Activision Unveils Marvel Universe RPG

Press Release

Wii

April 28, 2006, 11:57 pm EDT
Total comments: 11

The creators of X-Men Legends are now working on an expanded action-RPG that will hit Wii (online) and GBA.

OVER 140 MARVEL CHARACTERS COME TOGETHER IN ACTIVISION'S NEW MARVEL: ULTIMATE ALLIANCE GAME

Santa Monica, CA - April 27, 2006 - Over 140 Marvel characters come together

in Activision, Inc's. (Nasdaq: ATVI) MarvelT: Ultimate Alliance, an all-new

action/RPG that features the largest roster of comic book characters ever

seen in a video game. Players assume the roles of more than 20 Marvel Super

Heroes including Spider-Man, Wolverine, Blade and Captain America, and

through their actions determine the fate of both planet Earth and the Marvel

universe - revealed in one of multiple epilogues.

"Marvel: Ultimate Alliance delivers a new twist on action/RPGs where

players' actions and choices ultimately determine what happens to the Marvel

universe," states Will Kassoy, Vice President of Global Brand Management for

Activision. "This coupled with the game's enormous character roster will

deliver an action-packed experience that comic book fans have been waiting

for."

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance features a deep, rich gameplay experience by

offering total team customization, where players create their own team name,

icon and vehicle, as well as establish their team reputation as they play

throughout the story. Gamers also have the option to level up each

character individually to their liking, or all team members at the same time

to keep their heroes balanced. With the game's new combat system, players

battle against the world's most notorious Marvel Super Villains in the air,

underwater, and on the ground, using grappling, blocking and dodging moves,

by charging up their Super Hero powers before unleashing them, and using

environmental objects as one and two-handed weapons.

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance features a unique storyline where the missions

players accept, the objectives they complete, and their interactions with

other characters throughout the game directly impact how the story plays

out. The game also features a robust multiplayer component where fans can

band together with friends as their favorite Marvel Super Heroes, and fight

evil in both on and offline cooperative story modes. There's also a

Competitive Mode where the game tracks various in-game stats so players can

see how well they stack up against one another - affecting the amount of

experience points earned and how equipment is distributed.

Created by Raven Software and C.B. Cebulski, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance will

be the first Super Hero game out for all next-gen gaming systems, and will

also be available on current-gen, handheld and PC platforms. The game is

currently rated RP (Rating Pending) by the ESRB and is planned to ship this

fall.

Talkback

ShyGuyApril 28, 2006

Cool, I will play it with my buddy, we play almost every hack and slash brawler out there.

Infernal MonkeyApril 29, 2006

So this'll be on PS2, Xbox, GC, PSP, GBA, DS, PS3, X360, Wii and PC.

MIND BOGGLING CONFUSION FOR UNCOOL PARENTS COME CHRISTMAS TIME.

Karl Castaneda #2April 29, 2006

Actually, Ferny, only the GBA and Wii will get versions, according to Activision (and the top of the article, hehe).

Now to get on to a bigger issue: the use of the Ultimate Marvel Universe in video games. When it comes to gameplay, I've got no problems. Ultimate Spider-Man, while short, played pretty well, and everyone knows X-Men Legends is a rockin' multiplayer experience. What I'm not a fan of is how the prime oppurtunity to have a great story by borrowing plot from comics is completely ruined. Ultimate Spider-Man's plot was a joke, and honestly, it was a little offensive.

If you want to know what I'm talking about, read this: They made Peter Parker the new Carnage. Yeah, I know.

X-Men Legends isn't as bad as that, but it still could've been a lot better story-wise. It's possible that the writers Activision employs just don't know how to craft a story in that medium, but at the end of the day, all that matters to me is that (besides the obvious "how the game plays") the source material is portrayed in an interesting and fluid way. With their comic-based ventures so far, Activision has failed.

That being said, it could be the fact that the Ulimate Marvel line is just a little strange. They change a giant chunk of history from regular Marvel (616, I think it's called? Comic nerds, remind me please), and it's really just a little ridiculous. Also, while I'm here, that new animated movie, Ultimate Avengers? IT SUCKS.

Castaneda out.

