Marvel: Ultimate Alliance was the kind of game that superhero fans dream about. You have a solid storyline, wonderful graphics and cooperative gameplay with some of the greatest superheroes in the Marvel Universe.

So when you get ready to create a sequel, the onus is definitely on upping the ante. Vicarious Visions and Activision have done just that with a solid storyline that while featuring many of the gameplay elements as the original really pulls this into a new light with the addition of new characters and powersets.

Yep, this game is a ton of fun to play, whether as a single player, or in a cooperative mission atmosphere online.

Iron Fist, Deadpool, The Green Goblin, Venom – all are playable characters. Players can also take the powersets of each playable character in a team of four and fuse them together (fusion powers) for additional widespread carnage. For example, the first team you are given embarks on a journey into Dr. Doom’s castle in Latveria. The team is given guidance (well, he tells them what they need to do and cajoles them when they are a bit slow) by Nick Fury – who is featured prominently in the cut scenes as the game opens. The four-member black ops team (they are, after all, trespassing on another nation’s sovereign soil) is comprised of Iron Man, Captain America, Spider-man and Wolverine. When the group is assaulted by a sea of mechanical sentries, Spidey can web up Wolverine, spin in around and hurl him (think hammer toss in track and field terms) at the biggest concentration of enemies. Once they go down, they don’t get back up. It’s a fun and easy way to beat on the competition.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to fusion powers. Each character can team up with another to spark the powers, which generally fall into two categories – follow or target.

While the initial invasion of Doomstadt servers more or less as the tutorial (with plenty of mini-boss characters to battle like Electro and the level ending battle with the Tinkerer), the game’s main story kicks into gear thereafter.

After the initial foray in Latveria, you are whisked back to Stark Towers in New York, which serves at the hub for the rest of the game. Many things are available for players to do in the tower, from review and replay missions to take on a new assignment, to even participating in an online trivia contest.

The game itself weaves a tale that will have players heading to a variety of locations, each building momentum with mini-bosses along the way. Humor is injected into the dialogue and there are dialogue choices to be made along the way while in conversations with others. For example, you are sent to rescue Ms. Marvel and upon completion, she asks that you help move forward with the recon of the underground tunnels (the overtones here are of cybernetic enhancements to soldiers, mostly of the bad-guy variety). You can go offensive, diplomatic or defensive. The latter is more often than not the precursor to ending the conversation.

Collectibles abound in the game and there are overriding mission goals as well as several sub-missions as you move through the levels. All in all it adds up to a robust game experience.

Visually the game is what one would hope from from a comic-book based game. The character details are very nicely done, the effects are handled very well. The camera gets hung up occasionally, and at other times can get too far from the main action (this mostly happens when your team is separated and the camera pulls back to show everyone. The voice acting for the game is also very well done. The characters often spout lines that are linked to their character and history. For example, Wolverine (always a favorite in Marvel games) will reference his ‘Canadian’ heritage.  

MUA 2 does not reinvent the wheel in terms of gameplay. The AI is still pretty good, the environments are somewhat interactive and the online elements are solid. What this game does bring into play are the great cast of characters (24), solid fights (if too easy, up the difficulty ante and experience battles that are sure to give your controller fingers a workout), and nice eye candy. The SIXAXIS controller gets a bit of a nod in the control scheme when you grab the shield an opponent is using and rip it from him. Square button is grab, then flick the controller to yank it away.

This is, by no means, a perfect game, but it is a good one with lots to do, solid replayability and a nice foray into the Marvel universe.

Gameplay: 8.5
The formula works, from the slick player interface to the way the missions are run.

Graphics: 8.7
Some camera hang-ups or zooming out creates a few awkward moments, but the special effects, character details and combat animation are all nicely handled.

Sound: 8.5
The musical score is solid and the vocal characterizations work well in the game.  

Difficulty: Medium

Concept: 8.2
Nothing totally new here in regards to the game mechanics, but the extra characters as well as the fusion powers provide some very cool moments.

Multiplayer: N/A
Online play will be available when the retail launches. Trying to get into a game with the disk provided did not yield up any matches. The game does not allow for multiplayer on the same console – at least in the version received, a second controller plugged in was not recognized.

Overall: 8.7
A solid follow-up to the 2006 release, with great new characters and fusion powers. The game looks very nice and plays well.