Marvel Rivals

Play it on: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S

Current goal: Enjoy time playing anyone else before I become a Mister Fantastic one-trick

When it comes to character-based games like fighters and hero shooters, my choice of main is usually dictated more by whose design and backstory I find appealing, rather than by any mechanical traits the characters may possess. Soldier: 76 is my main in Overwatch because I wanted to play as a grumpy gay grandpa, but I don’t typically play the bog-standard COD character in shooters. My fighting game archetypes are all over the place, as I main Green Arrow in Injustice and Ryu in Street Fighter, characters I play simply because I like them rather than because they fit a specific fighting game playstyle that I excel in.

That’s proving to be the same with Marvel Rivals. Star-Lord is my main because the sassy space-traveling hero is my favorite character in the MCU. But I am also a creature of habit, and if a scruffy old man shows up in a video game I’m playing, I’m probably gonna make a hard pivot. I’m referring to Marvel Rivals’ version of Mister Fantastic, who is joining the roster alongside the rest of the Fantastic Four on Monday, January 6. The stretchy hero’s design in the shooter has been described by my friends as “Ken bait” and “specifically targeting [me].” They’re right. I’d better play as Star-Lord, Rocket, and Namor a lot this weekend. They’re going on the shelf for a hot minute very soon. — Kenneth Shepard