Anyone who was comfortable with the first Ultimate Alliance, or action-games in general will feel right at home behind the controller in MUA2. The face buttons on the Xbox 360 controller are used for light/heavy attacks, jump, and grab/throw; the directional pad is used to switch between characters on your team, and RT/LT activate special powers or the new “Fusion” attacks respectively. Vicarious Visions decided to keep 90% of the gameplay/controls the same but the one thing they added, Fusion Attacks, changes the entire way Ultimate Alliance is played. Basically any two characters in the game can team-up for a Fusion, firing off a massive amount of damage in one of three categories (clearing, targeted, guided) and destroying anyone or anything in its path. Depending on the situation the player must choose the correct Fusion attack, for example most boss battles are made much easier if a targeted Fusion is used; or the clearing Fusion is great when 20+ enemies have the team surrounded.
Levels in Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 are a mix of labyrinth-style locations and epic boss-battles; between the two we didn’t find ourselves getting bored once. Graphically this game is a huge step-up from the first in the series, settling in perfectly with what other next-gen games are bringing to the table. The character models and animation effects are some of the best out there, helping bring to life each and every one of the Marvel characters so dear to our hearts. Presentation throughout the game is spot on helping to push the game into the next-gen atmosphere, with only a few CG movies throughout (most use in-game characters and locales). MUA2 is one of those games that just looks fantastic in high-definition, on a large flat-panel television – the way games of this generation were meant to be played. All of the RPG elements from the first game are back in full force, with a more polished upgrade system and the option to do quick-upgrades on the fly (huge improvement).
Online co-op over Xbox LIVE is back for those multiplayer junkies, as is playing together on the same system. When all is said and done Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 took everything gamers’ loved about the first game three years ago and took it to the next level. When MUA2 arrived on our review steps we were not sure what to expect, over the next week it was easy to see why we liked the first game so much, and this one is even better. With upgraded graphics, improved story features, new gameplay additions, and a full roster of fantastic characters it’s nearly impossible not to recommend this game as a full-fledged purchase. If you’re a Marvel fan the decision to head to the local video game store has already been made, and this review should just help justify that purchase. We can only hope that MUA2 sells well enough to warrant another sequel, continuing the upward/improving trend one could only imagine where they could take the superhero series from here.
