Review: Marvel Ultimate Alliance (360)

It's like the ultimate comic book nerd's wet dream: create your own team of superheroes as you see fit and battle such classic Marvel villains as Galactus, Dr Doom and Blackheart. It sounds so perfect that there is no way it could be as good as it sounds. Luckily, those doubts were gone as soon as Gamestyle fired it up.

A semi-sequel to the X-Men Legends games (and from the same developer), Marvel Ultimate Alliance follows the same team-based dynamic as its predecessors and this also means it looks virtually identical. Not exactly what you want from the Xbox 360 - the game is far from being a technological showpiece for the console, instead having very basic character models and even more basic animations and scenery. Out of the four characters in your team, you can control each one at will depending on what the situation requires.

The problem is, with the tagline proclaiming "the largest superhero alliance ever", you would expect more than the twenty-five characters present, including the seven needing unlocking and the two Xbox 360 exclusives (Ms. Marvel and Moon Knight. Who?). This is made even more disheartening when you bump into a number of characters during the main quest which aren't controllable. Why can't we play as Cyclops and Hulk instead of B-list stars like Luke Cage and Spider Woman?

Along with your four characters piling the damage on various super villains, you also have an underlying RPG element. Levelling up your heroes is important, and the good news is that the experience points gained separate between not just your team but the other characters sitting on the sidelines - so if you fancy a change of squad, you needn't worry about the newcomer getting pummelled straight away. Those not bothered with 'tedious' levelling up can simply just set it to 'auto' and let the game handle that side of things for you.

Unfortunately, as varied as the environments are, the gameplay rarely changes throughout. With that in mind, Raven Software have decided to spice up the boss battles a bit with the current big thing - quick time events. During such sections, you are asked to press the correct button with the corresponding one on screen. Whether it's using Spiderman to dodge falling pillars or Silver Surfer avoiding the strikes of Galactus, the QTEs are used well and stop the bosses from being a simply button-bashing fest. As you'd expect, the ability to use your super-powers are present and correct, but overall they feel underwhelming. The problem is a lot of them don't do to much damage, so instead of using them, you find yourself reduced to simply punching and kicking your way to victory. We couldn't help but fall in love with Spider-Man's web-swinging ability though.

Voice acting can be suspect at times, but it is fitting with the comic book theme. So whereas you have the serious gruff vocals of Wolverine, you also get comedic acting from the likes of Rhino and Mysterio. Excellent music also add to the overall audio quality, with each arena getting a specific style. For instance, when battling on the shield helicarrier during the opening level, you have an amazing orchestral score; whereas, once you enter the pits of hell to fight Mephisto and Blackheart, the hard rock tracks start to play.

With plenty to do, you'll find yourself given quite a challenge. Opt to tackle the surprisingly lengthy single player on Easy and it'll be a breeze, but many people will savour the challenge of higher difficulties. With unlockable costumes and special comic book missions to find and play through, Raven Software have provided the player with tons of content aside from the main story mode. Of course we have yet to mention the online co-op which will bound to please many fans with Xbox Live. Exactly as it says on the tin, you and up to three other friends can battle the forces of evil together and, while not as deep as the co-op seen in other games, it's still definitely a highlight for Ultimate Alliance.

Naturally, comic book fans will already have bought this no matter what reviews say, while people who don't know their Thors from their Ghost Riders may want to wait for an inevitable price drop before taking the plunge. But unlike other Marvel-based games (Rise of the Imperfects being a perfect example), this one is actually worth the selling price (just), and fans of the Marvel universe will no doubt lap it up. As Stan Lee would say, "enjoy the adventure, true believers!".

Rating: 7 / 10

Words by Adam Gulliver