When confronted by the game's open¬ing cinematic, glorious, action-intensive, wit-heavy, introductory sequence -- easily matching the stunning stylishness of any modern CG film (and it's drop-dead jaw-dropping in high-def on Xbox 360 and PS3) -- you'll be so psyched that there's nowhere to go but down.
And down it goes as the actual game kicks in with its isometric top-down view, typical of hack-'n'-slash games with some pretty and elaborate environments peppered by your character (Wolverine, of course) and three other tag-alongs (Captain America, Spider-Man and Thor to start, 20 in all, eventually, and always four at a time, which you also can control, one at a time) looking small and underwhelming as they hack-'n'-slash about like mice in a sexy maze.
While each character's skills are upgraded as you progress, the timely unlocking of new moves and special abilities isn't quite enough to distract from the fact that it's wholly derivative and mostly repetitive-action/RPG fare.
The Wii version features some novelty in its Wii-mote interface, in which you're gesturing, shaking, stabbing and swiping your way through it with inconsistent accuracy ... repetitively.
The PS3 version, meanwhile, has you shaking and wrenching the Sixaxis controller on occasion, not unlike a spastic monkey running low on flingables, which is just bizarre ... and repetitive. The remaining versions are all about the good-old repetitive button-mash.
Still, these are some (most?) of the coolest superheroes out there, confronted by equally cool supervillians (like Rhino, Mephisto and Galactus, with the dreaded Dr. Doom as the master evil dude) in a mean-measured manner. The action is incessant, the gameplay competent, and the wealth of upgrades, unlockables and character-specific regalia are, uh, wealthful, while the visual consistency ranges from good to great (best on Xbox 360 and, surprisingly, not the PS3), so it's not at all bad.
Comic book buffs will eat it up, no doubt about it, sharing much of the joyous bashing and slashing online with like-minded buffs (when enabled). But if you've only a passing interest in any/all things Marvel, Ultimate Alliance is not particularly great.
- TIP: Certain combinations of superheroes teamed up in Marvel Ultimate Alliance will net you custom teams with boosted abilities. Create "The Bruisers (+15 Striking)" out of Thing, Captain America, Luke Cage, and Ms. Marvel; "The New Avengers (+5% All Resistances) with Captain America, Luke Cage, Wolverine, and Spider-Man; "The Think Tanks (+15% Max Health)" with Dr. Strange, Mr. Fantastic, Spider-Man, and Iron Man; or "The Femme Fatale (+5% Damage)" with Ms. Marvel, Storm, Invisible Woman, and Elektra.
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