Marvel: Ultimate Alliance reminds of arcade video games from their hey-day back in the 80's--namely, the original Gauntlet and Captain America and the Avengers. It's ostensibly a role-playing game, but there's enough action inside this well-constructed video game to keep everyone this side of Stan Lee happy.

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance pits you and usually three other Marvel characters against every baddy from the Marvel universe and more. You can play as your favorites from the very start, from Spidey and Wolverine to the Captain and Storm with over 20 playable characters in total (although some have to be unlocked).

The gameplay is well designed, as it's simple to pick up with lots of extra moves and special powers to master. And the video game provides hints and details about how to take advantage of your character's powers as you progress. The Gauntlet comparison comes from the fact that we've rarely had as much fun playing with up to three other gamers while cutting down the waves of grunts coming at you.

That's right, the video game features a cooperative play throughout the campaign. In those rare occasions where there's only a single hero battling through, the other player or players get to control some bad dudes. You can also play competitively in an arcade mode, with the game keeping track of how much damage you dole out and how many extras you pick up, then declaring one player the winner at level's end. Both of these modes are available online and offline.

The video game lets you create a classic foursome, such as the Fantastic Four, or you can mix and match as you see fit. It's fun to bring together superheroes who don't normally fight side-by-side, and having the right balance can really help out with the end-level battles.

The video game really is an RPG, letting you build up experience points to use for increasing different powers and donning a new (or old) costume. You can swap Wolverine's duds out for his classic costume or suit Captain America in his WWII era clothing. It's a nice touch.

The video game's graphics look great, especially on the Xbox 360 version. The characters are sharply rendered, the animations are smooth, and the special effects--especially when you're in a fight with a big boss--are excellent eye candy. Marvel: Ultimate Alliance is one of the most enjoyable action RPG video games we've played in quite a while.


Pro: Balanced gameplay, great co-op mode
Con: Some lag online