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Marvel: Ultimate Alliance

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Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
File:Marvel UA.jpg
Developer(s)Raven Software
Vicarious Visions
Beenox Studios
Barking Lizards Technologies
Publisher(s)Activision
Platform(s)PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Xbox, Xbox 360, Game Boy Advance, Wii
ReleaseUnited States Europe Australia October 24, 2006 (PC, PS2, PSP, Xbox, Xbox 360, GBA)
United States November 6, 2006 (PS3)

Wii:
United States November 14, 2006
Australia December 22, 2006

European Union December 22, 2006
Genre(s)Action RPG/ Adventure
Mode(s)Single player, Multiplayer

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance is an action role-playing game released by Raven Software and Activision in October 2006 in U.S. Previously referred to as Marvel-Legends, this game features more than 20 characters which are available to players and 140 character appearances in total.

Story

Template:Spoiler


Dr. Doom has formed a new and improved Masters of Evil who are in pursuit of an "unknown" goal. They launch an attack on a S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier. Nick Fury sends out a distress call to all available superhumans. Captain America, Thor, Spider-Man and Wolverine respond and proceed to eliminate Doom's forces.

After saving the helicarrier, Nick is given the authority by S.H.I.E.L.D. to create a special task force of superhumans to counter the Masters of Evil. Since the helicarrier is too badly damaged to serve as an HQ, Iron Man gives Colonel Fury permission to use Stark Tower. The team's first mission is to sneak onboard the S.H.I.E.L.D. Omega Base, a massive, mobile laboratory containing many top secret experiments, and prevent the Masters from smashing it into a dam. While there, the Masters steal the Super Soldier Formula and the Mutant Amplifier, a device that can increase the power of any mutant. The Masters also attempt to set off a Gamma Bomb and and steal upgrades for Ultron, but they are foiled by the heroes. After stopping the base from crashing and defeating M.O.D.O.K., the team heads to Atlantis. The Atlanteans have revolted against their king, Namor, and Nick Fury believes the Masters may have something to do with it. When the team arrives in Atlantis, they find that Namor has been captured and is being tortured by his people. Namorita tells the heroes that Attuma has staged a coup and taken Namor's throne. The heroes go on to defeat Attuma and restore Namor to his throne. After they defeat Attuma, the heroes see Mandarin in the Atlantean Catacombs stealing the Tome of Asarius. The heroes then pursue Mandarin to his palace in China to discover more of the Masters's plans. Upon defeating Mandarin, the heroes discover that Mandarin split his ties with the Masters long ago. After Mandarin attempted to become the leader of the Masters, Doom expelled him from the group. Mandarin tells the heroes that the Mandarin they saw was most likely Loki, who has recently joined the Masters. Once they acquire this information, the heroes return to Stark Tower. Nick Fury then informs the team that the Masters have kidnapped two X-Men, Nightcrawler and Jean Grey, and Colonel Fury is moving their base to the Sanctum Sanctorum.

Nick Fury tells the team that, now that they know Loki is involved with the Masters of Evil, they will need Dr. Strange's expertise in magic, which is why the team's base has been moved to the Sanctum, Dr. Strange's home. Professor X has also joined the team in the Sanctum to help them locate the missing X-Men. The Professor tells the team he has located Nightcrawler in Castle Doom by using Cerebro. Dr. Strange's assistant Wong prepares the Orb of Teleportation to get the heroes to Castle Doom, but Clea, senses an unknown Dark Magic spell in the Sanctorum. When the heroes teleport to Castle Doom, all seems normal until they are attacked by Jean Grey, who is under some kind of mind control. After Jean flees the battle, the team discovers that the Dark Magic spell was crafted by Baron Mordo, another member of the Masters, to disrupt the teleporter to send the heroes to Murderworld by Arcade. The team travels through Murderworld, saving Jean Grey and defeating Arcade, who tells the heroes that Dr. Doom is planning on using the Mutant Amplifier on Nightcrawler to travel to the realm of Mephisto. The heroes follow the Masters to Mephisto's realm to save Nightcrawler and Jean Grey, who is recaptured by Mephisto. The heroes make a difficult choice and must choose to save only one X-Man. After saving either Nightcrawler or Jean Grey, the heroes fight and beat Mephisto, who tells them that Doom traded Nightcrawler to him in exchange for the Twilight Sword. After aquiring this knowledge, the team returns to the Sanctum to have Nick Fury tell them that Asgard, the realm of the Norse Gods, has fallen to the Masters of Evil. After freeing Asgard, the team comes fights Loki and defeats him. Soon after, they come into contact with Doctor Doom (who has kidnapped Odin and has stolen his powers) and kills the team. But the team is saved by Uatu the Watcher, who could not stand and watch Doom take over the universe.

