Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2

* **North America:** September 15, 2009
* **Europe:** September 25, 2009
* **Australasia:** September 16, 2009
* **PlayStation 3 & Wii**

* **North America:** September 15, 2009
* **Europe:** September 25, 2009
* **Australasia:** September 23, 2009
* **PlayStation Portable**

* **North America:** September 22, 2009
* **Europe:** October 9, 2009
* **PlayStation 2**

* **North America:** September 15, 2009
* **Europe:** October 9, 2009
* **PlayStation 4, Microsoft
Windows:** July 26, 2016
* **Xbox One:** July 28, 2016

**Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2** is an action role-playing video game. the sequel to Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. It was released September 15, 2009. The game was jointly developed by Vicarious Visions (PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360), n-Space (Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2 and Nintendo Wii) and Savage Entertainment (PlayStation Portable) and is published by Activision. The game features characters from the Marvel Comics universe and follows elements of the Secret War and Civil War story arcs. It was later released on July 26, 2016 for PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Windows, and on July 28, 2016, on Xbox One by Zoe Mode.

The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 were generally well received, averaging above 70% at aggregators GameRankings and Metacritic. The Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable fared much poorer, averaging between 45% and 65% for their respective platforms.

## Gameplay

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 borrows much of its gameplay from its predecessor. The game allows players to select a team of four given characters from a large pool of heroes and villains; team members are interchangeable and may be swapped during gameplay. General gameplay mechanics are similar to those of the X-Men Legends series. The game is played from an isometric dungeon crawl perspective, supporting up to four players simultaneously. The Vicarious Visions version on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and PC consoles of the game also feature online play via the PlayStation Network, Xbox Live, and Windows Live/Stream respectively.

The power system also has been improved, allowing two characters to combine powers, yielding a new attack, known as "fusion". Each playable character in the game has a unique fusion with every other playable character in the game. An example is Captain America using his shield to reflect Storm's lightning bolts. Players have the ability to level up characters and earn new abilities and powers. The Vicarious Visions version on PS3, 360, PS4, Xbox One and PC consoles feature an updated character progression system, with each character having four core powers that evolve as the character levels up. The n-space version on Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation Portable consoles of the game resemble the character progression system found in the original Marvel: Ultimate Alliance and original X-Men Legends, except the power set numbers are different, whereas Nintendo DS version's power set number is toned down to 4 powers limited like in original X-Men Legends.

## Synopsis

A trailer released at E3 shows a military operation originating in Latveria, home of the master villain Doctor Doom. "The story starts with Secret War. We're using Nick Fury's invasion of Latveria as a jumping off point. The rest of the story is derived from the consequences of those actions," states Dan Tanguay, creative director for Vicarious Visions.

The game then follows the Civil War story arc: a fight between heroes and villains causes an explosion in Stamford, Connecticut, killing 612 civilians (including a number of school children). The government labels the incident "super powered negligence", and the public demand a Superhuman Registration Act. The government passes the act, and all meta-humans are forced to adhere to or disobey the law. In the game, players are able to chose between the Pro-Registration side, headed by Iron Man and Mister Fantastic, or the Anti-Registration side, headed by Captain America and Luke Cage. Several other characters are 'locked' into a specific side.

Songbird is locked to the Pro-Registration side for the Vicarious Visions (PS3, Xbox 360, PS4, Xbox One and PC) versions, with Ms. Marvel and Thor locked to the Pro-Registration side for the n-space (PS2, PSP and Wii) versions. Iron Fist is locked to the Anti-Registration side for the Vicarious Visions (PS3, Xbox 360, PS4, Xbox One and PC) versions, with Daredevil and Storm locked to the Anti-Registration side for the n-space (PS2, PSP and Wii) versions. These ten characters are locked into their specific side, but the others are playable on either side of the conflict. Multiple endings are available and are determined by the side chosen at the beginning of the game. Tanguay stated that the story follows into the aftermath of the Civil War.

### Plot

The game begins one year prior to the main Civil War story arc. Colonel Nick Fury is leading a team comprising of Iron Man, Captain America, Spider-Man, and Wolverine, in addition to several other superheroes, on a unsanctioned attack on Castle Doom in Latveria after discovering that the elected prime minister, Lucia Von Bardas, was supplying weapons to the Tinkerer, who in turn supplies them to super-villains. The president is adamant against the attack as Von Bardas who has been establishing friendly ties with them. The attack is successful, and Castle Doom is reduced to rubble, with Von Bardas assumed dead.

