It's been nearly three years since comic fans got their taste of the first Marvel Ultimate Alliance. The comic-themed action RPG was every fanboy's dream, with a who's who of Marvel heroes (and later, even some villains) at their disposal to take on the biggest and baddest threats to ever hit comics. Now fans are getting their second bite at the Marvel apple with the recent release of Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2. The question is, does the sequel pack the punch of an epic comic event? Or will the game leave fans aching for a retcon?
Unlike the first game, which featured a mishmash of plot components from all corners of the Marvel Universe, the story of Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 has been pulled straight from the pages of the company's epic Civil War storyline. While the final act of the game gives fans an alternate ending to the Civil War, reminiscent of Marvel's many "What If?" tales, these rest of the game it pretty much lifted straight from the comics. Even the introductory "tutorial" levels were pulled almost page for page from the Secret War series. For those that may have missed it, in Marvel's Civil War storyline, the government passes the Superhuman Registration Act, a law requiring any and all superhumans to register and give up their secret identities, while being essentially drafted into government service.
For some heroes, registration means working with the law and no longer being forced to help from the shadows. For others, the SRA means servitude to government whims, loss of their civil liberties, and the endangerment of those closest to them. When tragic events force the heroes to make a stand, battle lines are drawn between the best of the Marvel Universe, with Captain America, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist taking a stand against government oppression of superheroes, while Iron Man, Reed Richards, and Songbird stand tall in support of registration. As far as the rest of Ultimate Alliance 2 roster? Well, they're up for grabs ... it just depends on which side you choose.
Fans of Ultimate Alliance are in for a little bit of a shock in the sequel. Vicarious Visions didn't simply recycle the first game and slap a "2" on the title. There are plenty of changes in the sequel that may take some getting used to. Each of the game's 24 playable characters (okay, 25 if you got the Juggernaut pre-order bonus) has a pool of four distinct characters. For those keeping score, that's just over half of the powers available to characters in the first game. Also, each character has just one alternate costume, versus the four different unlockable costumes in MUA1. While on the surface, it may seem like the sequel is just a stripped down version of the original, that couldn't be further from the truth.
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