Marvel Ultimate Alliance drops this week, so they released a new trailer for it. Admittedly, as a DC guy, I'm far less into this than Justice League Heroes, but I'd consider it. Of course, the big problem is that I don't want this on my PS2 unless I see cold proof that they scrubbed all the ugly off the X-Men Legends engine. And I'm not holding out for the Wii version because I just don't trust the remote for something like this. So this looks like a PS3 bargain-bin get, in about two years.
The screens are from the flash version I found on CBR.
Gah. Man-on-robot violence already. Not to get ahead of myself, but the trailer shows off a nice assortment of bad guy types... from Doombots to Atlanteans to what I presume are Evil Vikings. Of course, they will all fight identically and be effing robots, but they'll look different.
It's not that I hunger for blood, or that I feel the need to assert my maturity by having my comic book characters realistically turn people into red paste, just that I'm tired of the cliche of the duplicate robotic henchman.
There seems to be some debate over whether this takes place in the Ultimate Universe or not. I don't know why you would name your game "Marvel Utimate Alliance" - which is a dopey title anyway - and use some recognizably Ultimate character designs (like capeless, helmetless Thor here) and then set it in the regular Marvel U.
I like this a lot.
I like this more.
Having Galactus in the game is a major pull for me. Although I have a sneaking suspicion that he will just be one of those giant-guy-encased-in-cement-from-chest-down type of bosses. If they really want the fanboy vote, they'll have you send Human Torch on a twisty flying mission through Galactus's ship in search of the Ultimate Nullifier.
Man, great job on that render. That is the least fruity yet most canon version of the planet-devourer I think I've ever seen.
Yeah, yeah, we've all seen Tombstone.
Does having Wolverine avoid his costume in favor of a tough-guy t-shirt make it less gay... or more gay?
I don't see any female characters? (Excluding Daredevil, of course.)
Finally, gameplay footage. Here, Luke Cage swings one enemy through a convenient semicircle of other enemies. And I think he's playing World of Warcraft here, actually.
One of the other (few) gameplay shots proves that, in the Marvel Universe, robots can get punched dizzy just as in the DC Universe.
Doc Strange! Playable! Awesome.
And because I'm a fan, I can tell you that he's standing in his Sanctum Sanctorum.
Silver Surfer! Playable! Awesome.
And because I'm a fan, I can tell you that he's standing in his Cosmic Skee-Ball Tent.
When you're done watching Spidey footbag Mysterio (want to bet you'll have to fight a roomful of Mysterio illusion-clones? yawn), the trailer also shows off Scorpion and that stupid team of evil construction workers. The difference between Marvel's great villains and Marvel's average villains is a gigantic gulf of embarrassment. For every Dr. Doom, there's a hundred Rhinos, Toads and Grey Gargoyles. They don't have anybody in the middle ground... as in, not world-conquering, but not crap useless either. (Like DC's Penguin or Deadshot.)
Why downplay "Marvel"? "Ultimate Alliance" is a really weak name. I would have gone with "Marvel Legends," because, despite being terrible to look at, the X-Men Legends games did well enough. Not to mention the respected toy line of that name. "Alliance" just wrecks it.
The three cubic acres of characters is great. It looks like they're doing a lot more fan-service that Justice League Heroes. Although they keep confusing the issue by claiming "over 140" Marvelites are in the game, when only 35 or so are actually playable. And a bunch of those are just costume-swaps, like War Machine for Iron Man (STOP DOING THAT.) Kinda takes the wind out of the "CREATE YOUR OWN ULTIMATE TEAM" bit, doesn't it. As long as your ULTIMATE TEAM is some combination of the Fantastic Four and the New Avengers, you're set. Being able to see Lockjaw in a cutscene just doesn't suffice. I want to be Lockjaw.
