Campaign
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance delivers an engaging, action-packed campaign that takes players on an exciting journey through the Marvel Universe. The story revolves around Earth's mightiest heroes uniting to thwart the Masters of Evil, a coalition of Marvel's most notorious villains, led by Doctor Doom. While the plot is straightforward, it successfully captures the grand scale of a Marvel crossover event, spanning various iconic locations such as Atlantis, Asgard, Mephisto's Realm, Murder World, and even the Shi'ar Empire.
A major highlight is the vast roster of playable characters, allowing fans to control their favorite superheroes while encountering numerous supporting figures and enemies from the comics. However, despite offering choices in dialogue and side missions, these decisions have minimal impact on the overall narrative. The linearity of the story is one of its biggest drawbacks, as it lacks significant twists or meaningful character moments that could have deepened the experience. A stronger focus on character-driven storytelling and more branching paths would have elevated the campaign further.
Rating: 4 out of 5
The game features a robust roster of over 20 playable characters, with additional ones available through DLC. Players can form their own superhero teams or recreate classic lineups from Marvel comics. Each character has unique abilities, special attacks, and alternate costumes that provide different stat boosts, enhancing strategic team building. Combat is fast-paced and fun, though it can become repetitive over time.
One of the game's standout features is its cooperative multiplayer, both online and offline. Playing with others significantly enhances the experience, making battles more dynamic and engaging. The game also includes RPG-like mechanics, allowing players to upgrade characters' abilities and equip items for additional stat boosts. However, some characters feel too similar in playstyle, and the universal team upgrade system diminishes the incentive to experiment with different heroes.
Boss fights are hit-or-miss, with some offering exciting, multi-phase battles while others feel underwhelming. Quick-time events, while occasionally adding cinematic flair, often feel unnecessary. The lack of power scaling means that difficulty doesn't always adjust well based on player level or team composition.
Replayability is a strong suit, with alternative endings determined by completed side missions, trivia challenges, unlockable artwork, and simulator discs that recreate famous battles from Marvel history. The DLC is decent but could have offered more characters, costumes, and missions. An arena mode for competitive battles would have been a great addition.
Rating: 4 out of 5
While Marvel: Ultimate Alliance was visually impressive at launch, its graphics have not aged well. The character models and environments appear dated, with pre-rendered cutscenes resembling something from the PlayStation 1 era. The in-game visuals in the remastered versions do look better, with improved lighting and textures, but the cutscenes remain disappointingly lackluster.
Despite graphical shortcomings, the level design does a great job of bringing iconic Marvel locations to life. From the mystical halls of Asgard to the dark, eerie realm of Mephisto, the environments feel distinct and immersive.
The soundtrack is a standout aspect, featuring an epic score that enhances the superhero experience. The voice acting is solid, with most characters delivering performances that fit their comic book counterparts. Sound design, including battle effects and environmental audio, is well-executed, adding to the game's overall immersion.
However, the game suffers from occasional frame rate drops in older versions, particularly in chaotic battles. While the dated visuals are a letdown, the strong music, voice work, and sound design help maintain the game's appeal.
Rating: 3 out of 5
In the end, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance is a solid action RPG that delivers an entertaining Marvel experience. While the story is linear and the graphics have aged poorly, the vast character roster, engaging multiplayer, and replayability make it a must-play for Marvel fans. Despite its flaws, it remains an enjoyable superhero team-up adventure. Marvel: Ultimate Alliance gets 4 out of 5.
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