Uatu tells the heroes that the only way to fight Doom is to steal some of the power from him. To do that they must obtain two items. First, they board a Shi'ar ship and ask Empress Lilandra, who is good friends with the X-Men, to borrow a powerful crystal used by the Shi'ar. When they board the ship, they meet Corsair, who tells them that Deathbird, Lilandra's sister, has taken over the ship. After defeating her, they save Lilandra, manage to stop the ship from self-destruct, and get what they came for. When they return, Uatu tells the team that they must now steal the Muonic Inducer from Galactus. After stealing, the device from the consumer of planets, with help from the Silver Surfer, the heroes learn that the people of earth have begun changing, the land along with them. They also learn that other Super-Heroes (such as Cyclops and Hulk) have tried to stop Doom. Of course they fail, and Doom creates evil copies of them. When the heroes arrive at Doom's Castle in Latveria, they come into contact with many dark versions of Cyclops, Spider-Man, Captain America, Thor, and many more. They find Doom, only to have his own dark version of the Fantastic Four waiting alongside him. After stealing a bit of power from him, the heroes defeat Doom, rescue Odin, and save the world. Doom and Loki are forever tortured by Odin for what they did.

After all this, Nick Fury tells the team that they must disband. Wolverine says to him "You're a punk, Fury." and walks off, with Spidey and Thor following behind him. Captain America then says to Fury that if he ever needs them again, they will provide their assistance.

Then, the screen moves over to Galactus, who vows to destroy the heroes, and Earth, for stealing from him (possibly hinting a sequel?).

After that, Uatu tells the player of how his/her actions in the game (such as not completing missions the right way, or not completing side missions) change the future. For example, if the player chooses to save Jean Grey and not Nightcrawler, Mystique will seek out Professor X and kill him. Another is that if the player did not save Senator Kelly, he will plan to create a serum that will take mutants powers away. So, from another point of view, if the player does not complete all the missions, including optional ones, then the future will still change somehow, and the world would one day be put in danger again.

A subplot was taken place when Weasel attempts to find proof that the Black Widow is a double agent traitor. First, the player needed him a password to SHIELD's priority files to proceed. It was either Jacob Fury, Baron Strucker, or Gabriel Jones. The player tells Weasel that the password is Gabriel Jones. The password was correct that Weasel was able to retrieve the information in Black Widow's laptop. Next, Weasel needed help who is trustworthy to do his job. It is either C.B. Cebulski or Beroge. The person the player pick was trustworthy is Cebulski.

In the Sanctum Sanctorum, Cebulski was helpful to Weasel. Next, Weasel needed the SHIELD security module from Vision. Next, he needed to hide in a safe place from SHIELD soldiers after hacking into SHIELD's database. It is either the Baxter Building of the X-Mansion. The player decides that the X-Mansion is safe for Weasel to hide.

In the Warriors Hall, Weasel was ready to break into Black Widow's personal files. However, he neede to password for access. It is either Ivan Petrovich or Dr. Ines. It was then that the password was Ivan Petrovich. When the player called Nick Fury, it was revealed that Black Widow didn't sell the Imperium to Dr. Doom. Instead, Doom broke into the Imeprium to steal top secret plans and Black Widow was given a laptop to upgrade security system. Also, Weasel thinks that Black Widow was getting money by going trips to Latveria and using the laptop, but instead, Fury had sent her to bribe Doom's people for information. Also, the team discovers that Doom's scheme is to steal Odin's power to become the mightiest.

Features

The game features over 140 characters from the Marvel Universe. Players are able to create teams, and have online and co-operative play, for up to 4 players. In arcade mode players will have to fight for the most kills in order to get the experience points at the end of the level. There are also special comic book missions, revisiting a moment in a character's past and facing a classic arch rival. Characters may have up to four costumes, which can alter the stats of the character.

Players will fight in mid air, underwater and on the ground, with fully destructible and interactive environments in over 17 locations, traveling around different locales on planet Earth, different dimensions, and even the depths of space by the end of the game. The game has alternative endings, affected by the decisions the player(s) make throughout the game. These endings are based on whether or not the player chooses to complete optional missions.

The game is quite rewarding for fans of Marvel's characters, providing lots of bonuses and nods to knowledgeable fans who know their comic history. Putting together teams of characters who have a shared history together, for example, may give team bonuses (ex. using Captain America, Iron Man, Thor and Ms. Marvel on the same team would yield you the Avengers, giving you a boost in attack damage for all team members). Using particular characters to interact with other NPCs can also yield additional dialogue, and villains will also react accordingly when met with their nemeses (for example, Bullseye will talk directly to Elektra upon seeing her in the first chapter). The game also features trivia games, artwork and many more references to the Marvel Universe.

While many characters in the game by default are rendered with the appearance they have in the Ultimate Marvel line of comics, the world of the game is predominantly based upon that of the original Marvel Universe, with many villains, character designs and references to events that exist only in that continuity (for example, Galactus is the original Marvel Universe's version, not Ultimate Marvel's hive-minded robotic version).

