I have yet to complete this port, and I am not convinced that doing so is necessary. Every iteration of Ultimate Alliance (UA) has been plagued by significant issues. I fondly recall criticisms that UA3 did not feel like a true Ultimate Alliance game, though, in retrospect, the series itself never fully embodied the vision of what an Ultimate Alliance experience should have been. This is not solely a critique of the roster depth or gameplay mechanics, both of which are serviceable but ultimately forgettable. To me, Ultimate Alliance has always represented an unrealized dream. Even today, I am amazed that we received scattered, low-effort projects over the years (mostly the movie videogames that could only serve as bread crumbles), with nothing approaching the passion and depth seen in Insomniac's Spider-Man or the recent resurgence of Marvel games like Rivals. That said, we got an atrocious Avengers game out of nowhere in the middle of everything but fine.
What I truly hope for is a definitive UA (or Omega, for that matter) with an ever-expanding roster, enhanced replayability, and a level of polish that the series has yet to achieve. However, what we have been given so far are the UA games and Omega, which allowed players to control multiple characters across various Marvel realms.
Reviewing a nearly 20-year-old game may not hold much value, but I will briefly summarize my thoughts: this game would not be the financial success many assume it would be. In other words, no, it won't be a money printer. Releasing it on modern storefronts without a proper remaster—or better yet, a remake—would render it virtually worthless. AGAIN. What the series truly needs is a reboot. While the games have gained notoriety among collectors, let us be honest: this port is severely lacking. The button mapping is poorly implemented, some indicators are outright incorrect, and the options menu is almost nonexistent. The resolution is laughable, even for a 2016 release. It's just irredeemable ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥. My desire to own the game legitimately on a digital platform is one thing; Activision’s disregard for its customers is another. This is precisely why I initially skipped purchasing the game at 20 bucks, only to pay around 250 later (and yes, Amazon’s purchasing issues were another frustrating ordeal, let's just skip that part). If you are in the same boots, what's else there is to say?
Despite the port’s shortcomings, I first encountered the game when I acquired a 360, which was arguably the best platform for it. Like many others, it holds a nostalgic place in my childhood memories, allowing me to play as some of Marvel’s most iconic and decorated heroes (thinking the cover included Elektra back then is wild). This version, being an Xbox 360 port, includes additional characters such as Nightcrawler, who introduces minor nevertheless enjoyable gameplay elements, like the ability to skip certain areas and that comes handy if you are all alone. That's another issue with the game which I both like and dislike. Checkpoints can be scarce and levels are usually quite short so it's not exactly a matter of replaying the whole level but it's a matter of replaying the whole level all alone if you can't revive your team and the character you have cannot cheese the boss. There's some challange to it but it lacks. Sure loading a previous save is valid and it's the most 2006 thing ever. Meta-gaming to overcome the game's shortsightedness. Though I still must admit I like the idea of rotating the roster so your teammates can rest (usually about 3 to 5 mins, not a big deal either). But yeah, it's underutilized like everything else.
On paper, features like team-up bonuses sound appealing, but they are ultimately underdeveloped. The level design is lackluster and deteriorates with each subsequent installment. Some sections, such as Murderworld, which I enjoyed as a child, now feel corny af. Atlantis, in particular, can be nerve breaking due to the movement. The environments, whether set in the Helicarrier, Asgard, or Doom’s castle, are reduced to generic corridors that fail to capture the grandeur of their settings.
The core gameplay loop is a simplistic beat-’em-up, even by 2006 standards. Boss fights often feel cheap and gimmicky (looking at that piece of fk Mysterio). Mysterio is such an awfully designed boss fight who could wipe out your team because his clones' repeated animations cycles stunlocks (if that's the word for it) you and breaking out of it could be real tough and finnicky. No matter what I tried, I couldn't beat him with X-Men and then had to switch my team to survive the fight with AoE attacks and some good old tanking. I'd buy it if it was that strategical but it really wasn't. Leveling up is another option but in moment to moment action you barely think about leveling up your stats or changing your comp because it just doesn't feel right that way. I always see more value in having a taste of the characters and mess around with the rotating rosters but it sometimes bricks your progression and prove harder than it needs to be. I'll say it's just a balance issue but idk, I never paid too much attention to it when I was younger and thought the game could be tough as nuts but nope, it's just cluelessness of me and the game lacks once again. There are lots to mention about both enemy and your roster's animation cycles and how they are actualized.
To label this game as an action RPG is an overstatement & overselling the game at best. While characters have unique abilities—such as Moon Knight’s ankhs and batons or Johnny Storm’s flame-based attacks—these actions are bound to skills. Energy-based skills feel bland that kills all the fluidness alone, and character customization is woefully limited. It could have been enermously better if characters could alternate between ranged and melee and/or between their personas (Johnny Storm/Human Torch) with ease and more intuitively and the skills were actually being impactful. Each character has four alternate outfits, but beyond that, there is little meaningful progression. Upgrades are spread throughout the levels you'll find some here and there along unlockable figures which would let you unlock Black Panther and Daredevil, and players can use in-game currency to enhance stats, but these systems are ultimately shallow and uninspired. You don't really have an impact on the narrative either.
The game is mindless fun, but this is largely due to the lack of options across the brand and you want to have a taste of the Marvel flavour. In an ideal world, we would see a rebooted Ultimate Alliance with more distinctive level design that's built up on some actual character, an even more diverse roster, and deeper RPG elements, including meaningful character customization and a compelling narrative. However, I remain skeptical that such a vision will ever come to fruition. I'll daresay Midnight Suns (though I am yet to play it) was a bold attempt and probably is better than UA ever was but that's not 'it' either. At least not to me given the genre. I always thought X-Men Legends were the better ones but now I have my suspicions.
ps: This port deserves a negative but for the sake of everything else including a nonsensical nostalgia I just can't.
