More heroes, villains joining 360 Ultimate Alliance

Some Marvel comics fans may have felt that Activision used a bit of hyperbole when they used the word "Ultimate" in their 2006 Xbox 360 release Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. The Incredible Hulk, Cyclops, and Nightcrawler were among the popular characters not playable in the Xbox 360 version, but now it appears that Activision is fixing that.

The publisher has announced that new downloadable content packs for the game will be available on Xbox Live Marketplace in April. The Hero pack and Villain pack will cost 500 Microsoft points ($6.25) each, or can be purchased together for 800 Microsoft points ($10). For those who want to instill fear in those who look at their gamer profiles, Heroes and Villains picture packs will also be available for 80 Microsoft points ($1) apiece.

The two new packs feature eight new playable characters: The Incredible Hulk, Hawkeye, Nightcrawler, Cyclops, Magneto, Doctor Doom, Venom, and Sabretooth. Presumably the latter four will be featured in the Villains pack, and the previous four in the Heroes pack (Activision did not specify in its announcement). In addition to coming with their own unique powers and abilities, the heroes will be accompanied by new achievement points.

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance for the Xbox 360 is rated T for Teen and retails for $59.99. The game was also released on the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Wii, Xbox, PlayStation Portable, PC, and Game Boy Advance. For more information, read GameSpot's review.