Hey! The Hulk is on the cover. See? Right-middle? Activision, I’m talking to you. Why is the Hulk not available (again?) for play in this game that touts the advantage of letting you play a handful of villains and most of the heroes from the Marvel Universe? Sigh, this, some more complaints and a few compliments are ahead:

I still recommend Marvel Ultimate Alliance (the first one) to siblings, friends and relatives. While the sequel has a better graphics engine, it feels more limited. There are less heroes available from the start and fewer total. A few favorites have been shelved (Spider-Woman, Dr. Strange) and a large number are blacked out – leaving you to guess who might be available once you do something to unlock them. I finished the game on Medium difficulty and there are still a few  -HULK- not available. Shadowy and mocking.

This happened last time too. But then the Hulk wasn’t a tease. You could eventually download him (Venom and Doom too I believe) later for an extra fee. Is that what its going to come to again?

Oh well, the game itself is more disjointed than the first one. The story is way too sprawling here, even if you cover less ground, and probably only makes sense if you’ve spent a long time reading comics lately. The main thrust of the game is the Civil War storyline. An intriguing tale told a few years ago with definite War on Terror overtones. There’s a registration act, all heroes must register with the government. If they join Iron Man, they can work for the government as deputized heroes. If the join Captain America, they oppose registration and will be hunted down and stored in a Mr. Fantastic created gulag in another dimension. Big stuff and the storyline plows through it awfully fast. Afterwards there’s something involving Nick Fury, and the story peters out from there.

So, the storytelling, while often clever (told through PA voiceovers and conversations with heroes), is ultimately unsatisfying. Except for maybe the shout outs it makes to True Believers, if you’ve read these comic adventures, maybe this stuff is a lot more amusing.

But this isn’t really a game about story. Ultimate Alliance 2 offers up a bunch of varied heroes, with varied powers , to team up and kick butt. This means you can forge a 4-person team (say Spider-Man, Wolverine, The Thing and Ms. Marvel) and take them through the whole game. Or you can switch it up (Captain America, Invisible Woman, Ice Man and Luke Cage) or stick to the anti-heroes (Venom, Green Goblin, etc.,) or a mix. I played about half the game as The Fantastic Four. Most of the differences between characters is cosmetic, but geek appeal is the main reason to buy a game like this.

Unless you have a lot of parties or a partner to play with. The game is so easy to play, friends can simply hit the attack button over and over. They’ll last a long time. This makes it good for kids – say, over 8 – despite the T-Teen rating. Kids can master the controls easily, the game is co-operative, and the content – while violent – is nowhere near the super hero movies in terms of “maturity.” Violence and Pathos in the Merry Marvel Manner, you might say.

Fun stuff, but not as good as the first game. That’s disappointing, but doesn’t make the game a waste of time or money, especially if you have someone to play with. Now, why can’t I play as the freaking Hulk?

ADDENDUM

Okay, looks like can be the Hulk, plus a few others, but I have to seek out and find Gamma Regulators hidden throughout the game? Aw hell. Really? Don’t put him on the cover of the game then. Ok? (Thanks Papagamer for your guide.)

Tags: Game Reviews