Marvel: Ultimate Alliance Review
Worry not, true believers. Activision has an excellent comic book beat-em-up for PlayStation 3.
Posted by Robert Workman on Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance is a great game. It's gameplay shares many similarities with developer Raven Software's previous X-Men Legends games, but the formula still works. The game's been a big hit on Xbox 360 with its mighty list of unlockables, bonus characters and Xbox Live-supported co-op gameplay. Now the PlayStation 3 version has arrived, just in time for the system's launch. Thankfully, it's just as action-packed.
Doctor Doom, the nefarious evildoer who fights the Fantastic Four every chance he gets is back. He's formed a league of super villains and it's up to a team of super heroes to shut them down for good. Players receive four characters from the start: Thor, Captain America, Wolverine and Spider-Man. Over the course of the game, however, the player can shift the team around to their liking as new heroes get unlocked. This list includes Silver Surfer, Hawkeye, Blade, Ghost Rider, and even members of the Fantastic Four.
Alliance's team-based gameplay shines because it keeps things fresh and exciting. A group of four works together at all times, beating up countless thugs. The player can switch between these heroes with a press of the D-pad. Having this feature adds an avalanche of replay value, as each hero has his or her own special moves. Spider-Man, for example, can swing around with his web to set up powerful aerial moves and reach higher ledges as Wolverine can take more damage than most characters and slice up bad guys with his adamantium claws.
This gameplay shares similarities with previous beat-em-ups from gaming's past. The player must first wade through groups of thugs scattered throughout each level, then reach the eventual boss encounter against one of Doctor Doom's villain league. The wide scope of characters is off the charts, as all kinds of bad guys show their faces. (When was the last time Bullseye got some respect in a video game? Honestly.) The locations range from a S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier flying over the city, a blood-red Mephisto's Hell and even to a devastated Skrull world.
Upon closer inspection, the lighting effects actually appear to be better here than on the 360. The animation's sharp, complete with even the smallest gestures and movements. Massive levels come filled with hidden areas and goodies. After explosions and when the screen is cluttered with enemies, the frame rate takes a nosedive but it doesn't damage the game. One thing to note, though -- no matter which heroes you select for your party, the cut-scenes don't feature your party members.
Cheesy character voices grate on the nerves (particularly the villains), but others like the snarling Wolverine provide nice little touches. The music fails to excel, but its dramatic beats get the job done. As for the sound effects, the game features individual collisions and ear-rattling explosions.
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance can be beaten within a matter of hours, but multiplayer greatly extends its replay value. Up to four players can jump into a co-op battle at any time. It can be fun offline if you know a few people that own SIXAXIS controllers, but the real treat is being able to hook up with players online. There were only a few sparse players out there during our sessions with the game, but the online play works smoothly throughout, with hardly any connection issues.
Sadly, Marvel comes up short in a few areas. Activision attempted to add SIXAXIS support that allows players to jerk around their controller to pull off attacks. However, it feels awkward and should be turned off. Lack of achievements is another eyesore, as there's no incentive to locate all of the hidden items. Finally, boss encounters usually don't rely on that many tactics. Either the group is surrounding a bad guy and chipping away at him with punches, or they're tactically fighting him or her using push-button sequences. More variety would've been greatly appreciated.
Thankfully, these minor complaints don't ruin the experience. Marvel: Ultimate Alliance isn't a sophisticated comic-book role-playing game, but rather a full-fledged beat-em-up that's fun to play either solo or with friends. It helps to have an appreciation for comic books, but you don't need to understand specifically what's going on to have a good time. Excelsior!
Final Score: 8/10
