Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 - Review - Which Side Will You Be On?

As you played through the first Marvel: Ultimate Alliance game, you could choose which heroes you'd include in your team. Now, your decision is far more serious. In Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2, the Earth teeters on the edge of a war of superheroes. The world has become afraid of superheroes and the government has passed a law called 'The Superhuman Registration Act', effectively forcing every hero to become an employee of the government and register themselves as living weapons.

All of the heroes who have registered themselves are led by Iron Man. Those heroes who disagree with registration are championed by Captain America. In Ultimate Alliance 2, you'll put together your perfect quartet of heroes, defeat your enemies by fusing your superpowers, and break everything you can see. But first, you need to seriously consider your options and make a big decision. Begin by asking yourself : whose side will you choose and why?

Available:  Xbox 360, PS2, PS3, Wii, DS, PSP Games

First, here's the good news - Marvel : Ultimate Alliance 2 doesn't require that you waggle nearly as much as the first Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. Then, there's the bad news, which comprises almost every other aspect of the game. Marvel's recent 'Civil War' storyline provides a great basis for the plot of this action/role-playing game. It's an excellent situation to host a potentially epic, super heroic, all-star adventure.

The story of Ultimate Alliance 2 originates from two high-impact Marvel story arcs : Secret War and Civil War. There are beautiful cinematics and cut scenes that enliven this plot, and also relate to large choices that you make early on in the game. According to the plot, these super heroes are politically divided between two ideals : should super heroes register with the US Government according to new laws, or should they be allowed to be rogues? You choose between these two factions, and this decision will determine how a significant portion of the game plays out, as well as the heroes that you can choose from to join your team.

Your team consists of four heroes, and comes from a huge array of possible characters, and by the end of the game, both camps rejoin each other. This plot device is a bit of genius, and theoretically, it will compel you to play through the game at least once more to see how the two groups of heroes differ in terms of play. Unfortunately, this complex story line may seem so oversimplified that you may never really become invested in the characters themselves.

By the time you've worked through the first 30 minutes of game play of Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, you'll have acquired all of the skills you need to complete the game. The camera view is isometric as you guide your chosen team of Marvel heroes around their missions, knocking out endless thugs, and once in a while, taking a break to solve a puzzle or complete a mission.

As the player, you control a single character at any given time, and the computer (or other people) takes over the remaining three heroes. Repeatedly pressing the A & B buttons will let you from combination attacks, which will incapacitate the enemies. Over time, each hero becomes equipped with up to four different powers. Certain heroes will obviously attain different powers, like double jumping, flight, or teleportation.

In order to make Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 as enjoyable as possible, get a few live friends in on the action, because the computer controlled heroes are a drag. Many of these are heroes simply remain inactive during the most crucial parts of the game, so the frustration level of hearing The Hulk go on and on about smashing things, but remaining inactive, is pretty high.

Computer controlled heroes will also cluster tightly around you during your missions - a little too close for comfort, really. So close, in fact, that they become a hindrance when they trap you in corners and refuse to move so you can continue on your mission.

Super heroes that have no regard for personal space are one issue, but this is made worse by the fact that the levels you must work through involve a lot of narrow hallways and tight spaces that just don't allow for these kinds of clusters.

If you want to unlock a character like Jean Grey, your hero will have to go on a solitary mission where you need to explode a series of vehicles by mentally manipulating various exploding characters at them. Sounds like fun, right? It isn't. These kamikaze enemies snag themselves on unrelated objects and there just aren't enough of them around and the camera provides you with no help whatsoever.

To unlock Penance, you must knock out a bunch of bad guys and a level boss, but the level design creates a bottleneck of enemies that the camera obscures from proper view. The chaos that results from this is simply frustrating, and potentially kills the whole level. Most of these missions just aren't fun to play through, and if you accomplish them, it's entirely possible that you still haven't met the requirements to unlock a character.

Aside from punching thugs and supervillains from the Marvel universe, you'll spend time by helping your heroes level up, and upgrading your team with medals that you acquire.

If you crave a fun, action-role playing game, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 will suit you perfectly.

I'd like to know your thoughts, so after you check it out, stop by and leave me a comment.

Enjoy!