Is your Spider-sense tingling? That's because Activision is about to unleash their new action role-playing game, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, with more heroes, more villains, more action, and more story than ever before. But exactly how much more? Find out in these top five highlights of Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2. Excelsior!
1. Avengers Assemble!
Putting the band back together is heaven, but creating your own super-group is divine. With over 24 heroes and villains to choose from (and more on the way through post-release downloadable content), you can create the dream team you've always wanted. Choose from old classics like Spider-Man and Captain America to fan favorites like Venom and Iron Fist. Us? We're thinking Iceman, Deadpool, Green Goblin and Wolverine, because it ain't a party without Weapon X. Snikt!
2. With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility
Picking the right mix of heroes and villains is only the start, though; you'll also need to use 'em the right way. Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 introduces Fusion attacks, which join any two characters' super powers into one absurdly powerful combo attack. Thor can bounce lightning bolts off Captain America's shield, while Iron Man can heat up concrete slabs for Hulk to throw at bad guys. Our math is a bit rusty, but we'd like to think that leads to an infinite number of fusion possibilities. Yeah, infinite, we're sticking with that.
3. Be the Best There Is At What You Do... With Friends
More than just a solo superhero romp, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 really shines with a little help from your friends. Up to three of them, more precisely, as the game lets anyone drop in online or offline for some four-player cooperative clobberin' time. Best of all, upgrades are handled on the fly without interrupting the game for everyone else. Think of it as any other party game, except this one has the whole world -- maybe even other universes -- hanging in the balance.
4. Regrettably, Not All Choices are Clear Cut, Nor All Conflicts Obvious
While Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 is primarily an action game, it's deeply immersed in Marvel Universe lore and its exploration of moral issues. From Secret War to Civil War, players will re-live the famous storylines presented in the comic pages with an opportunity to change the outcome and shape their destiny. Even dialogue choices will have an effect on gameplay, where aggressive responses improve strength and passive ones enhance your defense.
5. Hulk Smash!
But what's the real reason we play these games? To blow stuff up, of course. Where superpowers fail to deliver the goods, thrown cars always finish the job. Go nuts in a highly-destructible environment, wielding lightposts as clubs or tossing benches at bad guys, or just, uh, "marvel" at the aftermath properly rendered for current generation consoles.
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 Image Gallery
Posted: 8 Sep 2009