The scene then shifts to the present day. Ms. Marvel is reported missing after being sent to recover intel on suspicious criminal activity. A team is sent to investigate and find her being interrogated by Shocker. They then uncover a plot by the Latverian military, led by a cyborg Von Bardas and several subordinates' supervillains, to destroy New York City. The group thwarts Von Bardas' plan, but many city blocks are destroyed in the process, prompting the government to consider the Superhuman Registration Act (or SRA for short). In light of this incident, Fury disappears, leaving S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Maria Hill in charge.

Three days later, during a telecast of The New Warriors, Nitro creates a large explosion, killing over 600 civilians in the process, prompting the immediate implementation of the SRA. Captain America, opposed to the act, goes underground, along with several other superheroes and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents (who have formed a group called "The White Star"). At this point, the story branches into two segments; Anti-Registration and Pro-Registration, depending on player choice. In order to aid them, the Pro-Registration group develops nanite technology and use it to mind control super villains, increasing their ranks.

The two story arcs converge when Iron Man fakes a hostage situation at a chemical plant owned by Stark Industries. There, he attempts to negotiate with Captain America, promising amnesty. Captain America refuses, and a battle ensues between the two factions. The nanite-controlled super villains go haywire and attack the agents they were programmed to help, stealing explosives to destroy the facility. Fury, disguised as one of the agents, enlists the help of the group to fend off Venom and Green Goblin while he disarms the bombs. He is thwarted by Venom as he tries to disarm the final one. The ensuing explosion wounds many superheroes whom Fury rescues. The group learns that the Fury they saw was one of his Life Model Decoys. He manages to acquire Tinkerer's help in discovering the cause of the malfunction.

The group is then sent to Prison 42 in the Negative Zone where the rebel superheroes and supervillains that have been captured are held, to get a sample of the nanite formula. The collected the samples, and Fury activates the self-destruct system to prevent the spread of nanites. Most of the superheroes involved escape, but Fury's fate is unknown. The team learns the nanites survived and have now spread worldwide. As a result, the SRA is suspended, uniting the two teams. They split into different groups, with the main group traveling to Wakanda, home of Black Panther. They help him defend the country from nanite agents, now under the moniker of "The Fold", and in the process cure Venom and the Green Goblin of the nanites. They also discover that Fury has been taken by The Fold. The heroes establish a base in Wakanda, learning that The Fold cannot comprehend Fury's intel on it, making it temporarily safe from nanite attacks. In order to stop The Fold, the heroes infiltrate a base in Iceland to broadcast a nanite stasis signal that will paralyze those in its control, allowing them to be cured. At the culmination of their mission, the teams face off against Tinkerer, who was behind The Fold all along, and then a nanite-controlled Nick Fury enhanced with numerous superpowers. After defeating Fury, everyone who was affected is freed from the nanites.

The game has one of two news-based endings depending on which side the player has chosen:

* In the Pro-Registration ending, the SRA gets amended where the superheroes can voluntarily register without revealing their secret identities while Tony Stark becomes Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.
* In the Anti-Registration ending, the SRA gets repealed with the President granting full amnesty to all Anti-Registration heroes.

Also in both endings, a banner running across the screen states that the President has pardoned Nick Fury.

#### Characters

##### Playable characters

###### Common

* Captain America
* Daredevil
* Deadpool
* Gambit
* Green Goblin
* Hulk
* Human Torch
* Iceman
* Invisible Woman
* Iron Man
* Jean Grey
* Luke Cage
* Mr. Fantastic
* Ms. Marvel
* Nick Fury
* Penance
* Songbird
* Spider-Man
* Storm
* Thing
* Thor
* Venom
* Wolverine

###### System-Exclusive

* Black Panther
* Blade
* Cable
* Carnage
* Cyclops
* Iron Fist
* Juggernaut
* Magneto
* Psylocke
* Sentry
* She-Hulk

##### Bosses

###### Common Bosses

* A-Bomb
* Absorbing Man
* Bullseye
* Colossus
* Diamondback
* Electro
* Equinox
* Firestar
* Grey Gargoyle
* Grim Reaper
* Havok
* Justice
* Lizard
* Lucia Von Bardas
* Magneto
* Man-Ape
* Molten Man
* Moonstone
* Nick Fury
* Quicksilver
* Radioactive Man
* Scorcher
* Scorpion
* She-Hulk
* Shocker
* Spider-Woman
* Tinkerer
* Titanium Man
* Whirlwind
* Winter Soldier
* Wizard
* Wonder Man

