What, a game that lets you use all your favorite Marvel Superheroes? Sounds like fun!
THE GOOD
-Excellent cast of playable superheroes
-Co-Op mode is a lot of fun
-Great controls
-Cool cut-scenes
-Great sound and voice acting
THE BAD
-Graphics are mediocre
-Playing 4 player offline can get really cramped
-Some ultimate attacks and suits are pointless
OVERVIEW
Marvel Ultimate Alliance is really the complete alliance when it comes to the Marvel Universe. Most of the well-known superheroes are seen in this game like Spider Man, Captain America, Wolverine, and Iron Man. A man known as Nick Fury heads a government agency called S.H.I.E.L.D. which is out to stop Dr. Doom and his army of super villains from taking over the world. So, Nick needs the help of all the Marvel superheroes in order to stop Dr. Doom. This game offers a good story with a great cast of playable superheroes.
GAMEPLAY
Marvel Ultimate Alliance uses the same format as the X-men Legends games. This game is part action game and part role playing. You and either three other friends or A.I. players play simultaneously. The A.I. players can be switched to at anytime by using the D-pad. Playing with four friends is a lot of fun but sometimes the fighting can seem a little too cramped because this game uses a fixed screen for every player. Before each mission you get to choose the four superheroes (you've unlocked) that will participate in battle. The controls for the game are very good and make the combat run smoothly. Aside from your basic attacks and movement, you can pre-set special moves for each character to easily use at any time by pressing and holding R2. This pre-set option really makes it simple to defend yourself in the heat of battle.
The action part to the game is a lot of fun. The combat, environments, and characters really make the game fun to play. But along with a great action system, this game offers a simple yet effective role playing aspect. As your team defeats enemies your individual superheroes and team will obtain experience points. At a certain level your characters and team will have a chance to enhance skills and attributes like health and strength. As you put points into your superheroes skills their powers become more powerful. You can also enhance your superheroes by equipping accessories obtained from enemies and bosses. These accessories can range from a boost in damage to an increase in health regeneration. There are plenty of useful accessories to find, in the game, along with character specific ones that can boost skills.
Ultimate Alliance lets you completely customize your team of superheroes. You can decide which superheroes you want to be the heavy melee fighters and which ones will stand back and use energy to blast away enemies. In the customization menu each superhero can unlock up to four special uniforms to use. Some of the uniforms look really cool and others not so much but each uniform provides special enhancements. However, some of the uniforms provide power-ups that aren't very effective which can be kind of a waste of time trying to unlock them. Another cool feature is that each superhero has an ultimate attack. Unfortunately, some attacks are pointless, weak or ineffective on bosses so this is something you need to be aware of. Although there are some ultimate attacks that are fun to watch and can be very useful in the right situations. Speaking of boss battles, MUA has plenty of great boss fights. Each one will have you using different teamwork strategies in order to be triumphant.
GRAPHICS & SOUND
The in-game graphics aren't very good. The whole "cell shading" thing looks terrible to me. The cut-scenes, however, are nice to watch.
The sound effects really fit this game. From the sound of Captain America's shield bash to Iron Man's Unibeam, the effects are effective in enhancing the gameplay. Another great audio feature is the voice acting. There are plenty of big video game voice actors, in this game, and almost every voice is what I would have expected on each superhero.
CONCLUSION
Marvel is a great pick up for anybody. Especially, for any Marvel superhero fan because not only can you use all your favorites but the action is intense. This is a great multiplayer game either online or offline and has plenty of replay value. So, you've read the comic books, now you get the chance to utilize the Marvel superheroes and aid them in defeating some of the most powerful super villains in the entire Marvel universe.