OverHeatApril 29, 2006

Quote
Now to get on to a bigger issue: the use of the Ultimate Marvel Universe in video games. When it comes to gameplay, I've got no problems. Ultimate Spider-Man, while short, played pretty well, and everyone knows X-Men Legends is a rockin' multiplayer experience. What I'm not a fan of is how the prime oppurtunity to have a great story by borrowing plot from comics is completely ruined. Ultimate Spider-Man's plot was a joke, and honestly, it was a little offensive.

If you want to know what I'm talking about, read this: They made Peter Parker the new Carnage. Yeah, I know.

OK I never had a chance to play this game. My single biggest love was in Spidey2, the ability to swing around New York. When I heard they severly limited and simplified this part of the gameplay with the new one, I was wholly uninterested in it, which was unfortunate, as I really liked the art direction. But I am a pretty huge Marvel fan, so yeah... Given what I had heard was /supposed/ to be happening with the storyline, that is really disappointing. How could they /do/ that??

But moving on to this announcement, OH yeah. I am so there. This isnt fair. E3 hasnt even started and I am already seeing games I am gonna want to buy peeking up from all over the place...

Jonnyboy117Jonathan Metts, Associate EditorApril 29, 2006

OverHeat, I'm with you. I played a few minutes of Ultimate Spider-Man and lost all interest in it, because they had ruined the best part of the previous game. Web-slinging is all important in these games.

DjunknownApril 29, 2006

Quote
That being said, it could be the fact that the Ulimate Marvel line is just a little strange.

That's the point. Fact is, unless you're a hardcore comic fan, the 'regular' Marvel universe is complicated by 40+ years of history. Heck, even the X-men universe alone is cumbersome. Its hard to keep up.

The Ultimate Marvel 'verse changes all that. You can be someone who's never picked up a comic book before and get into it. You can be a dabbler and be pleasantly surprised. And those who know Marvel inside and out can get a fresh intrerpretation. Its almost similiar to what Nintendo is trying to do with gaming right now...

Quote
X-Men Legends isn't as bad as that, but it still could've been a lot better story-wise.

That's true. It tries to blend the movies and the Ultimate series, with mixed results. I dunno why they couldn't have stuck to one licence or other...

There's no doubt that Raven will make a very fun game. They just need some good writers to blend it all. I heard Chris Claremont of X-men fame is on board, he's pretty decent. But I heard some writer who made Marvel Mangaverse is on the project too. Marvel Mangaverse is....well...awful. There, I said it.

Quote
the game also features a robust multiplayer component where fans can band together with friends as their favorite Marvel Super Heroes, and fight evil in both on and offline cooperative story modes.

That means the Wii version will be online, right? Right? No more 'Wii don't need online' foolishness?

Karl Castaneda #2April 29, 2006

Well, I think the real problem here is that one of two things happen. You either get a Marvel writer who doesn't know how to write for video games (See Bendis' work for Ultimate Spider-Man) or a writer who works on video games who doesn't know how to utilize super-heroes. The need someone who's had some experience in both fields to work on something great.

While we're on the subject, I think it's a bad idea to make the video game's plot canon in the comics (again, USM). I mean, let's be honest here: if it was really interesting, they wouldn't "waste it" on a video game. They'd use it for the actual book. It's best to just have it act as a one-off, non-canonical adventure. That's what they did for the two PS1 Spider-Man games and I really enjoyed it.

And yes, the Wii version is online.

Infernal MonkeyApril 29, 2006

Quote
Originally posted by: ViewtifulGamer
Actually, Ferny, only the GBA and Wii will get versions, according to Activision (and the top of the article, hehe).

Ahahaha, whoops!

CalibanApril 29, 2006

I agree that the game will be on the Wii, but not on the DS? They chose the GBA? Wierd!

NephilimApril 29, 2006

Will proberly use legends engine, since its only for rev
since 360 is getting Marvel Mmorpg

Marvel nemsis was a joke, hope it wont be using that engine
and legends 2 had a good story and writting.... why must you view the future as so dim? geez

Karl Castaneda #2April 30, 2006

I doubt it'll use the Marvel Nemesis engine, seeing as how MN is an EA game, and Activision is developing Ultimate Alliance, hehe. I can't speak on Legends 2's story, since I still haven't gotten around to playing it.

Add to the discussion!