Summary
Marvel’s Bladeis a character who is receiving a lot of attention in 2023. Most of this fervor has come from the fact that Arkane Studios announced that they are working on a solo game based on thenot-so-secret vampire hunter. However, some of this newfound attention comes from the fact that the character is set to star in a reboot movie that takes place in the MCU.
TheMarvelcharacter Blade has been around in the comics since 1973 and has shown up as a playable character across various Marvel games. Whether his combat relies on his swords, fists, gadgets, or guns, Blade is always a cool character worth having on the team, and here’s how his legacy holds whilst players wait forMarvel’s Blade.
6Blade Trinity
Blade’s Darkest Moment
The third and final movie in theBladetrilogy hit cinemas in 2004, and it is often considered a low point for the character. The movie was not a hit with audiences or critics, only landing a score of 24% on Rotten Tomatoes, and many stories of the film’s troubled production have emerged since its release. The game is also seemingly troubled, receiving a pixel tie-in rather than the usual 3D venture.
Fans play as Blade in an action-adventure game that largely follows the events of the movie from a top-down perspective. Blade teams up with a rogue gang of other vampire hunters to fight Dracula. Only this game features an alternate ending where the title character isn’t cured of his vampirism.
5Blade 2 (2002)
The Second Film Received A Tie-In Game
Blade 2isthe second movie in the franchise, and it was received almost as well as the first film. Since there was now an audience for this franchise, the second movie in the series also received a licensed tie-in game for the PS2.
Thisthird-person action brawlerallows players to take control of Blade as he explores the darkest corners of the city in search of vampires. Blade can take out these vampires using a string of melee attacks, but there is also the option to take them out using his guns. Instead of following the plot of the movie, this game instead takes place six months later and sees Blade and Whistler taking on a new vampire clan.
4Blade (2000)
The First Blade Tie-In Game
The firstBladevideo game was a direct tie-in to the first movie and came out on the PS1. As such, this video game was a lot rougher than the tie-in games that came out afterward. However, this action game set the stage for how the character would play in all subsequent games.
Following a prequel story before the plot of the first movie, players use Blade as he tries to fight his way through vampire-infested dens across the city. Thefighting is mainly done through melee attacks, and players have to fight against standard vampires, big monsters, demons, and killer dogs.
TheLEGO Marvel video games are exactly what their titles suggest. They are bothLEGOgames that take place in the Marvel Universe. The first game takes place in an open-world New York City sandbox, while the second game opens up to feature several locations and characters from the multiverse.
However, both of these games stick to the standardLEGOgame formula, and feature over one hundred different playable characters to unlock. Both of these games allow players to unlock Blade after they collect enough studs, and he plays just as expected by wielding two swords and a gun. This time, though, the violence was kept to a minimum, due to life being plastic rather than flesh and guts.
TheMarvel Ultimate Alliancefranchise started when the first game was released in 2005. These games allow players to pick four Marvel characters to add to their team as they play through the game, and there have been two sequelsin the series so far.
Blade does have a big presence in the first game, seeing as how the character was just coming off of a movie trilogy. Players can automatically unlock and play as Blade during the main story. However, the character does not appear in number two and is only part of the third game’s DLC,The Curse of the Vampire. In this expansion, players can unlock Blade by getting a four-star score in his gauntlet. Both of these games give Blade access to his swords and guns, but he is less violent than he is in his own games.
Marvel’s Midnight Sunsis a tactical RPG released in 2022 that takes place in the Marvel Comicsuniverse. Players use their own created character called The Hunter torecruit a series of heroesfrom the Avengers, X-Men, Midnight Sons, and Runaways to fight in a series ofturn-based combat scenarios. Since Blade is a key member of the Midnight Sons, he is, of course, available to add to the player’s team.
There isn’t much autonomy given to players who use Blade, as this is a turn-based strategy game. However, Blade is often considered to be one of the most invaluable characters in the game. His speed allows him to strike enemies first to protect other heroes, and his large variety of weapons means he can do damage to either one or multiple targets during his turn.
