Developers: Vicarious Visions
Story-wise, UA2 draws heavily from the recent comic book plots of the Secret War and Civil War comic book story arcs. Players find themselves leading their merry band of super-powered ass-kickers through a series of entertaining and well-written plot points while facing familiar Marvel icons such as Nick Fury, SHIELD and perennial baddie Doctor Doom. One particularly interesting story moment occurs during the events of the Civil War comic book mini-series, with players able to choose between the Pro-Registration and Anti-registration sides and the game’s story subsequently branching depending on the player’s decision.
Players looking for an obligatory superhero team up will also be happy to learn that UA2 supports four player co-op either online or on a single console. In fact, the game is really at its best in terms of cooperative gameplay and the customization and staggering number of power sets and characters adds plenty of superhero-style replay value.
Bonus Features: Unlockable characters, costume customization, downloadable content.
The Good: A staggering number of characters to choose from, with “fusion” powers adding a nearly limitless number of combinations.
The Bad: The same occasionally repetitive RPG elements that plagued the original game.
Final Word: For Marvel fanboys looking to satiate their love of superheroes and spend some quality time with their game consoles, Ultimate Alliance 2 is well worth picking up. The game manages to hold its own as a worthy sequel, while also managing to correct a number of problems that plagued the original. Of course, UA2 isn’t a perfect comic-book adaptation by any stretch of the imagination, but compared to the stagnant catalogue of failed Marvel videogames, it’s likely to become a smash…of Hulk-like proportions.