Marvel: Ultimate Alliance is a 2006 superhero action role-playing video game developed by Raven Software and Barking Lizards Technologies, published by Activision, and released for Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, Game Boy Advance, and Wii.  Marvel: Ultimate Alliance lets players create their ultimate team from the largest superhero alliance ever as they engage in an epic quest to determine the fate of the Marvel Universe.

Campaign:  The game features a pretty extensive campaign although it does follow a linear format.  It can be played single player or multiplayer (online or off) with increased difficulties (and I highly recommend playing it with others). The story itself follows Marvel’s superheroes who band together to stop the Masters of Evil, Marvel’s most significant villains.  It’s a pretty neat story that takes players to several well-known locations of the Marvel Universe including Atlantis, Asgard, Mephisto’s Realm, Murder World, and even the Shi’ar Empire.  And in terms of characters, there are tons of fan favorites, whether they’re playable heroes, supporting cast, or enemies.

One of the biggest disappointments of the game is how linear it feels.  Despite some of the choices made in the game, they are not relevant, and they don’t have any branching paths.  It would’ve been cool to have more twists in the story, a more engaging story, or more choices that affect the story.  Maybe have some moments actually focused on the characters to make them a part of the story instead of just being in it. (4 out of 5)

Design: The biggest downfall of the game is the graphics that have not aged well. The cutscenes have graphics that look like PS1 and many of the cutscenes aren’t even engaging.  Older versions of the game have frame rate drops.  Thumbs up to the level designs which do a great job of bringing the different locations alive. In the updated versions, the in-game graphics look better with more detail and better lighting.  However, the cutscenes look just as crappy. 

The soundtrack is really good and playing the game the score gives you the epic sense of being a part of this superhero team.  The voice performances are pretty good despite the crappy character graphics.  The sound design was done really well. Despite my gripes about the date graphics the overall the game design still works. (3 out of 5)

Gameplay: There is a large roster consisting of over 20 playable characters not including extras purchased in the DLC.  The gameplay is fun though it can get highly repetitive. Players select teams of four characters (although some characters need to be unlocked), allowing them to create their own superhero teams or recreate famous teams from the publications. Each character also has a variety of costumes that offer different advantages that affect their stats.  Each character also has their own combos and special attacks which can be upgraded to become more powerful.  There is even equippable items the characters (some character specific) that boosts their stats or give them effects.

Some of the boss battles could’ve been better.  Loved being able to build popular or original teams. Some of the characters don’t feel unique or they feel like copies of other characters.  There’s no incentive to play as some of the other characters especially with the universal team upgrade system that upgrades them all whether you play with them or not.  Many of the quick-time events feel unnecessary. Also, there probably should’ve been some power scaling to make the gameplay more challenging depending on the levels and the number of players.  

The game does feature a good amount of replayability.  The multiplayer is done exceptionally well with cooperative and competitive mode being pretty damn fun.   Players are able to customize their teams, switching them out at will, so replaying missions is fun and different.  The game also has alternative endings, dictated by the number of optional missions the player completes. Also included are trivia, artwork, and “simulator discs”, which unlock non-story related missions for characters (revisiting a moment in a character’s past and facing a classic archrival). Downloadable content includes additional characters which some system exclusives.

The DLC is decent but definitely could’ve been more.  There should’ve been more characters, costumes for players to choose from, new levels for characters to explore, and more missions for characters to embark on. Wished that there could’ve been some kind of arena mode.  An arena mode would’ve been a fun competitive mode for players to fight each other with their favorite heroes and possibly some villains. (4 out of 5)

The Verdict:  In the end, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance is a great game, especially given its predecessors.  The game has its share of issues, but it mostly centers on the dated graphics, linear campaign, and repetitive gameplay.  However, it excels with its multiplayer, level designs, voice performances, music, unlockable content, and customization.  Marvel: Ultimate Alliance gets 3 out of 5.