Post by Admin on Mar 29, 2011 21:17:47 GMT -5
Being a huge gamer and comic geek, I was pretty much obligated to pre-order the first Marvel Ultimate Alliance when it came out a few years ago. Thankfully the game was a blast. I remember spending the entire weekend cramped in my dorm-room with a friend playing co-op. The graphics (at the time) weren't bad, playing as your favorite characters was tons of fun, and the RPG elements were deep enough to allow completely customizing numerous characters and playing through with them many times before reaching the max level. Sure, the game had some flaws. There were assorted bugs in game-play and audio every now and then, some boss battles were lackluster, and let's face it, the story wasn't really all that great (despite some slick looking cut-scenes to appeal to your eyes). The teaser at the end with Galactus had me smile like a fanboy, highly anticipating the likely sequel to come.
Years later, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 hit the shelves (yet another pre-order so I can unlock the mighty Juggernaut). Previews had me wiping the drool off my face. The graphics received a massive upgrade, the videos and combination attacks looked uber fun, and some of my biggest fanboy favorites were in the game (Gambit, Deadpool, Venom). Just like a good fanboy, I picked it up opening day and played for hours upon hours for the next several days. Just like the previews showcased, the graphics were improved, the action was better, and the overall presentation was vastly superior. The menus and interface were sleek, the score was enjoyable, and the combination attacks really were a ton of fun to watch and dish out. But all that glamor couldn't blind me to the fact that the RPG elements took a massive nose-dive. No longer did each character have a massive roster of moves at their disposal that you could choose to equip. Now it was simplified by restricting powers/special attacks to the four buttons. This means there were usually three attacks and one boost, instead of having an entire assortment of moves to pick from. Each character is restricted to those set moves and you just have to deal with it. Then I quickly realized it was far too easy to reach the max level for each character. By the end of my SECOND play-through I had every character fully upgraded! The extra scenarios were also replaced with danger room-esque missions and some boss/scenario battles. For the most part, these were actually rather fun, they helped hone your skills with certain abilities...But alas, the AI in the single player is never too challenging where you'll really need to be an expert to tear through the game.
So, for the third to be well-received, it's more than clear they need to keep the visual style and impressive presentation of the second, but bring back the heavy RPG elements and wide selection of moves from the first. But that's not all, I haven't even began to touch on the story! Like I said before, the first story was pretty basic. Doom is bad. You're all good. Go stop him. Simple enough and fun enough. But the second was inspired by Marvel's Civil War. This had the potential to be great. Characters were limited to the side you picked and you had the potential to play through two totally different sides of the same story. It's just too bad that a little over halfway through the creative team decided to introduce a brand new threat and have both sides team up to take it on. Really? Reaaaally? I mean, it wasn't poorly executed, but it just wasn't needed at all! Now you could just pick anyone you want and no matter what side you were on, the story is going to be the same from that point on. That needs to be resolved, and I think I know what the third installment needs to follow to make a good game----Dark Reign.
Now before you get all up in arms over some of the poorly executed stories in that event, just hear me out. Dark Reign once again introduces the element of two different sides, forcing players to pick heroes or villains (and as you know, some posed as heroes (Hello alt. costumes!). This also opens up the potential for some new payables, like Daken, Bullseye, The Hood, and Taskmaster for the villains. Unlike MUA2, this game should force you to stick with your side (Norman or heroes) for the entire campaign, creating two lengthy and completely different experiences. From there, I have faith that creative team can muster up a story that is easier to follow for the average gamer, but still reach an entertaining conclusion for Marvel fans. As for special moves, they should create a layout that allows both individual specials (like they had in the first) and "combo attacks" like they introduced in the second.
Do you guys think Dark Reign would make for an interesting theme for the third game, or would you rather see another focus---and if so, what? And what about my thoughts on bringing back the heavier RPG elements...Do you think that's required or should they keep it simplistic? Lastly, have some fun and create your ideal roster for the third game! For restrictions: 15 heroes, 15 villains, and then 5 to be later released through downloadable content. And if you're really looking to have some fun, detail what kind of moves and alternate costumes they would have!
Years later, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 hit the shelves (yet another pre-order so I can unlock the mighty Juggernaut). Previews had me wiping the drool off my face. The graphics received a massive upgrade, the videos and combination attacks looked uber fun, and some of my biggest fanboy favorites were in the game (Gambit, Deadpool, Venom). Just like a good fanboy, I picked it up opening day and played for hours upon hours for the next several days. Just like the previews showcased, the graphics were improved, the action was better, and the overall presentation was vastly superior. The menus and interface were sleek, the score was enjoyable, and the combination attacks really were a ton of fun to watch and dish out. But all that glamor couldn't blind me to the fact that the RPG elements took a massive nose-dive. No longer did each character have a massive roster of moves at their disposal that you could choose to equip. Now it was simplified by restricting powers/special attacks to the four buttons. This means there were usually three attacks and one boost, instead of having an entire assortment of moves to pick from. Each character is restricted to those set moves and you just have to deal with it. Then I quickly realized it was far too easy to reach the max level for each character. By the end of my SECOND play-through I had every character fully upgraded! The extra scenarios were also replaced with danger room-esque missions and some boss/scenario battles. For the most part, these were actually rather fun, they helped hone your skills with certain abilities...But alas, the AI in the single player is never too challenging where you'll really need to be an expert to tear through the game.
So, for the third to be well-received, it's more than clear they need to keep the visual style and impressive presentation of the second, but bring back the heavy RPG elements and wide selection of moves from the first. But that's not all, I haven't even began to touch on the story! Like I said before, the first story was pretty basic. Doom is bad. You're all good. Go stop him. Simple enough and fun enough. But the second was inspired by Marvel's Civil War. This had the potential to be great. Characters were limited to the side you picked and you had the potential to play through two totally different sides of the same story. It's just too bad that a little over halfway through the creative team decided to introduce a brand new threat and have both sides team up to take it on. Really? Reaaaally? I mean, it wasn't poorly executed, but it just wasn't needed at all! Now you could just pick anyone you want and no matter what side you were on, the story is going to be the same from that point on. That needs to be resolved, and I think I know what the third installment needs to follow to make a good game----Dark Reign.
Now before you get all up in arms over some of the poorly executed stories in that event, just hear me out. Dark Reign once again introduces the element of two different sides, forcing players to pick heroes or villains (and as you know, some posed as heroes (Hello alt. costumes!). This also opens up the potential for some new payables, like Daken, Bullseye, The Hood, and Taskmaster for the villains. Unlike MUA2, this game should force you to stick with your side (Norman or heroes) for the entire campaign, creating two lengthy and completely different experiences. From there, I have faith that creative team can muster up a story that is easier to follow for the average gamer, but still reach an entertaining conclusion for Marvel fans. As for special moves, they should create a layout that allows both individual specials (like they had in the first) and "combo attacks" like they introduced in the second.
Do you guys think Dark Reign would make for an interesting theme for the third game, or would you rather see another focus---and if so, what? And what about my thoughts on bringing back the heavier RPG elements...Do you think that's required or should they keep it simplistic? Lastly, have some fun and create your ideal roster for the third game! For restrictions: 15 heroes, 15 villains, and then 5 to be later released through downloadable content. And if you're really looking to have some fun, detail what kind of moves and alternate costumes they would have!
