Xbox 360 PS3

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2

Role-playing (RPG)Hack and slash/Beat 'em upAdventure

Time to beat: about 12 hours

Overview

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 is a 2009 action role-playing video game featuring characters from Marvel Comics. It is the sequel to 2006's Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, and the second installment in the Marvel: Ultimate Alliance series. The game was jointly developed by Vicarious Visions (PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360), n-Space (Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2 and Nintendo Wii) and Savage Entertainment (PlayStation Portable) and published by Activision in September 2009. A port for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Microsoft Windows by Zoë Mode was released in July 2016.

Unlike the first game, which featured an original plot, Ultimate Alliance 2's storyline is mostly based on the Secret War and Civil War story arcs from the Marvel comics. After a series of devastating attacks on the United States, the American government passes the Superhero Registration Act, which forces all super-powered individuals to act under official regulation, in an effort to reduce the chaos that results from their battles. The superhero community is left divided, as some, including Iron Man, support the Act, while others, such as Captain America, oppose it. The two factions quickly find themselves in conflict with each other, all the while a new enemy threatens global peace. The game features two distinct storylines depending on which faction the player selects at the start, which cross over on several instances.

Upon release, Ultimate Alliance 2 received mixed to positive reviews from critics, who generally found it to be inferior to its predecessor. The game was praised for its branching narrative, improved writing and replay value, and new additions to the character roster, but criticized for the absence of certain elements from the first game. After almost ten years without a new entry in the Marvel: Ultimate Alliance series, a reboot, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order, was released in July 2019 by Nintendo, without the involvement of Activision (whose license to publish Marvel games expired in 2014).