Declarative statement: Most comic-book games suck, with titles like Superman 64 and Aquaman: Battle for Atlantis creating new levels of joystick-guided stank. (For a more recent case study, consider this month's Justice League Heroes, in which Wonder Woman takes to the air with all the grace and poise of a 'luded-up Captain Lou Albano.)
There have been a few high points of note in the past few years, however. Last summer's The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, for example, was a total gas, mostly for the ability to use virtually anything in the landscape—truck, giant hamburger logo, screaming pedestrian—as a weapon. Even more successful was Raven Software's X-Men Legends series, which successfully transposed the complicated, angsty mutant saga into a remarkably fun, Diablo-derived RPG.
The developer has returned with Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, an often ludicrously fun button masher for up to four players that features, well, dang near everybody in the Marvel roster. Mechanics-wise, the gameplay hasn't changed much from the X-Men series: Choosing from a roster of over 20 superheroes (each with distinct powers), players take a group of four through a series of missions, beating the holy hell out of anything in their path. As a game mechanic, it's just simple enough to be addictive, with enough variety and unlockables to reward repeated go-throughs. While on the easier difficulties, players can most likely make it through just by hammering on the punch button, but the tougher settings require a real understanding of team dynamics and how different powers complement each other. (Or, on the other hand, you could just play as Captain America, whose shield-throw move kicks ridiculous amounts of ass.) The role-playing aspects offer a similarly generous curve, with settings for players who prefer to micromanage every stat, and also for those content to leave the leveling on automatic and let it rip.
Snazzy as the gameplay is, however, what really makes the game indispensable for fans is the sheer amount of comic lore incorporated within. Simply put, virtually everything that makes mainstream comics so cool/ridiculous is here, from the huge-noggined Nazi scientist M.O.D.O.K (Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing); to the superfly wardrobe of '70s blaxploitation hero Luke Cage; to the giant, green, purple-pants-wearing lizard with the wonderfully catchy moniker Fin Fang Foom. All that's missing, really, is a retro advertisement section wherein a villain is stopped through the use of a Hostess fruit pie... and I may just not have found that part yet.
To put down the fan-boy blinders for a moment, there are some minor irritations that become apparent along the way: Your powers, however impressively destructive, don't change visually with an increase in levels, the reliance on beatdowns of low-level robot minions grows occasionally tiresome during long sessions, and the computer-controlled heroes have a bad habit of standing around in lava. Still, for every mild annoyance there exists oodles of neat stuff that may only become apparent after replays. For players with an excess of time on their hands, and a fierce hankering to control folks in long underwear, this is just about the pinnacle.
