Since MUA is the ultimate Marvel Team-Up, you can pick and choose whomever you want to be on your team for any particular mission. You’ll be rewarded if you choose classic Marvel teams such as the Fantastic Four, X-Men or Avengers (to name a few) and if you combine certain characters based on their attributes (check our cheat section for more info). The game will throw a variety of bonuses your way for using various combinations of characters such as reduced damage, health with every killed etc. Eventually you’ll be given a chance to create your own team, as well as name it and choose a logo for it. Playing as your own team will increase your XP the more you use them, but switching out characters will cost you.

Having played the console versions of MUA, I was a little concerned as how it would all play out on the PSP, but I needn’t have worried. While playing almost any game on the PSP isn’t my first choice due to the lack of a second analog stick and reduced buttons and triggers, MUA holds up surprisingly well. It did take me awhile to become accustomed to having to use the shoulder trigger + the d-pad to select characters, but that’s only because I was used to the console setup. I doubt this would have any negative effect on anyone who has just played the PSP version. Controlling the camera also requires holding down a button, but I rarely change the camera anyway. Selecting super powers is as functional as ever and doesn’t require anything remotely complicated. Hold down the shoulder trigger and select a corresponding face button. Done. Controlling your character(s) is quite effective on the PSP and nothing has diminished in terms of overall control. I would have loved a lock on button (even on the consoles) but for the most part it isn’t necessary. The only time control became an issue is when there many enemies on screen and the camera pulled back. I found it difficult to locate my character at times due to the PSP’s smaller screen.

The visuals of MUA on the PSP look virtually identical to the PS2 version which I guess isn’t surprising since it is the same architecture. The character costumes and animations are fantastic and MUA is at its best when the heroes are delivering their stunning super attacks. I love the new art direction that Raven has taken with this new addition to the series (if you think of it as XL3) as personally I grew to detest the cel-shaded look of XL. Everything about the characters is bright, crisp and colorful and the lighting and special effects are equally impressive. What isn’t so impressive are the cookie cutter enemies and the environments which look to be recycled level designs from XL and XL2. I was hoping for much more innovation in terms of the level design which feels too maze-like and linear. Yes, I understand it’s a dungeon-crawler at heart, but that doesn’t mean that that’s ALL it has to ever be. To alleviate the gnawing sensation of repetition, I found it best to tackle MUA in bursts that lasted about an hour or two max. Anything more than that and I found it to be too much of the same thing over and over again.

The soundtrack is well done, providing orchestral hero-type background music to pummel evildoer’s by. The voice-acting doesn’t fare nearly as well, as most of it is pure cheese. Listen, I’ve read thousands of comic books in my time and I know cheesy dialogue when I read/hear it. The fact that it’s being read by less than stellar voice actors doesn’t help. The main characters are well voiced, it's the low level characters that you'll speak to in the various HQ's that will often make you cringe. Anyway, we all know it’s not supposed to be Shakespeare so I’ll cut it some slack.

Raven didn’t skimp when it came to extras. Along with the ad-hoc and online co-op multiplayer, and arcade mode (where players compete for most points earned in a given level) PSP owners will have 3 additional modes to unlock. Voice chat is supported for those who care to talk trash to the other heroes while battling it out.

Certainly there is room for improvement within this particular genre as we’ve experienced 3 very similar playing games with the advent of MUA. Using a plethora of Marvel characters instead of limiting comic fans to the X-Men was definitely a step in the right direction. The next thing is to evolve the playing field and take us into the next generation by allowing players more freedom of movement, more detailed 3D enviroments and please, for Thor’s sake, actual flight that doesn’t feel like hovering! All that aside, MUA will satisfy any Marvel fan looking for some intense action, set within a universe he /she truly understands. It doesn’t take the psychic powers of Prof. X or Dr. Strange to predict that a pulse-pounding, butt-kicking, mask-wearing adventure is in your immediate future. Marvel: Ultimate Alliance is a no-brainer purchase for any self-respecting Marvel fan.

By Vaughn Smith
CCC Site Director

Rating out of 5 Rating Description 4.2 Graphics Looks as good as the PS2 version in my opinion. Characters and animation is flawless, environments are repetitive and boring. 4.5 Control Nothing is really lost in translation from the consoles to the PSP. 3.8 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting Music's great, sound FX are great, but the voice-acting of some of the NPC's is pure cheese. 4.8 Play Value Hours of gameplay, online, ad-hoc co-op, 3 exclusive single player modes, tons of costumes and characters. You can't beat this in terms of value. 4.5 Overall Rating - Must Buy Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Fresh from X-Men Legends, Raven and Activision team up to bring gamers the ultimate Marvel love-in. by Vaughn Smith

April 28, 2006 - Marvel: Ultimate Alliance sounds like an ambitious project to say the least. Featuring 140 Marvel characters (from the often quoted 5000+ roster of heroes and villains), 20 of which will be playable, Raven is taking their experience from the X-Men Legends action/RPG series and unleashing it in this multi-platform comic book fans dream. Gamers can expect Marvel: Ultimate Alliance on everything from the next gen consoles (Xbox 360 & PS3) to the current gen (PS2, GC, Xbox) and even the handhelds (DS & PSP) as well as the PC. No word on a Nintendo Wii port at this time.

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance - PSP Screenshot

Spider-Man, Wolverine, Thing, Captain America, Thor, Elektra, Ghost Rider, Silver Surfer. and the vampire hunter Blade will be playable, but the 11 other characters remain under lock and key at the moment. From the screens we've seen the gameplay appears to be much along the lines of X-Men Legends, although I must say I prefer the visual design of Ultimate Alliance. Players will be able to utilize the various powers of their favorite heroes but right now we have no information on how exactly the RPG elements of the game will be implemented.

The game also features offline and online cooperative modes, but we're currently unsure of how many players. We expect it will be 4 offline, but perhaps that number would increase online.

Press:

“Marvel: Ultimate Alliance delivers a new twist on action/RPGs where players’ actions and choices ultimately determine what happens to the Marvel universe,” states Will Kassoy, Vice President of Global Brand Management for Activision. “This coupled with the game’s enormous character roster will deliver an action-packed experience that comic book fans have been waiting for.”

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance - Current Gen Console (PS2/Xbox) Screenshot

 

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance features a deep, rich gameplay experience by offering total team customization, where players create their own team name, icon and vehicle, as well as establish their team reputation as they play throughout the story. Gamers also have the option to level up each character individually to their liking, or all team members at the same time to keep their heroes balanced. With the game’s new combat system, players battle against the world’s most notorious Marvel Super Villains in the air, underwater, and on the ground, using grappling, blocking and dodging moves, by charging up their Super Hero powers before unleashing them, and using environmental objects as one and two-handed weapons.

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance features a unique storyline where the missions players accept, the objectives they complete, and their interactions with other characters throughout the game directly impact how the story plays out. The game also features a robust multiplayer component where fans can band together with friends as their favorite Marvel Super Heroes, and fight evil in both on and offline cooperative story modes. There’s also a Competitive Mode where the game tracks various in-game stats so players can see how well they stack up against one another – affecting the amount of experience points earned and how equipment is distributed.

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance - Next Gen Console (X360/PS3) Screenshot

Created by Raven Software and C.B. Cebulski, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance will be the first Super Hero game out for all next-gen gaming systems, and will also be available on current-gen, handheld and PC platforms. The game is currently rated RP (Rating Pending) by the ESRB and is planned to ship this fall.

By Vaughn Smith
CCC Site Director