Marvel: Ultimate Alliance is an isometric action role-playing similar to the X-Men: Legends titles. I enjoyed the Legends series, though not as much as the similar and superior Baldur’s Gate titles and always felt that something was off. There were some great moments to be had in the X-Men titles to be sure, and I really enjoyed the PSP version of the sequel, but they didn’t click with me like I was expecting. Ultimate Alliance clicked.

Starting out with a team that consists of one Captain America – a gentleman I’ve been wanting to pummel criminals with since the Genesis days – and some other heroes that are both long overdue for their time in a game and those who you’ve controlled before – Thor, Wolverine, and Spider-Man – I was off to assist Nick Fury in taking down Dr. Doom, Fin Fang Foom, Bullseye, and almost every other villain in the Marvel universe. It’s a good thing that there are over 20 heroes for you to unlock and choose from, including next-generation exclusives Moon Knight and Colossus. Is the inner comic book fan in you tingling? Just a little? It should be.

As you assist Nick Fury by walloping villains you’ll get S.H.I.E.L.D. credits, health orbs, and energy orbs. Health orbs are self-explanatory, energy orbs replenish your hero’s power gauge, and both will be converted into experience points if your team is stocked. The credits are a good bit cooler, they are used to enhance characteristics per a character’s current outfit, which can be changed to one of a number of uniforms they have wore throughout the years: Captain America has classic, Ultimate, and Double Agent, with each having their own special enhancements that can be upgraded. The experience gained goes along with the amount gained from completing a mission and surviving battles, and these go towards gaining new abilities and improving old ones, as well as your characters’ more basic stats (health, strength, etc.). In addition to all of this, gear will be found throughout the game and assigned to characters to enhance their abilities.

Teams can also receive reputation bonuses depending on how they are put together. Famous ensembles, like the Fantastic Four, will receive a bonus for sticking together, while a custom team will need to be used for a while as a cohesive unit to raise their reputation. There are also avenues for other bonuses, like mutants playing with mutants or different teams not pre-configured but recognized when manually put together.

There is also a copious amount of fan service throughout the game. There are over 140 characters that have a part in the story. Beyond all the cameos and conversations, there are also hidden bonuses items, such as comic books that open up special battles when found. These kinds of extras aren’t new to fans of the Legends titles, with their trivia machines and art galleries, but with a game that’s busting at the seams with heroes and villains they still make great additions.

The core gameplay has been a bit refined as well. There are still combos, team commands, and the holy combat trinity (attack, smash, and grapple), as well as the intuitive power selection system that’s been used for a while now (shoulder button brings up face button-designed powers). Weapons are also available in the debris, ready to be picked up and smacked against someone’s head. Everything feels tighter, though combat can still be confusing, it’s a much more controlled experience.

A game like this is screaming for multiplayer, and those wanting to go a few rounds with friends won’t be disappointed. It’s all the more special when playing with someone who knows the characters and understands their powers or, preferably, has their old favorites picked out and ready to go. The sprawling story can be played out solo or with a friend, or friends, over one system or on Xbox Live. The game is smooth no matter which option is chosen.

Surprisingly, the game looks fantastic. Euric and I would pause the game, maximum zoom, to enjoy the impressive figurine-like appearance of the characters and the colorful explosions. The characters, particularly Spider-Man, looked eerily similar to some toys from the early ‘90s that we had checked out for a time. The other titles in this genre never suffered in the looks department, but they were never expected to rise above a certain level because of all the characters on the screen at once and a typically restrictive camera that only zoomed in so far, but Ultimate Alliance is absolutely gorgeous. The voice-overs and sound effects are equally impressive.

The manual doesn’t do a great job of explaining everything in the game, which is a problem since there is just so much presented to you from the outset. There are also so many extra features and modes and unlockables that more than a cursory 20-page manual (about 13 of which is of useful information) would have helped. The game itself does a good job of explaining itself in-game, but it’s not uncommon to skip past info because you’re ready to get to the action and when you’re dealing with so much it would be nice to have it all set in a cohesive and understandable package. There is little else to dislike here, other than the random bull-headed AI partner that doesn’t listen or the genre standard endless smashing of the crates – it would’ve been nice for Ultimate Alliance to have broken out of something like crate smashing with a fresh alternative.

Overall: 9/10

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance is everything a Marvel or action RPG fan could want. There are just so many options that it can be overwhelming, and the included documentation does very little to help you through it all. Thankfully the game does offer info on its various features and modes, but it’s easy to be taken aback at first. Packed to the brim with characters, powers, extras, and replayability, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance is a fantastic addition to anyone’s library.