I claim this review in the name of Thor! This was the sort of delightful nonsense that my partner had to endure when we played the original ‘Marvel Ultimate Alliance’ on the Xbox 360 (http://members.dooyoo.co.uk/xbox-360/marvel-ultimate-alliance-xbox-360/1063334/). She would play the demure Invisible Woman, whilst I would play the bombastic Thor who took credit for everything, even if it had nothing to do with him. The game was an excellent dungeon crawl game that allowed four players to join together as their favourite members of the Marvel world. The settings were varied and the plot had a lightness that made it pacey and enjoyable. When news of the sequel came about I was looking forward to more of the same high quality action, was I going to get it?
Gameplay
‘Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2’ (MUA2) is an action 3rd person dungeon crawl game seen from over the heads of the various players. It is an underrepresented genre of the current generation of consoles; the type of game that puts collecting loot on the same level as the level design. To begin with you play as a set few members of the Marvel Universe, but as the game progresses you must chose a side to fight on, those mutants willing to sign a government naming register, and those that wish to remain anonymous. Depending on which allegiance you choose will change which characters you can unlock.
No matter what side you join the basic button mashing gameplay remains the same. There are jump and punch buttons as well as a new feature that allows you to join with another superhero in a powerful attack. The first game in the series grew a little tiresome as the gameplay was the same button mash at the start as at the end. The tiresome nature of the controls kicks in a lot earlier in ‘MUA2’ as it is so similar to what has gone before. There is nothing essentially broken with the gameplay, just that it feels incredibly uninspired at times. (3 out of 5)
Characters/Story
The Civil War storyline that shook the entire Marvel Universe in the comics is a revered set of graphic novels. ‘MUA2’ takes this complex set of comics and distils them into a simple game narrative. On some levels the story works as you can see from the side of the rebels that being forced to kneel to the government is no good thing. However, I found it hard to sympathise with the slightly fascist route that the likes of Ironman took in the game. The issue with the storyline is that it is merely there as a way to link random levels together, none of the nuances that made the comics so good is present. By having a compelling central idea, at least the game has something, but it could have been a lot more. (3 out of 5)
Longevity
Though not as long as the original game, ‘MUA2’ is still a good 16+ hours worth of gameplay that covers both sides of the Civil War. The problem lies in the fact that all the levels are essentially the same and the game become repetitive quite quickly. You get some value for your money, but is the game too long? The achievements are present as ever, most can be gained in one run through, but to get all the achievements, and play all the game, you will need to play the game twice, changing sides. Approaching the storyline from a different direction is a good way of extending lifespan, but in real terms the levels are pretty similar no matter who you play as. For completeists there is a lot of game here just that many people will give in before seeing it all. (4 out of 5)
Online
It is perhaps the online elements of the Marvel Alliance games that
make them fun to complete, even if the games themselves are flawed. You can play as any mix of four players; be that two people in one house, alongside two people in separate houses. This easy and convenient online gameplay means that it is fun to rattle through the entire game with friends over the internet. The lag is pretty minimal, but more could have been done to reward players who are not the host. (4 out of 5)
Graphics
‘MUA2’ is a game that has a lot going on at the screen at once as four heroes can take on many enemies. For this reason the game has to simplify the graphics slightly to allow a lot to happen without slowdown. Activision has successfully prevented slowdown and the graphics are a step up from the first game. However, the use of dark colours, rather than the bright look of ‘MUA1’, means that the game looks muggier than it should have done. (3 out of 5)
Level Design
This is the one area in which the game seriously falls down on. ‘MUA2’ is a dungeon crawler game disguised with a Marvel skin, with this comes the inherent problem with the genre – repetitive levels. Each level is set in a completely different place, but all of them feel like the same reskinned dungeon. Little is done to shake things up, and when they are shaken the mechanics of the game break e.g. a fight against a giant foe that left us all dead on many occasions. The issue with the darker look of the game also makes the levels duller than they should be. I think that the level design is poor enough that some players will not bother to complete the game. (2 out of 5)
Sound
The comic book world has rich potential for sounds. ‘MUA2’ does its best to recreate the frenzy of the graphic novel, but fails to do so. The individually voiced heroes are excellent, but they repeat the same phrases too often. Sound wise the crashes and explosions are drowned out by all the activity on screen, and the music is forgettable. (3 out of 5)
Summary
I enjoyed ‘Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2’, but I can see that other people would not. The game is a solid dungeon crawler, and fans of this genre or the world of Marvel will get something from the game. However, the game does have some uninspiring level design and gameplay that begins to grate towards the end. Despite this, the ability to play offline or online with three other people is great and you can make your own entertainment as well as play the game. For this co-op experience alone I feel it is worth a cheap buy. (3 out of 5)
Maker: Activision RRP £50
Amazon uk £16.96
Play.com £24.99
