Marvel: Ultimate Alliance

Marvel’s superheroes are here to save you from dumpy PS3 launch titles.

Tags: Categories: PS3 Reviews, Reviews

Posted by Tracy Erickson on Dec 13th, 2006

Title Players
Marvel Ultimate Alliance (title page) 1 - 4
Developer Publisher Genre Online
Role-Playing (Action) Yes


Activision has managed to buck the trend of substandard comic book-licensed games with a string of solid titles. From the two Spider-Man games to the recent success of the X-Men Legends role-playing games, the publisher has focused on establishing standards of quality with its graphic novel games. Therefore, it comes with little surprise that Marvel: Ultimate Alliance possesses the same high quality. Even if it is nothing more than a straightforward hack-and-slash role-playing game, its impressive presentation and solid design make Marvel: Ultimate Alliance a highly enjoyable game.


Marvel: Ultimate Alliance thrusts you in the middle of an epic confrontation with Dr. Doom and his newly minted Masters of Evil. Dr. Doom has hijacked a S.H.I.E.L.D. airbase in order to launch a nuclear weapon stored on board the ship. A few superheroes have been called in to stop the mayhem. You’ll start the game off with Spider-Man, Thor, Captain America, and Wolverine in your party. As you progress through the game and unravel Dr. Doom’s maniacal scheme, you’ll unlock new superheroes from the Marvel universe for use in your party.


Much like the two X-Men Legends games previously developed by Raven Software, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance is a top-down role-playing game with a strong emphasis on action. Basic attacks are triggered with the X button, while heavy attacks can be dealt with the circle button. Combination attacks are done with various button patterns, but its much easier to alternate between light and heavy attacks. Holding R2 and pressing a face button lets you execute various special powers, which are specific to each superhero. Raven Software has done an excellent job of creating attacks that correspond with each superhero’s unique characteristics and powers. There’s a wide range of abilities among the superheroes such Spider-Man’s web shot or Daredevil’s baton attack or even Ghost Rider’s fiendish chains. Easily the most satisfying aspect of Marvel: Ultimate Alliance is playing different superheroes to toy with their powers.


Combat is a pretty straightforward affair, usually boiling down to button mashing. Frequent boss battles with villains or original creatures will force you to vary your attack strategy beyond this, but for the most part you’ll bum rush enemies by jamming on X. Defeating enemies rewards you with experience for leveling up your character, as well as S.H.I.E.L.D. credits which can be used to boost your superheroes’ powers. At certain levels you’ll receive points to spend on unlocking new powers or enhancing existing ones; additionally, you can use credits to buy points. Each superhero can also equip a costume for added abilities, as well as items for bonuses. There are enough development options to keep things interesting, but compared to more traditional role-playing games it’s a bit shallow. Given the large number of superheroes in the game, limiting character development to a few elements was a good decision.


You can switch between any of your four party members on-the-fly using the directional pad; additionally, you can swap out superheroes from your party at save points. Bonuses are given when you create parties with complementary superheroes, but you’re free to combine superheroes anyway you want. A second player can join in at anytime to play cooperatively through the campaign; additionally, you can play online with up to four players. Arcade mode allows you to compete against other players in set missions, which is a nice alternative to cooperatively working through the campaign. Even though the single player campaign provides more than enough gameplay, it’s nice to have multiplayer modes to whittle away more time.


In an effort to differentiate the PlayStation 3 version of Marvel: Ultimate Alliance from those available on other platforms, the Sixaxis controller has been integrated in a couple of ways; unfortunately, both of these uses are poorly designed. Holding L1 and moving the Sixaxis allows you to evade attacks; however, any movement of the controller while holding down L1 causes your character to evade. Even when the Sixaxis remains still, if it is tilted at an angle and you press L1, your character will roll in that direction. Since pressing L1 alone is used for blocking attacks, you end up rolling around the screen instead of blocking. In order to avoid this, you have to hold the Sixaxis completely level at all times; considering what an annoyance that is, you’re better off ignoring the motion controls and using the left analog stick to evade attacks.


Context-sensitive actions also make use of the Sixaxis. For example, an early level requires pushing a massive pillar down onto a glass floor in order to break it. Once the pillar is at the edge, you’re prompted to move the controller up and down rapidly to tip it over. Another example includes disarming bombs by tilting the controller in a series of different directions. Aside from being a predictable application of the Sixaxis, it doesn’t work due to the excessive amount of movement required to complete any action. It isn’t fun to have to flail about just to disarm a bomb. Fortunately, you can ignore the motion controls by turning them off in the options menu.


You won’t be able to ignore, however, the fantastic visual presentation Marvel: Ultimate Alliance offers. On par with the Xbox 360 version, the game looks smashing on PlayStation 3 with highly detailed environments, stylish character models, and impressive lighting effects. There are no noticeable differences between the two next-generation versions, aside from what appears to be more advanced lighting on PlayStation 3. Occasionally, some slow down in the framerate occurs whenever a bunch of enemies populate the screen; moreover, every once in awhile the game will pause longer than usual when switching between menu and gameplay screens.


Rather than mess with a winning strategy, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance brings hack-and-slash role-playing into the next-generation better than it has ever been before. The chance to play a wide range of superheroes that are all customizable makes the game incredibly engaging and with a lengthy campaign, as well as online and offline multiplayer, you’ll be playing for quite some time. Comic readers will totally get into playing as their favorite superheroes, but where Marvel: Ultimate Alliance succeeds is in being accessible to anyone with its solid gameplay and pleasing presentation.

What Works Score
+ Plenty of characters to play and develop
+ Lengthy campaign and multiplayer modes
+ Impressive visual presentation 		8.0
What Doesn't
- Shoddy use of Sixaxis motion controls
- Nothing new brought to the table
Under the Shrink-wrap
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance may not be anything new, but its beautiful presentation and solid gameplay make it a must-have on any platform. Impressive visual effects make it most desirable on PlayStation 3, but the engaging superhero customization and lengthy campaign are worth playing in general. Even if the motion controls are shoddy, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance is a highly enjoyable game that works well on PlayStation 3.
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