Marvel: Ultimate Alliance

"A Flawless Execution"

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance comes from a long line of well designed beat-em-ups, notable the X-Men Legends series, and this new installment is no disappointment.

To begin, the graphics are top notch. The terrain through which you travel is well detailed, colorful, yet varied. The characters have a simply stunning number of sprites, creating a very high level of animation for all motions. As for special attacks, the visuals are astounding, truly pushing the limits of the GBA. Much of the graphics are typical of what you might expect from the Playstation 2.

M:UA also features some of the best audio I've yet to hear on this hand-held. Ranging from well arranged orchestral pieces to trashy yet stylish dungeon beats, the music always manages to match the mood and scenery. The sound effects follow suit, as they are high quality and of numerous quantity.

Of course, in any game of this sort, gameplay is the key. Luckily, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance is la creme de la creme of its genre. This masterpiece features a wide variety of unique characters, with markedly different fighting styles, strategies, and a barrage of special attacks and abilities. The game features a simple method of switching between Wolverine's fast paced brawling and Spiderman's skill based fighting.

The leveling system has certainly been developed since previous games, as strengths are now highly customizable based on a Reputation system. Emphasis can be put on longevity, raw power, or even item use. Combined with the variety of characters, the level of strategy and customization is unheard of. To their credit, the developers balanced the system very well, as every character has a niche use, and none are so overpowered or underpowered as to break the game.

Similarly, the game's enemies are well tailored to prove a challenge while not being pointlessly weak or obnoxiously strong (lest you put it on Hard mode). Bosses require intelligent strategy and use of abilities, but can be beaten in any number of intuitive ways.

The game's controls do their job. Control response is quick, the setup is intuitive, and the menu systems are sleek and sensible.

Suffice to say, this game is nearly flawless. The length is a bit short for my liking, possibly due its fast pace, but this is made up for by the high replay value.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 11/17/06