Bargain Bin Gaming- Episode 14: Marvel Ultimate Alliance [PS2]

mua“Marvel Ultimate Alliance” can be found previously played on Amazon.com for as cheaply as $6.25.

A few years ago, a small company named Raven software created the best super hero game to come out in ages: X-Men Legends. Not only did the game use a rehashed version of the gameplay engine of the popular Baldur’s Gate series, it also captured the essence of the X-Men Universe better than ever before. Since then, not only has the company released a successful sequel to the series, they have also managed to create a game in “Marvel Ultimate Alliance” that features many of the greatest heroes and villains in the Marvel Universe with a top notch story that any fan will eat up.

Simply put, from the first second the game starts, it’s obvious that a ton of work went into everything from the pre-game trailers to the voice-overs, making Ultimate Alliance have a polished and deep feel. On the gameplay front, the game plays smoother than its older X-Men Legends cousins and features puzzles and enemies that are much harder than many might expect. Despite this, it’s hard to deny the fact that the game is uber similar to the previous games Raven has produced over the years, it just has more characters in it.

While this works to the favor of the series, any fan of the X-Men Legends series will recognize the voices and fighting styles of all the X-Men from the previous games, which have barely been changed if they have been at all, making them want to try something new and play with the other 20 odd selectable characters like Spiderman, Thor, Luke Cage and Ghost Rider.

One other small problem is the camera system, which hasn’t been changed at all from “X-Men Legends 2.” Gamers at times may find themselves loosing track of where their characters are when there are multiple enemies on screen and may have to adjust the camera when in tight corners. While it never gets to the point where it detracts anything from the in-game experience, being a minuscule nuisance at best, it may get annoying at times and could have been solved if the characters were scaled a little bigger.

On a positive note, the story in Ultimate Alliance is absolutely phenomenal, as it touches on almost every inch of the Marvel Universe and features so many characters that most comic book fans may have to look up some of the lesser-known ones on the internet to find out who they are. As well, every hero manages to stick out in their own way and provide a different gameplay experience, making the gamer want to finish the game multiple times. The host of extra goodies added in like costumes, comics and special abilities also add depth to the overall package that is rarely found in a game today.

With the Playstation 2 on its last leg, “Marvel Ultimate Alliance” proves that great games with amazing sound and good graphics are still available on the system. Fans of Raven’s older games will fall in love with Marvel Ultimate Alliance, while fans unfamiliar with the series will jump into the game with both feet.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 13819 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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