###### Anti-Registration Bosses

* Bishop
* Black Widow
* Bullseye
* Lady Deathstrike
* Molten Man
* Multiple Man
* She-Hulk
* War Machine
* Wonder Man
* Yellowjacket

###### Pro-Registration Bosses

* Cable
* Cloak
* Colossus
* Dagger
* Firestar
* Goliath
* Hercules
* Patriot
* Prodigy
* Multiple Man
* Spider-Woman

###### Other characters

* Black Panther
* Jack O'Lantern
* Maria Hill
* Namorita
* Nick Fury
* Nitro
* Nova
* Speedball

## Development

The game was officially announced in a press release by Activision on February 8, 2008. Early reports speculated a 2008 release. MUA2 was released on September 15, 2009. At E3 2008, it was given the official name Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2: Fusion, which would later be shortened to Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2. On February 5, 2009, a new trailer released, revealing that the story would continue from the Secret War saga into Marvel Comics's Civil War. On February 8, 2009, the game was featured at New York Comic Con, where players were able to take green screen pictures and have themselves superimposed into the game's backdrops.

Vicarious Visions, developers for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, upgraded the Alchemy engine in several ways, including Hovak physics technology, a new 3D sound system and syncing character's lips to dialogue. Developer Vicarious Visions also has a development blog which began on February 6, 2009, which is updated bi-monthly. Users can follow Vicarious Visions' creative director Dan Tanguay and executive producer Jennifer Oneal on Twitter as they answer questions and post news about MAU2.

The Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2 and Nintendo Wii versions were developed by n-Space, with Savage Entertainment porting the PS2 version to the PSP. Version 3.5 of the Alchemy engine was used, and a team of around thirty developers works approximately thirteen months to develop the game. Online multiplayer for the Wii is not supported due to time constraints during development. Several changes were made to the next-gen versions of MAU2 late during n-Space's development, accounting for the fact that Stan Lee does not cameo in these versions, that there are no alternate costumes, nor on-the-fly character swapping. n-Space created a series of articles to address fan concerns, the "perceived shortcoming[s]" of the game, and to answer questions. The Wii version of the game uses WiiConnect24 to implement a feature known as B.R.A.G. (Broadcast Realtime Accomplishment Gloating), which allows players to share level results and high scores, and also features extensive use of the Wii remote for puzzles and manning turrets. Users can also follow n-Space president and founder Dan O'Leary via Twitter to receive updates on the game.

## Reception and sales

The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 have received mixed to positive reviews from most critics, and holds a 76% at GameRankings. Metacritic currently holds the game at 74% (PS3, 73% for 360). Brian Michael Bendis, writer for Marvel Comics, was given an early opportunity to play the game, to which he later tweeted, "Happy to give a huge thumbs up for 'Ultimate Alliance 2.' The stills do it no justice. It's gorgeous." The Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable fared much poorer, averaging between 45% and 65% for their respective platforms.

GameSpot's Kevin VanOrd stated that the game delivers "the button-mashing, power-flinging, over-the-top action fans of the original would expect," additionally praising the branched story and unlockables, citing additional replay value. However, the reviewer cited "technical oddities" and said that the "RPG elements were stripped down." 1UP's Thierry Nguyen was more critical, saying that the game was "like
Ben Reilly: almost, but not quite as good as the original," citing issues with alternate costumes that "seem pretty lame," "a president feeling of oversimplification," and that a hope that "either Raven returns as the developer or Vicarious Visions learns from its missteps." He did however praise a "more coherent story," new fusion abilities, and gameplay tweaks. IGN's Greg Miller gave the game a 7.7/10, praising its new fusions and "healthy cast" but criticized the game's similar gameplay to its predecessor, inconsistent voice acting, and its weak CG cutscenes.

According to the NPD sales group the Xbox 360 version of Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 was seventh in sales for September 2009, selling 236,000 units. However, the sales dropped in October 2009, with the game no longer listed in the top ten in sales.

## Sequel

On December 6, 2018, a third game was announced in the Ultimate Alliance franchise titled Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order. Unlike the previous games which were released on multiple consoles, this one will be a Nintendo Switch exclusive. The game's roster features characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe such as the Avengers, Spider-Man, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and the Inhumans as well as the X-Men (such as Wolverine).