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Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2

Ultimate Alliance 2 is an enjoyable superhero action RPG that takes a few steps forward for the franchise but also takes a couple puzzling steps backward.
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 Game Cover
54%Game Brain Score
story, graphics
stability, optimization
46% User Score Based on 521 reviews
Critic Score 73%Based on 4 reviews

Platforms

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Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 Game Cover

About

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 is a single player and multiplayer hack and slash game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Zoë Mode and was released on July 26, 2016. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and neutral reviews from players.

"Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2" is a Science Fiction Hack and Slash game, continuing the series from the first game. It is based on the Civil War comic book story line, and features a larger roster of heroes and villains. The game offers multiple ways to play, including 2-player, multi-player, co-op, and single-player options, with more team-based combat tactics.

Genres & Tags
Play Modes
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 screenshot
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 screenshot
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 screenshot
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 screenshot
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 screenshot
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 screenshot
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 screenshot
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 screenshot
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 screenshot
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 screenshot
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 screenshot
+9
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46%
Audience ScoreBased on 521 reviews
story21 positive mentions
stability28 negative mentions
  • Enjoyable superhero action RPG with upgraded graphics and a compelling story.
  • Includes a variety of usable heroes and villains, making for an engaging experience.
  • Co-op gameplay is fun and allows for up to 4 players.
  • Controller support is poorly implemented, with many users experiencing mapping issues.
  • Audio quality is often distorted, making the game uncomfortable to listen to.
  • The game can feel repetitive and lacks the depth of previous installments.
  • story
    77 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story in "Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2" is generally well-received, praised for its engaging narrative based on the Civil War and Secret War comic arcs, with a unique twist that explores the moral complexities of both sides. While the writing includes humorous quips and offers replayability through decision-making, some players noted a lack of mission variety and a streamlined storytelling approach that can detract from the overall experience. Despite its bugs and shorter length compared to its predecessor, the game is considered a solid continuation of the Marvel universe with improved graphics and character selection.

    • “Fascinating story, great writing including plenty of laugh-out-loud quips from Deadpool and the other more humorous characters.”
    • “The story is actually really good because it is based on both the Civil War and the Secret War storylines, but has a unique twist and explores how dark both pro- and anti-registration sides got in their efforts to win the Civil War.”
    • “This game has many characters we love, a great story that just keeps expanding as you progress, and now the ability to team up with friends online.”
    • “The story and missions are lacking in variety; the civil war setting changes only 2 or 3 stages (in which you fight the same shield dudes with a different skin) before going back to a central narrative about nanites. The bosses are just other heroes with larger health pools, and as you repeat these encounters a few times, they're more of a speed bump than a challenge. By the end of the game, I was sighing every time another wave of 3 or 4 'big baddies' showed up, and just wanted to get it done with.”
    • “Hmm... I dunno, it's kind of buggy. At times it crashed for me, and the story dialogue during gameplay ran itself over. I'm not sure if it's worth the $40 price tag; wait for it to go on sale or find it cheaper elsewhere.”
    • “At some point in the game, you have to pick a side in the civil war, and some heroes naturally belong to your enemy, so they can potentially get locked (temporarily, don't worry just wait for the story to unfold!). Their alternative costumes won't be unlockable until you replay the game again and pick the other side, which can potentially be frustrating.”
  • graphics
    59 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game, originally released in 2009, are generally regarded as a significant improvement over its predecessor, with many users appreciating the realistic portrayal of the Marvel universe. While some animations are mixed in quality and the overall visuals may feel dated compared to modern standards, they are still considered decent for the game's age, especially on PC. However, performance issues and limited graphical options have been noted, leading to mixed feelings about the overall graphical experience.

    • “I appreciate the lean towards more realistic graphics, even if it comes at the cost of less vibrant and creative level design, and the voice acting performances were more than passable.”
    • “Being released originally in 2009, this game is still a gem of portrayal of the Marvel universe. There is a big improvement in graphics over the first one, and the animations are mixed; some are better, some are worse.”
    • “Graphics are great and definitely improved.”
    • “The graphics in game and during cutscenes are somehow worse than MUA1.”
    • “That said though, the graphics are straight from 2009 and look like they belong on the Xbox 360.”
    • “I recommend this game very lightly as though it's very enjoyable, the price is very difficult to justify for a seven-year-old game with no modern graphical enhancements.”
  • gameplay
    50 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some praising the fluid mechanics and unique character abilities, while others criticize its repetitiveness and bugs that disrupt the experience. The introduction of team member combos and fusion mechanics adds depth, but issues with controller support and frequent crashes detract from the overall enjoyment. While the game offers a faster pace compared to its predecessor, many feel it doesn't fully capture the creativity and quality of the original.

