I felt really sorry for the team behind Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, I really did. The pressure they must have felt when putting together a game like this must have been huge.
Not only were they creating a sequel to a game that had already picked up good reviews from the press and fans alike, but they were working on a Marvel game - a name that carries so much weight to it, the slightest slip up and the Graphic Novel Police would be out in force to pick them up on it.
And if it didn’t look anywhere near as good as the comics that have been running for over 70 years, there would be ‘heck’ to pay.
My sorrow soon faded however, as within moments of installing the game I was dropped into a beautifully distinct world as Spider Man, fighting off 50 robots with my mates Iron Man, Wolverine and Captain America. I smiled, and felt like a kid again.
In Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, your task is simple. Beat the bad guys.
To do this you are put into a team of four famous super heroes and must work together to make your way through levels/missions leaving a path of justified destruction behind you.
You control one hero at a time, while the computer AI takes over the other’s duties. You also have the option to take this online and play through the game co-operatively, which really is how it should be played.
There are a host of Marvel characters to choose from, all with their own style and special moves. You also have the option to substitute team members during a mission if you feel The Thing isn’t pulling his weight.
The controls are well laid out. You’ll have no problem at all working out what to do with your hands, and the game guides you through the learning process during the early levels.
You’ll find yourself button-bashing at the start, but slowly you start to pick up tricks/combos and other powers which force you to play a little more intelligently.
One of the new features introduced in this sequel are the ‘Fusion’ moves- the more enemies you kill the faster your fusion meter builds up, once full you can use a tag-team move with any of the other heroes in your team.
These always look fantastic and are incredibly satisfying to watch. They also change depending on which two characters are used, and you’ll want to try different characters just to see what their combination chucks up.
Hiding underneath the simplistic face value of the game is a slightly more complex RPG element. Levelling up, XP points, perks, you know the drill, all of which are executed in a very straightforward way.
The problem with many RPGs I find is that they try and over complicate things, offering you a huge spreadsheet of figures and stats. Not here - it keeps things simple and is better for it.
There are a few things I thought could have been done better.
When you’re playing a team game you want to know exactly what is going on with the rest of your team at all times. In Left 4 Dead you always know exactly who needs health and how much firepower they have on them. In MUA2 however, you have to select each character to see what their health is like, which can become frustrating when you want to heal someone quickly during a high pressured battle.
There’s also an issue with trying to understand what’s going on during the bigger battles. You can lose yourself in the chaos which engulfs your screen, and it can become a little frustrating.
Also for an RPG it’s incredibly short. The single player campaign will last 12 hours at most, although there is some replay value here as you’ll want to try out the game as characters you haven’t got round to playing as in your first run through.
There are also additional missions, collectables and even a fan-boy quiz hidden away, so you wont feel cheated of your cash.
Overall I was impressed with MUA2. It’s not the greatest game I’ve played this year, nor the best looking. But it has a certain charm and loving touch that makes playing an enjoyable and satisfying experience.
Verdict: 8/10
The Good
- Lovingly crafted visuals
- Marvel characters are fun to play as
- Online co-op is great fun
- Plenty of characters to get to grips with
The Bad
- Can get a little lost within large scale battles
- Team details not shown clear enough
- Frustrating computer AI
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