The biggest comic book show on any system.

If you take the X-Men Legends engine and wrap it around the entire Marvel universe, you end up with Marvel Ultimate Alliance. A Marvel Comics fan's dream come true. With over 140 unique characters entwined in the story, this is one of the most comprehensive comic book games every created. Over 20 of those are actually playable and the list varies depending on your system of choice.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance supports up to four players co-op, which makes for a great party game. This is amplified by the fact that the learning curve is very shallow, and the gameplay is fairly simplistic. The good news is this makes it easier to get a group of people together to play, but it's bad for someone like me that wants a deeper experience when playing solo.

Like X-Men Legends, the Champions of Norrath games, and the Baldur's Gate games, Marvel uses a simple attacking scheme loaded up with player specific special abilities. Marvel does offer two attack buttons and some limited canned combos, but everything else is pretty much the same. Characters earn levels which increases stats and allows to you earn new or upgrade old skills. Characters can also unlock new costumes, each of which has three distinct traits that can be upgraded. Depending on costume choice, you get a slightly different version of all the playable heroes.

This is definitely a game focused on team-based gameplay. Even if you choose to take on the solo mission, you'll be fighting with three computer-controlled allies. Honestly for me, this is one of the biggest drawbacks and the same issue I had with X-Men. The arcadey beat-'em-up action is already a little too shallow for my preference, but when you add three uncontrollable heroes into the mix, the outcome of the game feels like it's been taken out of your hands.

Despite the lack of strategy in the fighting, there's still a lot of fun to be had throughout the game. There's plenty of room for mindless beat-'em-ups in my book. I enjoy playing through Marvel for much the same reason I can still enjoy a romp through Double Dragon or Bad Dudes. While the fantasy based action RPGs are addicting for their own reasons (mainly the loot), Marvel still has an addictive quality of its own. Acquiring all the super hero powers, looking forward to the multitude of Marvel Universe heroes, villains, and pawns, are just some of the reasons. I love the way they incorporated the team aspect into the character stats. If real team members are playing together, such as the Fantastic Four or The Avengers, they get a bonus to their stats. There's even a way to create your own team, which can grow in both membership and bonuses.

Ultimate Alliance was produced for multiple consoles at the same time. This lends to the PS2 and PSP versions looking rather nice compared to their library and the 360 version looking a little weak compared to its competitors (PS3 and Wii reviews forthcoming). While the models and environments just got a bump in resolution on the 360, the lighting is quite spectacular. The lighting, shading, and special effects really shine up what could have been an awful looking title into something enjoyable.

No matter what the system, Marvel Ultimate Alliance seems like the kind of game everyone can enjoy. Gameplay is easy enough for anyone to learn and enjoy; yet there's an RPG aspect to it that can satisfy those of us looking for a little more. The huge cast of characters and unlockable extras helps push it over the top.