (Juggernaut) (Piotr Rasputin)

Confirmed Upcoming Characters:
Doctor Strange (Marvel Now) (Stephen Strange)- Mystic Class
Jessica Jones (MCU- Netflix)- Science Class
Loki (?)- Cosmic Class
Red Skull (Iron Skull) (Johann Schmidt)- Skill Class
Scarlet Witch (Ultimate) (Wanda Maximoff)- Mystic Class
Ultron (Classic)- Will probably be a Tech class.


Stages:
Asgard- Bifrost Bridge (MCU)
Asgard- Odin's Throne Room (MCU)
Asgard- Treasure Vault (MCU)
Asteroid M
Dr. Strange's Dimension
Dr. Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum
The Kyln- Prison Interior (MCU)
New York- Avenger's Tower
Oscorp Tower- Oscorp Labs
Sanctuary- Thanos' Throne (MCU)
Sokovian Ruins (MCU)
The Savage Land

Alliances
The most recent update added Alliances- social groups formed by different users which allow them to help give each other energy, recharge characters in versus and communicate in Alliance-only chat rooms. There are plans for multiplayer Alliance vs. Alliance fights, base construction and other features. Helping your Alliance allies awards you a new currency, Loyalty, which can be used to buy boosts and exclusive crystals featuring new character variants, like the Unstoppable Colossus.

Our alliance is called "NeoGAF" with the tag shortening of "GAF", and can be found easily with a search.

Media

Reviews:
IGN Italy- 8.5/10

It is a fighting game that sees us use a really impressive amount of Marvel characters, which can be unlocked by finishing the main story, or (of course) by purchasing the crystals in the store. The controls are easy on touch devices, and this makes the difference: attacks, dodges and defenses are managed by an intelligent mix of swipe, tap and tap extended, that even if a bit flatten 'the differences between wrestlers make clashes particularly dynamic and fun. The technical sector, as well as the characters and their animations, it's really well done: the only flaw, however, is serving an internet connection also to play in single player.

The Touch Arcade- 4/5

I think Contest Of Champions is actually a better game than the mobile version of Injustice, but it's not quite as kind to the player. If you're looking for a Marvel-flavored version of the DC brawler, this is probably close enough to satisfy you, and it might even pleasantly surprise you in some ways. If you're a long-time Injustice player looking for another similar game, a niche that remarkably remained unfulfilled up until now, you'll also come away pretty happy. If, however, you can't get on with the usual concessions of F2P games, you probably won't enjoy how this Contest is run, and those looking for a deeper fighting experience would do well to pick up Street Fighter 4 Volt [$4.99] instead.

148Apps- 4/5

If Contest of Champions has one glaring flaw, it’s that the fighting itself (which IS the meat of the game) isn’t terribly deep or tactical. Eschewing virtual d-pads and buttons for taps, holds, and swipes on the left and right of the screen, there initially seems to be a bit more depth to the fisticuffs than one would think. But before long it becomes apparent that the same tactic of spamming attacks until the opponent blocks, back up and block until their combo is done, then return to spamming until your special move is charged and ready will work just about every time. I didn’t really have huge expectations going in, but a bit more variety in fighting styles or tactics would have mitigated the grind just a bit.

Gamezebo- 80 Metacritic

In a lot of ways, Marvel Contest of Champions feels like the antithesis of Marvel: Avengers Alliance. Whereas Avengers Alliance had pricey characters, unique abilities, and deep strategies, Contest of Champions gives out heroes like candy; but with virtually identical skillsets and button-mashy goodness. It might sound strange to compare the two at all, but as the top dogs in the world of free-to-play Marvel games, it’s hard to not notice how perfectly they contrast. Marvel Contest of Champions is the arcade yin to Avengers Alliance’s strategic yang. If you’re what Stan Lee might call a “true believer,” you’ll be glad to have such two such wildly different games to choose from.

