Marvel: Ultimate Alliance surprises with it depth and fun... something rare in Super Hero games.
This is the case for Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, a new Super Hero game by publisher Activision and developer Raven Software. In this game, you don't get to play as one Hero... you get to play as a whole bunch of them. A huge chunk of the Marvel universe is represented in this game, from Heroes to Villains to legendary locations. Although there are some well known figures who are absent here, like the Hulk and the Punisher, casual as well as hardcore fans will recognize many a face in this game.
The story is just as good as what you'd expect from a comic book. The game starts out as the Masters of Evil, headed by the notorious Dr. Doom, are attacking the S.H.I.E.L.D. hellicarrier. Nick Fury, the fearless leader, has no choice but to call for some help... and that help comes in the form of Spider-Man, Wolverine, Captain America & Thor. You'll save the hellicarrier without much trouble, but you'll soon find out that Doom's plans extend to far worse than what you'd expect.
As I've stated previously, you start off with Spider-Man, Wolverine, Captain America & Thor, but you'll be able to change that team to fit your own preferences. To do so, you need to reach a S.H.I.E.L.D. Access Point, which are available at your home base or scattered across the levels you'll play through. There are a wide range of Heroes here, ranging from the super popular ones to the more eclectic ones. The same can be said for the Villains too.
This game has been billed as an Action RPG, and that's exactly what it is. How is this an RPG? Well, through the course of the game, you'll be able to Level Up your Heroes by gaining Experience Points (XP). This XP can be gained in a variety of ways, from simple combat to answering trivia questions. As you might have guessed already, each Hero has his or her own set of moves and one special move, or "finisher". All of these can be modified by earning coins throughout the levels. You get coins by smashing objects or defeating an enemy. As you play through the game, you'll also unlock alternate costumes for the Heroes, which give you other types of moves and special abilities.
The whole RPG aspect is all fine and dandy, but there's a ton of action in this game too. You have 2 types of melee: short and long. Naturally, both can be mixed together to offer combos, and both will vary depending on which Hero you're playing as. Let's say you're playing as Spider-Man. He'll have some melee attacks, but he'll also have long-ranged ones, like shooting his web. Some Heroes also have the ability to fly, like Iron Man & Thor, while others can only jump. So, as you can see, it's a good thing to vary your party a bit.
As you smash through enemies and objects, you'll recover health and energy orbs, just like in God of War. Although health orbs are self-explanatory, I'll describe the energy orbs a bit. These orbs help you fill up your energy meter. Energy is used up when you use special moves, so you'll need to replenish it often, especially during boss battles.
The controls are easy to master. You have your 2 basic melee attacks (A & B buttons), your jump or fly button (Y button) and your grapple button (X button). The grapple button comes in handy when you want to disarm certain enemies or if you feel so inclined as to pushing them off a ledge. If you press your right trigger, you'll be able to select from a range of special abilities your Hero possesses. The left trigger helps you direct your team. Pressing the back button brings you to the Hero screen, where you can equip your Heroes with special powers taken from downed enemies or secret treasure chests. From this screen, you can also distribute your skill points or have the game do it for you (which is a good idea for novices).
But what's so special about this game? What makes it stand out amongst the others? I found there are several things that make this game memorable. First off, the action. The visceral, delightful action that this game brings is truly awesome. As you pound through enemy after enemy, boss after boss, you just want more.
Another thing is the beauty and diversity of the areas you'll fight in. From Mephisto's Realm to Asgard, from the Skrull homeworld to Doom's Castle, every place looks absolutely amazing and offers something different each time. One of the coolest levels is Murderworld, where you'll be trapped in a giant pinball machine and where you'll become the main character in the Pitfall game... yes, the PItfall game. Thank you Activision!
You want another reason? The sheer amount of Marvel characters, locations & mythology in this game is staggering. The comic books truly come to life in this game and it proves that the Marvel license is alive and very well.
But the game doesn't end when the main story does. Aside from having the opportunity to play the game again on another difficulty (Easy, Normal & Hard), you'll also pick up CDs throughout the levels which unlock comic book missions. You'll be able to play these missions from the Training Simulator available at every home base throughout the game. In these missions, you'll take on the role of one Hero (instead of the usual 4) and you'll have a set of objectives to complete under a certain amount of time (usually 20 minutes). If you are successful, not only will you earn extra coins and XP, but you'll probably unlock new Heroes along the way.
The voice work in the game is pretty good. There are very humorous cutscenes throughout the course of gameplay, especially when Spider-Man comes into play. The sound effects are what you'd expect from a Hero-filled game like this one. As for the soundtrack, it's a good mix of orchestral arrangements with some rock and a little bit of techno thrown in for good measure.
The graphics are pretty good for the XBox 360, but somewhat disappointing, especially when it comes to the regular cutscenes. The lip-sync in way off and the movement of the characters is choppy. On the other hand, the cinematic cutscenes are absolutely mind-blowing, especially on a good HDTV. During gameplay, there is hardly no lag or clipping.
If there was one thing to criticise about this game, it's the damn camera angles. I don't know what it is with these types of games, but they can't seem to get the camera right in any of them. Be aware that you'll sometimes get "stuck" with the camera during certain fight sequences, where, on some occasions, it simply won't turn or, sometimes, will give you a very close image of your Hero getting attacked. It's a shame that we still have to live with these types of problems.
The online gameplay is without reproach. The action moves smoothly, without any noticeable lag. The co-op is also extremely fun and engaging. You'll get tons of replay value with this game also, as you can go through the main storyline, which will take you between 15 and 20 hours on your first run through, several times, with different characters, and have different results almost every time. With the inclusion of the comic book missions, the skill testing questions, and other side attractions, this game's replay value is enormous.
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance is a very surprising game that will have you craving for more and more. It is, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the best Super Hero games ever made and one that digs very deep into the Marvel folklore. Casual and hardcore fans alike will rejoice in this offering, which cannot be overlooked. In three words: get this game.