A sequel should recapture and modify the entertainment of the first entry and create more incentives to its structure for the benefit of the fans. Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 does try to follow this way but subtracts the freedom of the player and has no difference in replay.
In other words, M:UA 2's gameplay has been altered to cater to the casual market but at the expense of losing some key features. The sequel has all of the playable characters limited to only four superpowers instead of the multiple ones in the first game. You get more stats to beef up for your choosing but you need to play the game twice to open them up due to story limitations. There is no need to create a super team again, thus giving the opportunity to play as anyone at anytime. However, the added benefits of extra health and striking would be nice when playing in harder levels or on Legendary difficulty.
Plot wise, the developers chose to use established storylines of Marvel instead of an original plot. The player goes through the "Secret War" and "Civil War" events, where the superhero community becomes divided on the idea of registration and how the recent toll of civilian casualties has changed their public look. It then goes into a lame original third act that isn't exciting as the beginning but does end with an epic final battle. I enjoyed how you get see Iron Man and Captain America's friendship beginning to crumble and Nick Fury becoming a major character than the exposition-talking leader in the original. The missions tend to favor being located at secluded areas like bases and warehouses but there is a very fun map where the two sides fight it out in the city while a convoy carrying prisoners is moving along. But, no matter which side you pick, they have the same walkthrough. For example, if you pick pro-registration, you must destroy ammo dumps during the convoy mission. The anti-registration group simply has the dumps being switched to Anti-Air cannons. This copy-and-pasting design is very disappointing.
I had fun playing this game for its fan service and the action game play but the new changes and lackluster game design left a bad taste in the end. It is a good purchase for comic book fans but it should be a good rental for everyone else.
FINAL REVIEW: 3 / 5
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