Parents' Guide to Marvel Powers United VR

This VR comic book adventure makes you feel like your favorite superheroes, but the lack of story and tech issues keeps this one for hardcore comic fans only. Marvel Powers United VR really makes you feel like you've stepped into the boots of your favorite heroes with every movement you make. The sense of scale is incredible – for example, if you choose to play as the Hulk, you feel imposing as you tower over everyone. Each character has five to seven abilities they can use in battle, and attacks can be paired with other heroes to create powerful combos. Successfully defeating enemies gives points, which are redeemed at the end of a battle for unlockable items, like new costumes or equipment from other Marvel characters. But beware: the game ramps up the difficulty based on the strength of your squad's teamwork, throwing more opponents and villains at players in an attempt to stop their progress. The action is very fast paced to keep you on your toes, and it's hard to not work up a sweat defending yourself and your teammates from incoming attacks.

Unfortunately, there's just no story here. Apart from the initial cutscene, you never know why you're fighting a villain (or two) when they attack -- they just appear randomly. Otherwise, gameplay is very repetitive: protect antennas, grab generator energy cells, blast enemies, repeat. Essentially, you're competing with your teammates for a high score instead of saving the day. Worse, the Rift's sensor tracking can make some gesture-dependent abilities for throwing weapons useless. For example, when Captain America threw his shield, it frequently missed its target, unlike Doctor Strange's energy blasts, which were more accurate. That made some characters less fun or appealing to play. With these two large issues, Marvel Powers United VR is great for hardcore comic fans, but for everyone else, you may feel like a sidekick waiting to save the day.