Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 splits its cast between heroes and villains, lets players pick a team of four, and rewards teamwork with combined attacks called fusions. The game leans on the Civil War comic book storyline, with Iron Man backing the Superhuman Registration Act while Captain America goes underground. Players choose sides at the start and follow separate storylines that cross over.
Trailer, via Activision.
The Story Behind the Screen
The game opens with Nick Fury leading a secret strike on Castle Doom in Latveria. Fury’s team includes Captain America, Wolverine, Spider-Man and Iron Man. They discover that Latveria’s prime minister, Lucia von Bardas, has been feeding weapons to the Tinkerer, who sells them to supervillains. The castle falls, von Bardas is presumed dead, and Castle Doom is destroyed.
One year later, von Bardas returns as a cyborg alongside several villains to destroy New York City as revenge. The heroes defeat her, but the attack, combined with Fury’s unlawful actions, pushes the U.S. government toward the Superhuman Registration Act. The act forces all superhumans to register under official control.
Dan Tanguay, creative director for Vicarious Visions, described the game’s story as starting with Secret War, using Nick Fury’s invasion of Latveria as a jumping off point, with the rest of the story derived from the consequences of those actions.
The story follows the Civil War arc, including the Stamford explosion that kills 612 civilians, including school children, and the public demand for the Registration Act.
Fighting, Fusions and Leveling Up
The combat borrows from the X-Men Legends series. Players switch between four characters mid-fight, and the game supports up to four players playing together. Each character has four core powers that grow as they level up, similar to the original X-Men Legends.
Fusions bring two characters together for a new attack. Captain America can use his shield to reflect Storm’s lightning, for instance. The Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, Wii and handheld versions resemble the original Marvel: Ultimate Alliance and original X-Men Legends in how they handle leveling, with fewer powers available on the DS.
The Vicarious Visions version adds online play via PlayStation Network, Xbox Live and Steam.
Verdict on the Game
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 earned a mixed to positive reception from critics. The Civil War storyline gives the game weight that the first installment lacked, and the fusion system adds depth to fights. But the split between hero and villain teams can feel awkward.
Players who want a deep, branching story will find it here. Those who want tight controls and smooth motion may look elsewhere. The game is best enjoyed as a shared experience, with friends picking sides and watching the story unfold.
The game stands as a solid entry in the series.
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