    • “The gameplay's 'feel' in general is much more fluid, characters have more unique abilities with less overlapping compared to MUA1, but they also have only 4 abilities instead of 4 choosable out of 7 (but they change if you upgrade them, visually and mechanically too!). The gameplay design also shifted from less but stronger (more RPG-ish with resistances etc.) enemies to far, far more many that die easier. I can tell you that slicing through 10-30 enemies with a metallic tornado controlled by Magneto while Human Torch makes the entire whirl burst with flames (or Gambit making each metal piece charged with explosive force) is incomparable to MUA1's single ultimate abilities.”
    • “Otherwise, it's got some nice gameplay mechanics (fusion combos - nice touch), nice visuals, and a decent roster of characters.”
    • “Gameplay-wise, I loved it.”
    • “Ultimately, this game does not live up to the original's creativity and gameplay quality.”
    • “It was a fun game to play through and interact with so many Marvel characters, but it crashed way too often and the gameplay is very repetitive.”
    • “There is an issue that stops further gameplay, which I think is a game-breaking bug.”
  • stability
    36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with many players noting persistent bugs and glitches, particularly with certain character powers and controller support. While some issues have been patched, players still report occasional crashes and gameplay interruptions, though most agree that these do not significantly hinder overall progress. Overall, the game is playable but remains a work in progress, with users recommending caution regarding specific features and character abilities.

    • “The game isn't 100% bug free, but there's nothing game breaking or that causes you to lose a lot of progress.”
    • “Game runs great at 4K high settings at 60 fps on an RX 480.”
    • “First off, the game runs great; there are no problems with controller settings or whatever these people are talking about.”
    • “Fun game but pretty buggy. Jean Grey and Invisible Woman's second power will crash the game, so if you plan to use them, I strongly recommend not leveling those powers at all. The free DLC with all the sim missions is extremely nice despite the glitchiness of the game; most of it can be resolved by just reloading.”
    • “The glitches in this game make it terrible.”
    • “Hmm... I dunno, it's kind of buggy. At times it crashed for me and the story dialogue during gameplay ran itself over. I'm not sure if it's worth the $40 price tag; wait for it to go on sale or find it cheaper elsewhere.”
  • optimization
    28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed reviews. While some players report smooth performance and no significant issues on lower-end machines, others experience stuttering and frame rate drops, particularly in the Steam version. The controls are generally well-received, but there are complaints about poor optimization for modern hardware, leading to inconsistent performance for some users.

    • “On my toaster (Pentium G4560, GTX 1050 mini, 8 GB DDR4), there are no performance issues.”
    • “I haven’t noticed any audio bugs, the performance has been terrific, the keyboard and mouse controls work surprisingly well, and the controls for the mouse and keyboard are completely remappable.”
    • “Everything runs smoothly and glitch-free, no audio issues whatsoever.”
    • “It's not optimized for today's machines.”
    • “That said, I got this just out of the sale and could not play it for my life due to horrible controls optimization.”
    • “Do not buy, the sound is not good and the game is poorly optimized for PC.”
  • monetization
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Reviews highlight a strong sentiment that the game is perceived as a "cash grab," with users frustrated by ongoing issues that remain unaddressed after nearly two years. The lack of support for various controllers, particularly the Steam controller, further exacerbates the negative view of the monetization strategy.

    • “Thanks for absolutely nothing, you worthless cash grab.”
    • “Can anyone say cash grab?”
    • “Almost two years and Activision hasn't been able to fix all the issues with this cash grab.”
  • music
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is often overshadowed by significant audio issues, including major distortion and a persistent crackling noise that detracts from the overall experience. Many players find the sound quality unsatisfactory, leading them to turn down the game audio and listen to their own music instead.

    • “I do have major distortion of the sound when I play MUA2, so I just turn it down and listen to music.”
    • “The music and sound effects have this constant weird crackling noise that is sometimes constant, and sometimes comes and goes.”
    • “The music is just too low in volume, making it hard to enjoy.”
  • replayability
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game offers significant replayability, allowing players to enjoy multiple playthroughs beyond the initial two needed to explore all maps. The engaging story and the option to choose sides enhance the experience, making it appealing for both dedicated and casual co-op players.

    • “The story, while not as massive in scope as the original MUA's, is just as interesting and engaging, with the eventual choice of sides giving it that much more replayability.”
    • “There's enough replayability here for more than the two playthroughs it takes to see every map, so even those in-and-out co-op players will have plenty of chances to piece together the whole story.”
    • “+ the story, while not as massive in scope as the original MUA's, is just as interesting and engaging, with the eventual choice of sides giving it that much more replayability.”
  • grinding
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Many users find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and boring, leading some to refund their purchases due to the repetitive nature of the gameplay.

    • “I remembered how grindy it was for me on my PS3, and it was so boring that I ended up refunding it.”
    • “The grinding in this game is tedious and feels like a chore rather than an enjoyable experience.”
    • “I found the grinding to be excessively repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged with the game.”
  • humor
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is highlighted by its clever writing and engaging story, featuring numerous laugh-out-loud quips, particularly from Deadpool and other comedic characters. Players appreciate the witty dialogue that enhances the overall experience.

    • “Fascinating story, great writing including plenty of laugh-out-loud quips from Deadpool and the other more humorous characters.”
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73%Critics’ scoreBased on 4 critic reviews
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9h Median play time
9h Average play time
9h Main story
33h Completionist
9-9h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 is a hack and slash game with science fiction theme.

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows and others.

The main story can be completed in around 9 hours, while the entire game is estimated to take about 33 hours to finish. On average players spend around 9 hours playing Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2.

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 was released on July 26, 2016.

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 was developed by Zoë Mode.

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its stability.

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 is a single player game with multiplayer and local co-op support.

Similar games include Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, One Piece Pirate Warriors 3, SAMURAI WARRIORS 4-II, Silent Hill: Homecoming, LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 and others.