Originally titled, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2: Fusion, MUA2 is the sequel to the 2006 action-RPG, Marvel Ultimate Alliance. The game was developed by Vicarious Visions and is published by Activision.
Avid comic book readers will notice that MUA2 is based predominantly on the Marvel Civil War series and even incorporates the Secret War series build-up. For the non-fanboys; this means that following Dr Doom’s death, Col. Nick Fury (Head of S.H.I.E.L.D) heads up an unsanctioned attack on Castle Doom in Latveria. The attack team initially consists of Captain America, Iron Man, Spider Man and Wolverine.
Following the residual political heat resulting from their escapades, there is a global outcry by governments against super humans. This leads to a mutant registration act being passed, which forces all mutants to either reveal their true identities and take orders from the government, or suffer the fate of imprisonment in the Negative Zone.
This is where the story really finds momentum and causes a major rift in the super hero world. Some heroes are pro-registration and are lead by Iron Man, whilst others refuse to be controlled and henceforth follow the leadership of Captain America. These anti-registration heroes decide to fight back and in so doing, bring forth one of the most epic battles of super heroes vs. villains the world has ever seen. The situation has former heroes pledging an allegiance to the evil side and former baddies suddenly seeing the light…which of course means some truly creative co-op possibilites for the gamer.
The best part is that (as the conspiracy theorist junkies out there would expect) something even more sinister is afoot; Nick Fury returns from exile with a series of plot twists to boot, which eventually throws the entire universe into a completely new paradigm of uncertainty and even more plot twists and action. The shifts in narrative are truly phenomenal and display the creative genius required to be a comic book writer.
The gameplay follows in the footsteps of its predecessor, allowing 1-4 co-op players to select a team of four super-heroes, which they then use to take on the good (or bad) fight. The team members are each interchangeable, allowing players to select from a plethora of different heroes and villains and mix and create their own personal 4-man super army.
Powers and abilities are all typically upgradeable through earning experience points and finding various pickups, which gives it a true feeling of being an arcade brawler mixed together perfectly with an RPG.
Compared to the first title, the gameplay is a lot faster and players can upgrade in-game whilst the AI automatically controls their character. Needless to say this is especially convenient when playing co-op and one doesn’t want to have to sit back and twiddle their thumbs while their teammate spends an hour deciding if he wants to increase his stamina, health, or one of his various abilities. The downfall is that the game lacks some of the more customizable options that made the predecessor so memorable.
There’s also the new redesigned fusion abilities which allow players to dish out some mind-blowing and often seizure-inducing attacks, using any two characters at the same time…check out the Thor and Deadpool fusion attack, it’s definitely one this reviewer is rather fond of.
Sadly, the action can be difficult to follow at times due to there being so much happening on the screen. Players may struggle to discern their characters from the mess of colours, dust clouds, particles, explosions, ademantium claws, bullets, fire and ice. This is especially true when playing cooperatively.
Fun Factor
Those who are not fans of button bashing action-RPGs like this one may be sceptical. Luckily, the storyline is likely to absorb players, lending the game a much needed level of depth. Adding friends to your gaming session elevates the gaming experience to a completely new level. The game becomes far more enjoyable and much more memorable. Hardcore gamers and inept or dexterity-challenged casuals all have equal levels of fun as the gameplay and controls are easy enough to learn.
Visuals
MUA2’s visuals are a web-swing above (and beyond) the first title in the series. The cinematic mini-sequences are seamless and add (as they should) to the game-play, while the narrative cut-scenes are simply riveting. Most of the heroes and villains look hardcore, save a few character models that seem a little rushed and simple, but then again who plays with Mr Fantastic anyway?
As for the heroines, these renders will have you reminiscing about those nights spent fantasizing over the curvaceous femme-fatales in the pages of your comic books. Even the Creatine guzzling She-Hulk causes some distraction.
Story
As far as narratives go in the Marvel Universe, it’s hard to find a story-line that’s not worth a read. The same can’t unfortunately be said for all the film iterations of these iconic comics, but then again MUA2 was based on one of the more popular Marvel storylines entitled Civil War. Civil War is a riveting political and action-packed tale infused with all the super heroes and villains, as well as plot twists that one would expect from such an epic and global war.
Sound
The score is fairly typical of this style of game, filled with patriarchal trumpets and sinister piano notes…however, most of the time one feels like they would rather turn the music setting down, so as to better hear the amazing slashing, punching, exploding and “lazering” sounds. The most memorable aspect that the game has sound wise is the quality of the voiceovers and in-game character comments. Deadpool, the ‘merc with a mouth’, has a cocky tone that keeps you laughing and even the pompous and arrogant ramblings of the Nordic God Thor stimulated quite a few smirks.
Originality
This isn’t the first game of its kind and it won’t be the last. Even the storyline was taken from an existing Marvel series but the truth of the matter is that the improvements they’ve made make the game that much better overall.
Longevity
The number of characters there are to choose from and the nature of the new ‘Fusion Attack’ abilities make for impressive replayability. Furthermore players have the choice to play as either pro or anti-registration. Seeing what it’s like on the other side of the fence is what it’s all about.
Extras
Now this is where the developers really did their best to satisfy the ‘fanboys’ out there. The title is loaded with extras, from the usual concept art to character bio’s and alternate costumes. They’ve even included a trivia-style mini-game where you can test your general knowledge of the Marvel Universe and unlockable audio files that contain behind-the-scenes information about the world and story your characters are caught up in.
Unfortunately the ‘extras’ option also gives way to the biggest downfall of this title…the mission simulator. Memorable from the original MUA, where players were allowed to replay separate missions that were inspired by iconic battles from the comic books. The new simulator merely allows players to test their skills in more random missions.
Bottom Line
Although at times the game has the makings of a children’s game, in essence, it’s a lot of fun. It’s simply mindless enjoyment ideally played with some friends. While there are numerous other titles that surpass this one in many respects, none will allow deliver the joy of getting in touch with your inner child in the same way Marvel Ultimate Alliance does.
Reviewed on Xbox 360
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