Marvel: Ultimate Alliance

"One of the best comic book games out there"

With the release of X-Men Legends 1 and 2, comic book fanatics were rejoicing, for these games offered a lot of playable characters, good, non-stop action, and some nice RPG elements. Now in the current generation of gaming, Activision has kept the same core gameplay that made those two games great, they have improved on a few things, and they have gathered together all of your favourite Marvel characters to fight together to stop the villainous gang of bad guys called "The Masters of Evil" led by none other than Victor Von Doom.

Gameplay 8/10

The combat is not complex, but it is very satisfying. You have 2 buttons for melee attacks, one button to grab the enemy, and one button to jump. There are minimal combos in the game, so you will find yourself using the same combos over and over again. There is a combo to trip the enemy, one to stun them, one to pop them up into the air, and a standard combo.

The thing that makes the gameplay so great, is that every hero has a lot of his special powers that are available to use whenever you have enough energy(don't worry you will rarely run out). These powers are very powerful and very nice to watch. Everything from Human Torch shooting out Fireballs from his hands, to Wolverine lunging towards an enemy with his claws, impaling them into his chest. You earn experience points for killing enemies, and you level up your characters, giving you the option to advance some old powers to make them stronger, or choosing from new powers for him/her to learn.

Story - 7/10

The story is your average save the world from the super-villains before they destroy it. Dr Doom has enticed every imaginable villain in the galaxy, offering them great power in return. Colonel Nick Fury has gathered together a true team of super-heroes to fight together to stop Doom. From Iron Man, Captain America and Spider-Man, to Moonknight, Luke Cage and Mr Fantastic. There also a few secret characters that you will unlock.

Graphics - 8/10

The graphics are above average. The characters look very good, the environments are excellent, you will fight from Atlantis to an Amusement Park. The game also uses a few real-time cut-scenes which are absolutely remarkable and make for some very exciting action.

Re-playability 9/10

The game takes a good 20 hours to beat on your first try, you can then start a new game on hard, while keeping all your unlocked characters and statistics, and you can experiment with different teams making for a slightly different experience every time.

Overall - 9/10

This game is a must own for any Marvel fan, and it is worth checking out for just about anyone who is interested in Action RPGs.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 05/14/07