Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth

The Avengers have Assembled once again. While 2012's blockbuster film had Earth's Mightiest Heroes fighting alien invaders from the sky, however, Avengers: Battle for Earth really has them getting into the thick of it on the ground.

The game follows the Secret Invasion storyline originally penned by superstar writer Brian Michael Bendis. As comics fans will know, this means that the shape-shifting alien skrulls have been infiltrating our planet, taking key positions of power. Unfortunately, the ranks of the world's heroes have not been immune to the threat and the skrulls aren't just mimicking their looks - the aliens have their powers, too.

The game plays out as a beat-'em-up, using the PowerUp Heroes engine. Wii U owners will be using its motion control features to loose their moves. It's an intuitive, straightforward control method and players will be unleashing gamma-powered punches, fiery bursts of Pheonix force and lightening-lashed hammer blows in no time. It's all about experiencing the raw power of being a superhero.

The game's line-up isn't hampered by licensing issues that have often kept characters in their own little videogame worlds in the past. It seems the entire Marvel Comics line is up for grabs. You've got classic Avengers mainstays that you might recognise from the movie, such as Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, the Incredible Hulk, Hawkeye and Black Widow. There are popular Marvel characters you might not recognise as Avengers but who, nonetheless, are, such as Spider-Man, Wolverine, Doctor Strange and the Scarlet Witch. There are even characters who have pretty much never graced an Avengers comic, such as Magneto! Throw in Skrulls that have taken on not just the appearance but also the powers of many heroes and you've got a lot of variety.

Much as the story and the line-up stick to the comic book origins of the characters, so does the art style. Bold colours and simple lines are favoured, so you don't have to worry about dodgy lip-sync and a creepily mannequin-ish rendition of Robert Downey Jr's face.

Do we really have to say it? Oh, go on then: Avengers Assemble!