Avengers game footage surfaces

Last month, THQ shut down Brisbane-based THQ Studio Australia and said it was moving away form licensed kids' games and movie-based tie-ins. One possible victim of that closure was reportedly an unannounced game based on Marvel's upcoming Avengers movie.

That report gained credence yesterday with the posting of a YouTube video purportedly showing footage from a pre-alpha build of the game (embedded below). Lasting a little more than three minutes, the clip features a THQ Studio Australia bumper and a hearty helping of gameplay footage. The footage shows Avengers as an action game that takes place from a first-person perspective, with players controlling Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, and the Hulk. The clips also show the heroes fighting through certain sections of the game together, although they are specifically designated as AI partners.

The heroes have their trademark powers, with the Iron Man segments showing the armored Avenger flying into battle from the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier and polishing off foes with his repulsor blasts and rocket attacks. Meanwhile, the Hulk can pick up and hurl enemies, while Thor pummels foes with his thunder-powered hammer. A brief clip with Captain America shows the star-spangled Avenger grabbing ledges to pull himself up and tossing his shield at enemies.

As for those enemies, the gameplay clip showed them to be the shape-shifting alien race known as the Skrulls, with the power-mimicking Super Skrull positioned as a boss character. The Super Skrull's finishing moves showed the alien making use of other Marvel heroes' abilities, with one sequence borrowing powers from the Fantastic Four, and another mimicking the X-Men. Additionally, the footage showed concept art for a variety of locations including Manhattan, the Helicarrier, S.H.I.E.L.D. home base Triskelion, and the Skrull Mothership.

At the time the THQ Studio Australia closure was announced, a representative told GameSpot that "the two projects in development were unannounced, so I can't give you further details." A THQ representative today told GameSpot it could neither confirm nor deny the footage.