Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 Update - New playable characters and sim missions DLC

Now that Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 has been released into the wild and fans have plowed their way through both of the game's campaigns, it's likely that people are experiencing a need for some more things to do. Fortunately, Activision and developer Vicarious Visions have been thinking ahead. Albany-based Vicarious is currently putting the finishing touches on a sizable chunk of downloadable content that's set to give fans of the game more to do and more characters to do it with. The upcoming DLC pack is set to feature several new playable characters, made up of heroes and villains, and new simulator missions. We recently had the chance to try out some of the upcoming content and will be sharing our thoughts during the next two weeks. This week, we're talking Psylocke, Carnage, and two new sim missions: Balance and Insidious Alliance.

X-Men fans will likely be very pleased at the addition of Psylocke to the roster. The psychic ninja's model looks great and is curvy in all the places fans will want it to be. Her default outfit is based on the iconic blue ninja outfit we all know and love, with some nice subtle touches and two-toed ninja shoes. Her alternate outfit is based on one of her more modern suits, which is a bummer since we were hoping for Lady Mandarin armor, but so it goes. Psylocke's powers are a nice mix of some of her classic powers and some ninja moves. Her katana lunge is a forward charge using her psychic knife. The butterfly kick is a short series of kicks. Psionic bolts are psi bolts that stun enemies. Finally, the triple strike is a series of three slashes. We've tried a few of her fusions with different characters and are pretty pleased by how she fits in to the mix of powers. What we've seen skews more toward clearing and guided fusions, which are handy.

Spider-Man fans should be cool with the inclusion of Carnage to the roster of villains in MUA2. You can never have enough crazy symbiote-powered nutjobs in your baddie options. The twisted villain comes rocking his classic black and red gooey costume, which makes an unsettling squishing sound as he moves. We didn't get a look at his alternate outfit, but we reckon it will be equally freaky. In terms of powers, Carnage doesn't overlap too much with Venom. Lunatic lunge is a handy charge that sends him barreling into foes, biting everyone along the way. Symbiote surprise shoots out tendrils to impale anything around him, and you can extend them by mashing the B button. Berserk blade keeps it simple and has him toss a massive axe at his foes. Finally, slice 'n dice hacks up nearby foes with blades. Carnage's fusions share some similarities with Venom's, but they do differ a bit.

The two sim missions stick to what's fun about the game: beating things up. Balance is a fun challenge that has you moving to keep ahead of an energy wave. The catch is that you can't get too far ahead due to an energy wall directly ahead of you that is positioned a set distance away from the advancing wall, essentially boxing you in. You'll have to deal with enemies that drop in as well as random obstacles like doors, which you'll have to bash down. As in all the sim missions, things get nuts the longer you last, with more challenging enemies getting dropped in. Insidious Alliance is a good timed challenge that plays out like a survival mode with midbosses. You'll face a who's who of all the heroes and villains you took on in both campaigns. As you clear each wave, you'll have a breather to break open some crates and restore what health you can. If you manage to make it to the end, you get to face Carnage, which is as hard as you'd expect a battle against a symbiote sociopath to be. Thankfully you'll be rewarded for your efforts with new boosts. In addition, the DLC pack will let you earn new achievement points or trophies, depending on your platform of choice.

If all this sounds good to you, just wait until you hear about the other stuff Vicarious is tossing into the upcoming DLC. The content is set to hit before the end of the year. Check back on November 4 for more word on what's coming in the DLC.