Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2035 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: ACTIVISION
• Released on: 2006-12-01
• Platform: Sony PSP

Amazon.co.uk Review:
In a nutshell:
X-Men Legends expands into the whole of the Marvel universe with a game featuring more heroes, villains and superhero brawls than a hundred mighty Marvel crossovers.

The lowdown:
It was hardly the deepest action role-player around, but with X-Men Legends, developer Raven found the perfect balance for most comic book fans, between simple action and an expectedly convoluted storyline featuring as many characters as possible. This is basically the same game turned up to 11, as you initially take control of Captain America, Thor, Spider-Man and Wolverine in a battle against Dr Doom and his newfound allies. The graphics are perhaps not quite as detailed as they could be but the scope of the story and the variety of the settings more than makes up for it. Considering how much the game packs in there’s few Marvel diehards that will be disappointed by this.

Most exciting moment:
Although the game works perfectly well on your own it’s really at its best when playing with friends. Depending on the system, you get both online and four-player options, with each player controlling a hero. Many of the superpowers can be combined into a single special move making team work a must (until there’s a fight over a health power-up anyway).

Since you ask:
Although all the obvious heroes are included as playable characters some of the more obscure unlockables include Black Panther, Daredevil, Nick Fury and Silver Surfer. There’s also four exclusive characters for the PSP version (including Captain Marvel and Hawkeye) and more for the Xbox 360 such as Colossus and Moon Knight.

The bottom line:
The ultimate celebration of the Marvel universe in interactive form.-HARRISON DENT

Manufacturer's Description
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance is an all-new action/RPG where players create their Marvel dream team from the largest roster of Super Heroes ever in an epic quest that will determine the fate of Earth and the Marvel universe. For decades, Earth's Super Heroes have opposed evil in their own cities, and on their own terms. But now, Dr. Doom and a newly reformed Masters of Evil the greatest collection of Super Villains ever assembled have plans for world domination, and the heroes must band together to defeat them. Playing as some of the most revered Marvel characters, gamers will embark on a dangerous journey across exotic terrain and well-known comic book locations like Atlantis, the Shield Heli-Carrier and the Skrull home world in an attempt to defy the world's most notorious Super Villains. Created by Raven Software, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance lets players control the most powerful Super Hero alliance the world has ever known.

Experience the full scale of the Marvel universe with a combined cast of over 140 popular comic book characters. Players create, customize and control their ultimate four-person strike team, selecting from an initial roster of 20 playable Super Heroes, including Spider-Man, Wolverine, The Thing, Captain America, Elektra and Thor and battle notorious Super Villains including Dr. Doom, Galactus and countless others.

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance offers gamers total team customization. Players can form their favourite Marvel dream team, create their own team name, team icon, team vehicle and establish a team reputation as they play through an original storyline hand crafted by renowned game developer Raven Software and Marvel's own C.B. Cebulski. Additionally, players have more control over levelling up each team member to their liking, or upgrading all team members together to keep their heroes balanced.

With new and dynamic combat capabilities, Super Heroes can now fight while airborne, on the ground, and even submerged underwater as they traverse through 17 exotic locales and play out some of the most legendary comic book battles from the Marvel universe. Players will have access to a host of fighting tactics and accessories, including melee combat moves such as grappling, blocking and quick combos, new chargeable Super Hero powers, more environmental objects that can be used as weapons, and unique one and two-handed weapons.

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance features a unique storyline where players not only determine the fate of Earth, but also control the fate of the Marvel universe. The missions players accept, the objectives completed, and how players interact with other characters throughout the game will have a direct impact on how the story plays out.

In addition to the epic single-player storyline, players can also battle the world's most evil Super Villains alongside friends in both on and offline cooperative story modes. This robust multiplayer component also features a Competitive Mode where the game keeps track of various in-game stats so players can see how well they stack up against one another affecting the amount of experience points and how equipment is distributed.

