Marvel Ultimate Alliance Review (X360)

Marvel Ultimate Alliance is Activision and Raven Software’s third attempt at a superhero-themed action-RPG and the results are every bit as good as the first two X-Men Legends games. The gameplay and graphics have been refined and perfected which make MUA something truly special. I’m not sure if the overall Marvel universe has the same kind of mainstream appeal as the more focused X-Men games, but it plays so perfectly you’ll love it even if you don’t know the characters that well.

Story

The story in Marvel Ultimate Alliance goes like this. Dr. Doom has formed a coalition of supervillains known as the Masters of Evil whose intentions are undoubtedly sinister. The superheroes of the world then come together to fight them. And that is really all you need to know until you actually play the game. The most important thing about MUA is the huge cast of heroes and villains that play a role. Spider-Man, Wolverine, Iron Man, Captain America, the Fantastic 4, Moon Knight, Iceman, Silver Surfer, Ghost Rider, Blade, and many many more are at your disposal to take on the likes of Dr. Doom, Ultron, Mephisto, and more. There are more than 140 Marvel characters featured in the game with over 20 of them playable. For a comic book fan, this game is a dream come true.

Gameplay

If you have played through the X-Men Legends games, Marvel Ultimate Alliance’s gameplay should be very familiar. You dish out combos with the A and B buttons, can grapple with enemies and disarm then with X, and jump or fly with Y. The right trigger gives you access to your special moves, which you use by holding the right trigger and pressing the corresponding face button to the move you want to use. By holding the left trigger and making a selection on the D-pad, you can order your AI teammates to use their assist powers or to be more aggressive in battle. Outside of direct combat, the game is just the same as before. You wander around levels fighting enemies, finding computers to open doors, discovering bonus items, and generally just breaking a lot of stuff.

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