Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 (Xbox 360)

By Adam Volk | October 28, 2009 | 7:23am

Video Games Reviews Xbox 360

Developers: Vicarious Visions

Story-wise, UA2 draws heavily from the recent comic book plots of the Secret War and Civil War comic book story arcs. Players find themselves leading their merry band of super-powered ass-kickers through a series of entertaining and well-written plot points while facing familiar Marvel icons such as Nick Fury, SHIELD and perennial baddie Doctor Doom. One particularly interesting story moment occurs during the events of the Civil War comic book mini-series, with players able to choose between the Pro-Registration and Anti-registration sides and the game’s story subsequently branching depending on the player’s decision.

Players looking for an obligatory superhero team up will also be happy to learn that UA2 supports four player co-op either online or on a single console. In fact, the game is really at its best in terms of cooperative gameplay and the customization and staggering number of power sets and characters adds plenty of superhero-style replay value.

Bonus Features: Unlockable characters, costume customization, downloadable content.

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The Good: A staggering number of characters to choose from, with “fusion” powers adding a nearly limitless number of combinations.

The Bad: The same occasionally repetitive RPG elements that plagued the original game.

Final Word: For Marvel fanboys looking to satiate their love of superheroes and spend some quality time with their game consoles, Ultimate Alliance 2 is well worth picking up. The game manages to hold its own as a worthy sequel, while also managing to correct a number of problems that plagued the original. Of course, UA2 isn’t a perfect comic-book adaptation by any stretch of the imagination, but compared to the stagnant catalogue of failed Marvel videogames, it’s likely to become a smash…of Hulk-like proportions.

Publisher: Activision

Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii, DS

Marvel fanboys rejoice!

From the time Spider-Man first appeared as a pixilated, web-slinging blob on the Atari 2600, it seems that Marvel Comics’ spandex-clad pantheon of superheroes have been systematically pimped out to one video game developer after another, with the end result being a slew of depressingly bland adaptations. Fortunately, video game-loving Marvel fanboys have a new reason to celebrate thanks in part to Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2, a game bursting with enough heroes, villains and nods to obscure Marvel lore to send most comic book geeks into anaphylactic shock. That being said, Ultimate Alliance 2‘s gameplay doesn’t quite live up to the pop culture cred inspired by Marvel’s sprawling mythology, but the end result is still a game that’s surprisingly rewarding, deep and entertaining.