Pocket Gamer- 80 Metacritic

You know a new game is showing promise when the only thing stopping you from playing is your battery running out. Marvel Contest of Champions could be my new obsession. However, if free to play business models turn you off, the fast and slick combat housed within probably won't be enough to see you through its gacha approach to building your roster of heroes.

Apple'n'Apps- 3.5/5

Marvel Contest of Champions (Free, Universal) gives you a familiar game that leverages familiar characters to give you free fighting fun that anyone can enjoy. It’s not the most complex, or thought provoking game, but it’s still enjoyable to play, and see combat from great Marvel characters. Marvel Contest of Champions is worth picking up, though it still depends on your love of Marvel characters, and relative fill of Injustice.

Arcade Sushi- 6/10

On the surface Marvel Contest of Champions struck me as that free-to-play nightmare, presenting things like microtransactions and premium currency and all of the things I was worried about. As I played the game, however, I noticed that while this game is not the deep fighting game I hoped for, it’s not nearly the F2P cash-in I feared either. This Contest has found a nice niche somewhere in the middle, showcasing some impressive visuals and a interesting story more complex than I expected.

Kotaku- Not Recommended

I could forgive a lot of Marvel Contest of Champions' faults if the characters were actual characters instead of mannequins. But those stupid mute faces only accentuate everything else the game does wrong. The always online requirement. The long load times. The server instability. The energy meter. The health regeneration timers. The cost to purchase a rare crystal for a chance at a more powerful warrior. 16

It's my least-favorite flavor of free-to-play without enough Marvel flair to make me forget.

Media:
NYCC Trailer
Launch Trailer

FAQ:

Q.) Just how Free to Play is this Free to Play game?

A.) Better than some, but still obviously not as ideal as non-F2P games. Grinding the in-game currency to get random heroes out of the crystals doesn't take as long as a lot of other major F2P games, and the cash prices for the currency if you want to speed it along seem fair enough. If you can't stand the model at all, this game won't change your mind, but if you're willing to accept what it is, it shouldn't be too hard to play the game totally free.

Q.) What game types are there? Any single player?

A.) Currently you can play 1v1 versus matches online, and there are other modes coming soon, such as 5v5. There's an extensive single player story mode, written by comic writer Sam Humphries (Legendary Star-Lord, Avengers A.I.), which is where you'll spend the bulk of your time earning currency, ISO-8 and earning XP. There's also special challenge maps that include events, daily maps and other ways to earn currency, characters, and items.

Q.) Why does this exist when Marvel vs. Capcom 3 dies?

A.) Because we live in a cruel world, where Capcom has lost their way and Marvel is getting too big for them to afford. This game is far from a replacement for Mahvel, and for what it's worth, I don't think it exists in spite of Mahvel either; they're two very different games, going for very different things.

Q.) Does anyone actually care about this game enough for an OT?

A.) Probably not, but I'm pretty psyched about it, and wanted to see if anyone else would want to talk about it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?

 

[origamipirate]

[B]Q.) Does anyone actually care about this game enough for an OT?[/B]

A.) Probably not, but I'm pretty psyched about it, and wanted to see if anyone else would want to talk about it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?[/QUOTE]

You're not alone. I'll be downloading this as soon as I get home from work tonight.

 

[Matriox]

Probably wouldn't have known about it had it not been for the OT, great job btw! Gonna give it a download tonight after work.

 

[FinKL]

I like how it's Editor's Choice on iOS even though it literally just came out right? Curious how a fighting game works on mobile, so will try it.

 

[Drayco21]

I like how it's Editor's Choice on iOS even though it literally just came out right? Curious how a fighting game works on mobile, so will try it.

Apparently it was available in some countries last month, and had an open beta for iOS devices at some point, so maybe that had something to do with it? It's probably just because it's a big name app from a big name company with lots of money to throw around though.

 

[Fantomex]

I'm gonna download thanks to this OT.

 

[davedc226]

My friend in Canada told me to download this a few weeks ago, but I couldn't find this on the Google Play store until today. Apparently he had it for weeks. Gonna check it out tonight.

