Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2
SCORE: 64
Activision has teamed with Marvel to bring all of our favorite Marvel heroes back for another round of bad guy bashing, in Ultimate Alliance 2. If you played the original Ultimate Alliance, then you will be very familiar with the layout and gameplay in Ultimate Alliance 2. What separates Ultimate Alliance 2 from its predecessor is the storyline and some awesome new features.
Activision brings to life two very successful comic book series to give us the plot for Ultimate Alliance 2 - Secret War and Civil War. The game begins with Nick Fury (the Shield Commander) leading Captain America, Iron Man, Wolverine, and Spider-Man into a “Secret War”. When the bad guys retaliate by attacking an American city, people began to request the heroes register and give up their secret identities – which leads to a “Civil War” within the Marvel universe. There is a point in the game where you will have to choose which side you are on.
The presentation of the Marvel universe is great, and does well to support such a strong storyline. Gamers will be pleased with the updated menu screens over the original Ultimate Alliance. The main menu flows smoothly from one option to another. From making changes to the Team, to upgrading powers; Ultimate Alliance 2 provides a much more fluid experience.
Character models are almost flawless. Each one having the necessary attention to detail that brings there animated self to life. They each have their own personality as shown in the comics. If you have always wanted to be Iron Man or Captain America, this experience may be as close as you will ever get. With that attention to detail comes superhero costumes that can be too revealing when dealing with the female characters. This is not only a Ultimate Alliance 2 issue, rather a comic book culture issue – and has been for many years.
The in-game presentation is good, but also has some issues that could have been corrected. The environments are detailed and realistic. The characters can interact with almost everything in each scene. It is great to have such freedom in the gameplay, but it did present a few odd moments. I once picked up a huge piece of metal larger than the character I was playing with, the Thing, and was able to carry it through a small door. The metal simply went right through the walls on either side of the door. This was also noticeable when walking close to walls with various objects in-hand; they would simply disappear into the wall at times. There were other scenarios where characters would walk through each other. These are not issues that ruin the gameplay, but they are noticeable and should have been corrected.
Making their much-anticipated debut in Ultimate Alliance 2 are the new Fusion Power combinations. As in the original Ultimate Alliance, each character is armed with super powers. Most are given two when the game begins, with additional powers to be earned throughout the game. Fusion Power combinations allow two characters to combine their abilities to pull off an amazing attack that can defeat multiple enemies at once. It is a great idea and was implemented very well. It is great to try the different variations with all the characters. There are over 200 Force Power combinations that can be used during combat. When playing with a friend these new Fusion Powers will provide opportunities for a lot of experimentation and fun. Speaking with playing with a friend, Ultimate Alliance has a great co-op multiplayer mode. If one gamer is in the middle of a level for instance, player two can join right into the action.
The soundtrack in Ultimate Alliance 2 is very well produced. The level introduction scenes provide intriguing dialogue and set the stage for the upcoming missions. Some of the cut scenes were less than desirable graphically, but overall they were effective in communicating the plot. The voice acting was strong enough to carry the story development. Keep in mind there is some strong dialogue. At least we can always count on Spider-man to lighten the mood with his wise cracks.
Ultimate Alliance 2 is not necessarily a long game, but will keep you coming back for more bad guy smashing. With the “Civil War” storyline, there is the opportunity to play on both sides of the rift between the heroes. One thing worth mentioning here is that there will be certain characters that can only be played on one side or the other – due to their leadership role in the story. Another aspect of Ultimate Alliance 2 that provides plenty of depth is the character upgrades - which include special moves, costume upgrades, unlocking new heroes, and team boost.
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 is a very fun and entertaining game, especially for comic book fans. There are enough similarities with the original that fans can pick it up and jump into the action. That action, of course, can be violent and include disturbing images (i.e. characters getting electrocuted).
I would recommend Ultimate Alliance 2 for the mature comic book fan
that enjoys good, solid story telling and action packed gameplay.
Parents should definitely use the ESRB rating, T-Teen, when considering
this game for their children. When playing with younger gamers, parent
can look for the opportunities to discuss decision-making, violence, and
treatment of others.
- Alan
Graphics: 58%
Sound: 56%
Replay/Extras: 76%
Gameplay: 70%
Family Friendly Factor: 49%
System: Xbox 360/PS2/Playstation 3
Publisher: Activision
Rating: 'T'
for Teen
{Mild Language, Violence}
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