It’s Marvel Baby!

Here it is, the sequel to Marvel Ultimate Alliance.  Not much has changed from the previous installment.  The gameplay is a bit faster and the creators have implemented something new called fusion attacks.  Fusion attacks are things like the “Fast Ball Special” (Wolverine getting thrown at some unlucky baddie by Colossus) that do massive damage.  These fusion attack moves change depending on what two characters are performing the attack.  The power system works exactly the same as it does in the first game (pull the trigger and press the appropriate face button for the corresponding power).  The controller scheme has not changed except for a few minor tweaks.  In the previous installment you could ‘cheese’ the game by using certain combos and tactics such as throwing enemies into one another for an easy stun or using the light-heavy-heavy combo to stun everyone.  The controller scheme has been changed to balance the melee out a bit so that the game is more resistant to a gamer trying to cheese is or her way through.  Another difference is that the grabbing combos from the first game are not present in the new installment.

The RPG elements of this game have been simplified.  Long gone are the days where you need to equip every single character with items found throughout the game.  The new game has an overall team equipment screen where the player may tack on three bonus medals for the entire team.  There is no longer a need to hunt down the unique items like Spiderman’s web cartridges or Captain America’s shield.  I never delved too deeply into this aspect of this game because once I was able to store three fusion stars the game was pretty much over.

You no say Hulk hit you. You say you fell down stairs. Got it?

The game looks great, leaps and bounds above the first one.  However the dialogue in this installment gets a little bit stale.  Some of the lines do draw chuckles such as Deadpool’s constant breaking the 4th wall or (SPOILER) Gambit’s commentary on zombies.

Graphics: MUA1

Graphics: MUA2

Something that MUA2 has over 1 is the story.  The new storyline is based upon the Civil War storyline in which heroes are forced to choose what side of the law they will operate on in respnse to the Super Hero Registration Act.  The story and missions then branch out depending on which side the player chooses.  I chose to play Anti-Reg because I felt that if Uncle Sam didn’t give me my mutant powers then he shouldn’t have any right to tell me how I can use them.  The player’s alignment choice will effect what missions and characters will be available subsequently.

The roster of this game is slightly smaller than that of the first game, and is not very inspiring.  The player has his or her pick of the  more popular Marvel characters from the Avengers, X-men, Fantastic Four and Spiderman franchises.  There is also a choice of some new characters such as Songbird, Green Goblin, and Penance/Speedball.  Juggernaut is the exclusive character for both the PS3 and 360 versions.  No one likes Daredevil but they insist on putting him in games.

This game is extremely short with moderate replay value.  A completionist that wants to gather all of the available unlockables will get more value from the game.  I suggest playing through this game with a friend because the single player campaign can be boring.  The multiplayer play presents its own set of problems.  The first issue is putting together a team that everyone can agree on.  I played though most of the game with a site member and we spent hours arguing over who should fill the last two character slots.  The second problem builds upon the first, it is important to have a balanced team even if that means not using everyone’s favorite characters.  For example, playing entirely with ranged characters in fights where inflicting heavy damage on a single target via fusion is required won’t work so well.  Conversely if playing with what I call a  “Max Strongchamp/Bolt Vanderhuge” team (a tank team) the player will not be able to screen-clear effectively when swarmed.  Another issue with the multiplayer mode is  screen control.  Since the game is not split-screen all of the players will have to stay in the same area, which can make for some hairy situations when one person wants to explore while another just wants to advance the game.  Fusion management can also be tricky in multiplayer because it can be difficult to correctly time the desired fusion attack with another person as opposed to with a computer.

It’s possible that there may be some DLC for this game, but nothing has been announced yet.  However, if it’s anything like the heroes/villans pack for the first MUA, then  I’ll definitely be steering clear of that.