 

[Affeinvasion]

I'm so glad that Marvel Heroes is not part of this Iso-8 universe nonsense.

 

[gazele]

Downloaded a played a little bit

Seems like a very basic fighting game with F2P mechanics, it'll be interesting to see how much its updated, but it looks pretty good for a mobile game

 

[Parallax Scroll]

Is Megaman in it?

 

[Drayco21]

I'm so glad that Marvel Heroes is not part of this Iso-8 universe nonsense.

I'm still surprised they didn't just call Eternity Splinters ISO-8 Shards, they use them in literally every other F2P game, even the Iron Man 3 movie game.

Is Megaman in it?

 

[distantmantra]

My friend in Canada told me to download this a few weeks ago, but I couldn't find this on the Google Play store until today. Apparently he had it for weeks. Gonna check it out tonight.

Canada gets a lot of mobile games early as a final test before release in the US.

 

[v1lla21]

Lolz I downloaded it last night. I rarely play games on my phone as I don't really touch screen controls but this game works amazingly well and it has simple controls. I only stumbled upon it because I was searching the play store to see if they had marvel ultimate alliance.

 

[Jtrizzy]

not bad. Graphics are pretty amazing for a phone game...don't play mobile/touch controls generally, but this would be a nice for a plane flight or something. The f2p sucks, which is too bad since the game is . I can't just buy the fighters I want? I'm not going to sit here and pay for random hero unlocks anymore. I'm part of the problem though, I just spent $20 and got no 4 star heroes.

Why can't Marvel just make some kick ass AAA games? I love Marvel Heroes, but I've played it close to 350 hours lol.

 

[Drayco21]

How's everyone's rosters so far?

I just pulled a 2 star Cyclops out of a crystal for finishing the first chapter of the story, so now I have him, a 2 star Thor, a 2 star Black Panther, a 1 star Hawkeye and a 1 star Iron Man, plus the tutorial Spider-Man. Not a bad start, I think.

 

[Ape]

This game is really fun. Idk how long it will keep my attention but right now its great!

 

[Drayco21]

Got a 2 star Rhino from my daily crystal this morning- not sure if Science was the best class for him to fit into, but I like him well enough.

Day 3: 2 star Hulk

 

[Triz]

Downloaded this last night. Decent F2P model still haven't spent money. Opened a 3 star wolverine crystal this morning.

 

[PaulExcellent]

I downloaded it and got my Spider-Man, but then it got stuck before fighting Iron Man and it wouldn't load. Yay.
I'm using a Galaxy Note 4. :/

 

[Negaduck]

I downloaded it and got my Spider-Man, but then it got stuck before fighting Iron Man and it wouldn't load. Yay.
I'm using a Galaxy Note 4. :/

Exact same thing happened to me. I'm on a note 3.

 

[Aprico]

Just finished installing and it keeps failing to log in

 

[Triz]

The servers are slow today. I've got a lot of hang ups.

 

[Drayco21]

Just finished installing and it keeps failing to log in

I feel like I get the failed to log in notification every time I start it, but everything is fine when I close the little text box. I occasionally have to force close because the game freezes at a load screen, but performance is otherwise solid for me, playing on a G2.

 

[Miggytronz]

I love this game but man does it freeze a lot at loading screens.

 

[Dirtyshubb]

Only found out about this game yesterday but so far I am really enjoying it!

I have completed the first Act, doing 100% on them all except the last quest (Need to go through once more). I have also done about 7/8 versus modes, winning them all so far. In fact I have only lost once and that was to Deadpool since I used Hulk and didn’t realise he had a class weakness against DP.

Also been focusing on levelling my characters, got my 1* Spiderman to Rank 2, level 1. Also have a 1* rank 1, level 7/8 Wolverine and Hulk is slightly lower level than him. I also picked up a 2* Drax and 2* Winter Soldier but haven’t used them yet.

Otherwise it’s a really fun game, controls are simple and intuitive, graphics are good and timing your attacks just right to counter/dodge feels really good.

