Trashdome - Marvel Heroes VS Marvel Heroscape

WELCOME TO TRASHDOME!

This is part of a series of bloody matches to the death. Show support for your favorite game so it will do better in the fight. You can support it by writing why you think its the better game and more importantly by betting on it. End your first post in this thread with the title of the game you're placing a bet on (i.e. voting for) so its clear to me when reading it later. You have until Friday when I tally the bets and declare the winner. Counting expansions or not is entirely up to you just as playing with them or not is. I will reserve my bet for any tie-breakers.

Although you should be familiar with both games, there is no rule that says you have to have played both of them. The only rule in Trashdome is this;

Two games enter! One game leaves!

Great matchup. Two very different games with the same characters and setting. And I used to be a huge fan of the Marvel Universe, at least until the mid-'80s.

Marvel Heroes: I really wanted this game, but money was tight at the time, so I had to wait. And while waiting, I read enough reviews and talked to a few acquaintances who had played it, and heard enough to make me lose some interest. It sounds like Marvel Heroes is long and complicated, which might be okay, but doesn't deliver enough on the theme. The combat system is basically scissors-paper-rock, and the game is unbalanced in favor of the Fantastic Four. I would still like to try it sometime, and if I ever see a really good deal on it, I will buy it. If nothing else, those are some nice-looking components, especially the figures.

Marvel Heroscape: I have only played one game of Heroscape, and that was before Marvel Heroscape was out. The long setup time was like playing with Legos, which was really fun when I was a kid, but not especially fun as an adult. The game itself was a capture-the-flag scenario, with teams of two players each. It was moderately fun, until it became obvious that the figures were wildly unbalanced and one team beat the living hell out of the other team. The total time spent on setup and takedown was roughly twice as long as the game itself. I think that there is enough to do the game that they can probably do a decent job of modeling the various powersets of the Marvel characters, and also retain a decent approximation of the varying power levels. And this combat system is clean and fun compared to what I've read about the scissors-paper-rock of Marvel Heroes. If I were still a kid, I would be playing Marvel Heroscape all the time. As an adult, I think that there isn't much game there.

All things considered, I choose Marvel Heroes.

Counterpoint. A game with Spidey and the Hulk should be playable and enjoyable by kids of all ages. MARVEL HEROES is too convoluted, too gamey, and too labored-over for it to be much fun. MARVEL HEROSCAPE takes a now-classic simple miniatures system and adds licensed characters to great effect. No, there's not much game there. But there doesn't need to be. The fun of a simple character-driven beat-em-up calls for cool pieces, cool powers, and cool characters. Not contrived, overworked mechanics.

So this is a vote for the kids- MARVEL HEROSCAPE.

Cue Maka...I'm sure he'll be in here to defend MH any minute now.

I own both games, but don't have an opinion about which is better. I'm posting here just to share my IMPORTANT INSIGHT:

The world needs a thematic dexterity game set in the Marvel Universe. Something with wood-block buildings that crumble during super-powered combat. And utility poles and fire hydrants and Kirby dots. Lots of Kirby dots.

I own both games, but don't have an opinion about which is better.

Juniper, come on now. You know the rules- two games enter, one game leaves. You must decide.

I have Marvel Heroes, and I have Heroscape, not Marvelscape though.

Even though I haven't played Marvelscape yet, I must say that it is probably going to be more fun than Marvel Heroes, which is flat and tasteless.

Juniper wrote:

I own both games, but don't have an opinion about which is better. I'm posting here just to share my IMPORTANT INSIGHT:

The world needs a thematic dexterity game set in the Marvel Universe. Something with wood-block buildings that crumble during super-powered combat. And utility poles and fire hydrants and Kirby dots. Lots of Kirby dots.

If only Marvel would buy the Freedom Force game and re-theme it for the Marvel Universe.

Shellhead wrote:

If only Marvel would buy the Freedom Force game and re-theme it for the Marvel Universe.

Freedom Force is already the best Marvel Universe game ever made. I just wish a third game in the series had been released.

In fact, I'd speculate that a Freedom Force board game could be the best Marvel Universe board game ever made. The Marvel characters seem to demand a certain reverence these days, while the Freedom Force characters were just fun and funny.

Man-Bot forever!

Juniper wrote:

I own both games, but don't have an opinion about which is better.

Two games enter. One game leaves.

Well, since only one game leaves.....

Marvel Heroscape. Basically heroscape with cool-looking Marvel characters with their powers well defined. For me and my house, we will play Marvel Heroscape. With kids and family that aren't hardcore gamers, this is a blast to play. It is smaller than regular Heroscape so the setup isn't too bad (though I've never quite understood the gripe about setting up Heroscape.

MARVEL HEROSCAPE

Vote: HeroClix.

(I abstain on the original ones; haven't played either one and no real interest. And I'm a former City of Heroes player...)

Marvel Heroes


My token "vote for the loser" entry. Got to start the streak again.

Marvel Heroes is overcooked in some ways to be sure, but Marvel Heroscape is filled with so much unrealized potential. Should have been fucking gangbuster seller for Hasbro, the beginning of a monster franchise and a cash cow. Instead, died a fizzling death on Wal-Mart shelves because in the long term Hasbro doesn't know how to manage a property like this; in fact, it's amazing they kept Heroscape going for as long as they did.


Seriously, you guys play with just a Marvel Heroscape set? It's fucking boring; stand around at minimal range and blast the shit out of each other. There's hardly a reason to even move. That's some bad design, folks.

I played both of these last week.

Marvel Heroes gave me a headache.

Marvel Heroscape gave me head.

VOTE: Marvel Heroscape

At least you actually feel like you are using something that approximates a super power in game terms when you play Marvel Heroscape. Marvel Heroes reduces superpowers to all the fun of carefully considered resource management.

MARVELSCAPE!

I've played Marvel Heroes a couple of times, found it hard going but enjoyed both them, bought a copy myself and have been trying to get it on the table again.

I bought Marvel Heroscape a couple of years back for me and the nipper to play but already had got slightly whatever with Heroscape, read the back of the box, and kinda left it at that.

So, on pure interest and enjoyment my vote has to be Marvel Heroes.