Customer Reviews

Marvel over DC anyday!
Ultimate Alliance was the first game i bought on the PSP and i thought it rocked! it's immensely playable, the graphics are awesome and the storyline is totally intriguing- there's three or four CGI movie segments that are as good as a CGI movie in the cinema! you play one of four characters of your own choosing that are interchangeable before, after and sometimes during every level- you can choose from about twenty top drawer heroes to begin with and unlock more as the game progresses.
Gameplay involves running around levels and beating up henchmen types that are sometimes easy, sometimes a bit tough, solving puzzles to advance and then fighting bosses that more often than not require some interaction with the environment (pushing bits of crumbling masonry on their heads). the controls are easy and their superpowers are actually useful. One of the biggest pro's for me is the slightly free-roaming hub levels- all platformers should have these; areas between levels with no baddies where you rest and regroup and decide when you want to take the next challenge- it just immerses you in the game more, makes you feel grounded and makes you want to turn on the game more often (I've got ten minutes, I'll wander round Stark Tower)
I bought Justice League Heroes later on and i think Ultimate Alliance is far superior- Heroes is only two characters at a time, you fight 'robots' (as in: lets make sure the kiddies aren't hurting bad people), the superpowers are difficult to deploy and not worth the effort, the goals are boring, i played as Batman which is a hero i love but the first few levels had him fighting on the street in the day- HELLO, batman is a creature of the night! it was totally degrading to see him throwing batarangs at a giant robot, in metropolis, in the day. the heroes to choose from are lame in comparison and the worst thing of all is that the camera angle throughout the whole game is almost vertically down so you only really see your characters shoulders and no scenery. which is all gray anyway.
Ultimate Alliance has cool characters on equal terms, great scenery which is actually visible, just everything is better! buy this game, it's awesome! you also get to play the original 8-bit version of Pitfall in one level, but as your superhero (i was a tiny little Wolverine running and jumping over snakes- so cool)!!

RPG For Teens?
For long in the tooth RPGers (like me) this style of action based third person game harks back to the ground breaking days of Diablo.

There are the same seemingly endless waves of dumb enemies who fling themselves upon the player's defences without a care in the world. The settings are familiar too, with the usual dungeon-by-another-name linear levels entirely determining the flow of the play.

On the PSP the graphics are so much better than Diablo ever was, and the developer has certainly made the most of the PSP platform. The game exists on just about every modern gaming hardware host, but it is a credit to the design that the game feels entirely natural here on Sony's handheld.

Action buttons and movement controls are well thought out, although the action does seem a little distant given the small scale of the on screen characters. It is often impossible to make any sense of what individual characters are actually doing, and at some key moments it is possible to lose track of which character you are controlling.

You get to choose from a whole plethora of Marvel super heroes, all of which will be intimately familiar to the millions of fans out there. To me they appeared to be authentic to their original styles, with only the merest nod to their more recent movie incarnations (by which I mean that Woverine does look a little like Hugh Jackman!)

Assembling a team is a natural process, and quite enjoyable. But this is really RPG-lite, and your decisions are more or less meaningless. Almost any team of almost any configuration will succeed, given the stupidity and arrogance of the huge swathes of fodder that will present themselves to you for slaughter.

Combat is a little perfunctory, consisting of little more than sustained button bashing. You will have to use various super powers and special abilities, and you can upgrade these as you go. But a couple of favourites will see you through.

There are regular set pieces, which require you to follow on screen button prompts. This works to advance an animation sequence leading to (usually) the destruction of a troublesome boss. But again, this isn't the kind of depth that a hardened RPG player will appreciate.

The story is the usual Marvel comic nonsense, advanced with variously animated CGI sequences. Some look great, but others use the game engine and do little to amuse or entertain. Villains are always over-confident, always sure that this time they will defeat the heroes. They cackle and laugh madly like all cartoon psychotics do, but none of the characters or any aspect of the plot will engage anyone with a grown up mind.

Despite that the game is superbly entertaining in a way that allows the player to simply switch off and go along for the ride. Watch the pretty colours, see the funny wee dolls fighting each other!

You will Marvel at

The comprehensive character animations
The pretty settings
The sheer range of power ups and equipment upgrades
The fast and responsive controls

You will wonder why

Rocks burn, but trees don't
Health and power flows out of dead enemies straight to your team, but coins just lie around needing to be picked up
Every single baddie thinks they are immortal
Dr Doom bothers

DC Vs Marvel
I alot people have asked which is better Ultimate Alliance or DC Heroes. Without a doubt. DC is better. The problem with Ultimate Alliance. Is the graphics arent as good, the single player isnt thought out in a great way. The Actions are limited, DC uses its own game engine to produce the cut scenes , unlike Marvel which has CGI render cut scenes. The screen seems to be to crowded with 4 Player playing, the only thing thats better is the online gaming. Im a fan of Spidey or Iron Man, but first level is very boring if not confusing even with them battling. This is a game that should of been so much more its a pity