One thing I will complain, like someone else I do find that the game does get stuck occasionally during the loading screens. I tend to have to exit, close the cached process and then re-load it and its fine.

 

[GeorgiousGeorge]

Actually enjoying this game - it's super simple but has fun timing elements. I have a few two-star heroes unlocked after about 2 or so hours. Hopefully the unlocking speeds up to keep me interested

 

[Drayco21]

Pulled a one star Gamora out of my daily crystal today- I really like how she plays, her special moves are especially fun. I just wish she wasn't the Bendis' generic Mass Effect armor version of the character.

 

[Mknzy]

I picked this up a couple days ago myself, am really enjoying it so far. For touch screen the controls work really well and I am already pulling off some nasty little combos. The fact that I get a daily crystal that can give 2* or 3* characters is awesome as well.

 

[spats]

Got a 3-star Star-Lord this morning. He's been seriously wrecking some shit all day.

 

[davedc226]

I've got a 2 star Gamora and 2 star Hulk so far. For a mobile fighting game, the controls are surprisingly good.

 

[Drayco21]

The first post-launch event is out now: 3v3 Trickshot- there are two arenas, an arena only for three and four star heroes, and an arena only for 2 star heroes, so you'll need at least three of them to qualify to compete. Players can earn gold, battle chips and units for reaching point milestones, or they can unlock Hero Crystals, Upgrade Catalysts and Level 3 and 4 Hawkeyes for placing in certain ranks.

Hopefully I can at least get a couple new hero crystals out of this- if these are regular enough, it'll really solve the grind problem with working to the next hero crystals.

 

[Dalek]

I got a 3 star Black Panther this morning from the free daily crystal. Now that's what I'm talking about.

 

[DR2K]

3 females out of 25 characters. Yep, it's definitely Mahvel.

 

[Drayco21]

3 females out of 25 characters. Yep, it's definitely Mahvel.

It's kind of baffling Black Widow wasn't in the game to begin with, considering how hard Marvel's pushed her since she showed up in the MCU.

 

[PaulExcellent]

Game just randomly fixed itself, so OK.
Spidey is too damn cool, but he only punches? What?
I also ended up getting the Scarlet Witch, which is neat. The game is really fun, tho.

 

[JNA]

Game just randomly fixed itself, so OK.
Spidey is too damn cool, but he only punches? What?
I also ended up getting the Scarlet Witch, which is neat. The game is really fun, tho.

You think Spiderman only punching is weird, look at Hawkeye XD.

Anyway this is actually pretty fun for the most part. Although what the hell at the lack of heroines in the game. What's up with that?

 

[Yaari]

I just downloaded this and the combat works surprisingly well. Some things though,

There's a Quick Match apparently. Is this vs the CPU? I'm a level 1 Spiderman and I guess I have no business doing any of that.

I'm not against paying for iOS games but I already have some I'm currently paying for so I'll try to keep this one F2P. Is there a chance I can still roll on those 4 star characters, how do I obtain the paid currency as a free player? I noticed I already had some of it, but not sure what I did to get it.

 

[Mknzy]

Got my 2nd 2* last night, Star Lord. When I first started this up I was kinda not sure what to think, but I kept going for a bit and once it clicked with me it really sunk in. I also just ranked up my 1* Spiderman. He is easily currently my best character, I pulled out a 19 hit combo with him once *laughs*

 

[Ape]

Game just randomly fixed itself, so OK.
Spidey is too damn cool, but he only punches? What?
I also ended up getting the Scarlet Witch, which is neat. The game is really fun, tho.

lol spiderman does a jump kick, i think it's when you medium out of block? idk.


I have a decent little roster
* stars
Vision, Colossus, Spiderman and Wolverine

**
Scarlet Spider, Abomination, Rhino and Black Panter.

 

[Drayco21]

I just downloaded this and the combat works surprisingly well. Some things though,

There's a Quick Match apparently. Is this vs the CPU? I'm a level 1 Spiderman and I guess I have no business doing any of that.