Versions

The game is available for the Xbox, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 3, Game Boy Advance, Wii and PC. The graphical engine and looks will differ between the various platforms. For the 6th gen consoles (PS2 and Xbox), characters models will be similar to X-Men Legends II style. The 7th generation (PS3, Wii, and Xbox 360) versions will feature more detailed character models and environments. The PC version will vary depending on the customization of a user's settings, at maximum settings and shaders with premium hardware, the PC graphics will be similar to or better than the 7th gen. The PC version also features "intuitive mouse controls" [1] and works with a gamepad.

There are exclusive characters on the GBA, PSP, Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3. The PSP has four exclusive characters, the GBA has two exclusive characters, and the three next-gen systems share two exclusive characters. Moon Knight and Colossus (the next-gen exclusive characters) are now playable on the PC version as well with a game mod.

GBA

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance's graphics are reduced to a comparitively very low graphic quality for the GBA version.

  • Just like the other versions, players can switch between any character during the game. Players can also create their own team involving only 3 characters. Also, some characters aren't available on the GBA, such as Black Panther. [2]
  • The same exact gameplay as in other versions; players can do major upgradings on characters and tactics, as well as build their reputation points.
  • Exclusive to the GBA version:
    • Players can call in a striker, which performs devastating attacks directed toward on-screen enemies.
    • Two exclusive characters: Jean Grey and Namor.
  • Interactive environments; players can take advantages and use this to track their enemies.
  • Some additional gameplay modes added including: S.H.I.E.L.D. Simulator, Time Challenges, Scavenger Hunts, and a Survival mode.

PSP

The PSP version features simplified graphics, different characters, and extra features:

  • Four exclusive playable Marvel characters: Black Widow, Captain Marvel, Hawkeye and Ronin
  • One exclusive comic book villain: Swordsman
  • 6 special comic book missions
  • Microphone support (voice chat), via which players can speak with other players online
  • Online-recordable player statistics
  • Exclusive prequel missions
  • Three exclusive single-player gameplay modes

Wii

File:Marvel 7th.jpg
Screenshot from E3 2006's 6th generation build.

The Wii version features:

  • Simplified graphics compared to PS3 and Xbox 360 versions
  • Specific motion-sensitive controls for normal moves
  • Motion-sensitive controlled Special attacks, unique for each character
  • Access to any special move at any time, which is unavailable for any other build. (The only other version to use this would be the PC version.)
  • There is no online play, but there is a normal multiplayer mode in which up to four players may play at once.

Characters

While Ultimate Alliance follows in the footsteps of Raven Software's X-Men Legends games, it has a broader scope of inclusion, adding playable heroes from Marvel Comics' other popular comics, including Spider-Man, many different members of the Avengers, and the entire Fantastic Four. In addition, each character has four different costumes. Most of these extra costumes are different costumes characters have had in their comics appearances; for example, Spider-Man has his black symbiote costume and his red and gold "Iron Spider" costume, as well as his classic red and blue costume. Some of the costumes are alternate versions of the same character or even entirely separate characters with similar powers or appearance: for example, many characters appear in their Ultimate versions, and both versions of the character Spider-Woman as well as the MC2 character Spider-Girl are available via the costume change feature.

One major thing to note is that the version of Nick Fury used for Alliance is not the same as previously appeared in the X-Men Legends game. The General Nick Fury model that was previously used is still available as an alternate costume for Fury, however.

While all versions of Ultimate Alliance share a common core of initially-available and unlockable characters, many of the different versions have exclusive characters. The PC, PlayStation 2, and Xbox versions have only the basic core, while the PlayStation Portable version adds four characters, the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and Wii versions share a pair of exclusive characters, and the Game Boy Advance version has two exclusive characters while lacking some of the unlockable characters.

Template:Spoiler Characters that appear as alternate costumes are listed under the original character.

All playable characters have four different costumes, except Moon Knight, who has three.
In the case of Silver Surfer, all of his alternate costumes are identical

Characters in bold are not available at the beginning of the game, and become available during gameplay. All characters in italics are costume changes for other characters.

Playable Characters
Unlockable Characters PSP Only PS3, Xbox 360 & Wii Only GameBoy Advance Only
Non Player Characters
Villains

Voice actors

 

Locations

It's important to note that despite the game's title, the game does not take place in the Ultimate Universe. Also, there is no word that it definitively takes place in the Earth-616 universe or the X-Men Legends universe.

Locations (in order of appearance)
  
Hubs (in order of appearance)

Reception

Awards

  • Received the Video Game of the Year award from Wizard Magazine issue 183.
  • Received the IGN Award for Best Story on PlayStation 3 in 2006.
  • Gaming Target - 52 Games We'll Still Be Playing From 2006 selection [3].

See also

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