I'm not against paying for iOS games but I already have some I'm currently paying for so I'll try to keep this one F2P. Is there a chance I can still roll on those 4 star characters, how do I obtain the paid currency as a free player? I noticed I already had some of it, but not sure what I did to get it.

The versus quick match is against a CPU controlled character of another player of around the same level and stats of the one you select- you'll definitely want to do it, even with your lower level characters, because your opponents will usually match and they'll win you Crystals.

You get Units for completing story missions, 100%ing Story missions, as drops from Arena Crystals and as a reward in Events. You can get four star characters out of it, but it's really rare. According to their forums, it used to feel more common to get decent characters out of crystals during the open beta, and they patched it right before release to make it significantly harder.

**
Scarlet Spider

Yo wait, Scarlet Spider is in this game? I guess I need to start throwing money at my phone.

 

[jim2011]

How has nobody compared this to injustice yet? I'm curious to what people who played that think about this game.

 

[Ape]

Scarlet Witch, my bad lol.

 

[Drayco21]

Scarlet Witch, my bad lol.

Aw man :lol

Speaking of, I pulled a 1* version of her from my daily crystal- it's good to have at least one of every class now, but I really don't like how she plays. Seems too squishy to me.

 

[Yaari]

The versus quick match is against a CPU controlled character of another player of around the same level and stats of the one you select- you'll definitely want to do it, even with your lower level characters, because your opponents will usually match and they'll win you Crystals.

You get Units for completing story missions, 100%ing Story missions, as drops from Arena Crystals and as a reward in Events. You can get four star characters out of it, but it's really rare. According to their forums, it used to feel more common to get decent characters out of crystals during the open beta, and they patched it right before release to make it significantly harder.



Yo wait, Scarlet Spider is in this game? I guess I need to start throwing money at my phone.

Thanks. One last thing. I can't seem to compete in these events. I'm guessing it is because I don't have 3 star characters. Does that seem possible?

Got my first duplicate already, 2 star Gamora. And I only have like 4-5 characters so that wasn't too much fun.

 

[a secret-boss]

damn didn't even knew about this game.
thanks for the OT

 

[Freakboy3]

"new studio Kabam"?

They have been around for a while... hell I worked there last year.

 

[Absoludacrous]

Thanks. One last thing. I can't seem to compete in these events. I'm guessing it is because I don't have 3 star characters. Does that seem possible?

Got my first duplicate already, 2 star Gamora. And I only have like 4-5 characters so that wasn't too much fun.

Of my two daily crystals so far, both have been dupes of one of the three characters I have. Pretty lame.

 

[Drayco21]

Thanks. One last thing. I can't seem to compete in these events. I'm guessing it is because I don't have 3 star characters. Does that seem possible?

Got my first duplicate already, 2 star Gamora. And I only have like 4-5 characters so that wasn't too much fun.

That's probably it- there are two versions of the event, one that requires you to have at least three characters of star level 2, and one that requires you to have at least three characters of star level 3 or 4.

"new studio Kabam"?

They have been around for a while... hell I worked there last year.

Whoops- I initilially read stuff when this was announced that it was in development by a new studio being founded by Marvel for it, and I never bothered fact-checking. Sorry about that, I'll make sure to fix it.

 

[Alchemy]

I'm enjoying this enough for a F2P game, probably carried mostly by the IP. The controls are pretty basic, not a lot of depth here. It is making me wish I had a 6+, my 5C feels small for this game.

 

[Mknzy]

So I think I have officially hit the first difficulty spike. I just made my first pass through act one chapter 2 part 3 and some of the enemies there really packed a punch. I have 10 characters now, no 3 stars yet, and unfortunatly no fist element hero's which means I cant break the gate to get 100% completion yet anyway. I am still winning mostly because I have gotten solid at the back and forth of attack and block, chaining up 18-19 hit combos fairly regularly, but I had to use a few potions on that one. I will probally re-run part 2 for a while and just earn ISO to level up some of my characters more so that I can compete better.