Marvel Ultimate Alliance

[DarkJason]

Is it real time battle?

[Cuddly Knife]

Yes, but your character still levels up like an RPG.

This game is gonna be sick.

RBH, how's JLH? I haven't heard too many good things about this one.

[Cuddly Knife]

There's a couple of videos on Marketplace now for this game. Some are CG, and one is gameplay trailer. The opening cinematic is great.

[theWacoKid]

EB Canada has a promotion for the game. Essentially, buy the game and if you're not happy, then you get full retail value in credit less the number of days you've had it. So, for example, you buy it tomorrow for $70 canadian, keep it over the weekend and bring it back monday, what's that, five days? You'd get $65 in store credit for the game.

[Rogue Bounty Hunter]

Yes, but your character still levels up like an RPG.

This game is gonna be sick.

RBH, how's JLH? I haven't heard too many good things about this one.

JLH isn't too bad. It's not as good as Marvel UA, though. So far, I haven't been able to select my own characters, even though I've unlocked 3 more characters (Aqua Man, Hawkgirl, Huntress).The melee combat feels about the same with most of the characters, though I can tell that Batman's look different. The camera isn't as good as Marvel's.Though both are isometric views, in Marvel, it appears you have more than the close, normal, and far away views. It feels like a close, not as close, not as close as the other, normal, a little bit farther, a bit more farther... etc views (best way I can explain it).

One thing I do like about JLH more than Marvel is that the healt meter fills up automatically if you're not in combat or getting beat up, just like Master Chief's health.

Marvel's the better game though, and I'll put JLH up for a bit while I play the other one.

[Glockstar]

Wow, I had no idea that there'd be that many of you that would buy the game. RBH I knew, but Five and CK... you guys surprise me. Unless you just rented it?

I was originally thinking that I'd get it for my PSP - because the PSP version of X-Men Legends II kicked so much azz - but if you guys are all into it then I think I might have to opt for the 360 version instead. Besides, it doesn't seem like there's anything special about the PSP version - like there was with XMLII - so why not go for the version with the Achievements, right? :wink5:

[Fivespot]

Not a rental - I bought a copy. Couldn't resist the Toys 'R Us buy 2 get 1 free sale :)

Fun game so far by the way. I hope to get some more time with it this weekend.

[Rogue Bounty Hunter]

Not a rental - I bought a copy. Couldn't resist the Toys 'R Us buy 2 get 1 free sale :)

Fun game so far by the way. I hope to get some more time with it this weekend.

Think TRU will do the buy 2 get 1 free deal again this year? It seems like it was too early for the deal. I was expecting it in November, to the point where I knew at least the two games I was going to get (FFXII and WWE).

You're right, it's a fun game so far, but it doesn't appear that Raven spent any time on the team AI. They other three guys seem to be bunched up too much, and they don't always follow orders (though I don't expect Thor, Cap, and Spidey to listen to Iron Man).

Can you play co-op online in this game? Whenever I try out my free 30 days, I may give that part of the game a shot.

[Glockstar]

Think TRU will do the buy 2 get 1 free deal again this year? It seems like it was too early for the deal. I was expecting it in November, to the point where I knew at least the two games I was going to get (FFXII and WWE).

Nope. I was in there just a couple of weeks before inquiring about the sale, and the sales-lady said it was 'coming up quick; look for it the first week of November'. She was close, eh?

I've been hawking their stores ever since, but got the official word from you in the BHT. Thanks!

Speaking of which, MUA makes 3 - if you know what I mean. :wink5: (SC: DA and Dead Rising being the others.)

Anyways, I think this is it.

Unless... they run another "Partial B2/G1 Sale" immediately afterwards like they did last year. In the past they'd often do a B2/G1 on, say, PS2 and Xbox games only - right after doing the one for all the games and systems.



Can you play co-op online in this game? Whenever I try out my free 30 days, I may give that part of the game a shot.

Oh yeah! And, I was hoping you'd say that. :D

-

Not a rental - I bought a copy. Couldn't resist the Toys 'R Us buy 2 get 1 free sale

Hah, you too, eh!

What else did you pick up?

[Rogue Bounty Hunter]

If TRU had that sale a week earlier, I would have found something worth getting to go along with Justice League and Splinter Cell.

If they do another sale immediately after this one, I still wouldnt't have enough of wanted games to choose from. I have a feeling it won't happen during the week of the other two system releases. :(

[Fivespot]

What else did you pick up?

Tiger Woods 2007 and Oblivion. Yes, I already own Oblivion but I bought it as a placeholder based on some advice from a lady who works there. I will return it in 2 weeks and pick up Gears of War instead (keeping Oblivion unopened obviously).

:)

[Glockstar]

First off... sorry TMG; I didn't see your message until about an hour after you had signed off. Not that I would have played with you anyway. I was not in a good mood last nite. This game is pissing me off. Royally.

I will be back at it tonite tho'. And if you still want to play, send me a msg., and we'll do it. (That goes for any and all of ya.)


I've finished the story on Normal, and am now playing it thru on Hard. Plus, going for Achievements. (8 of which I'll need to get by playing online.)


Second off... Is anybody else experiencing any troubles with their game running? There are some definite glitches that I know belong strictly to the game (that are due to coding and whatnot and I know that these are the developers fault and not my 360's), but I'm also getting the "Your disk is dirty or some-$#!%" message far too often. Which, well, I don't who's fault that is. But between the game's glitches and my system locking up, it's gotten to the point where I'm afraid to go into the next room if I know it's going to take me to a loading screen first - or even go to the character-stats menu! Seriously. I'm playing the game in total fear. And it sucks!

This is the last RavenSoft game I ever buy. I just need to know how much I should be worried about my 360...

[Rogue Bounty Hunter]

I haven't experienced any problems with the game that you are having, Glock. Do other games act like that in your 360, or just MUA?

How do we clean these 360s anyway? In the manual, it says not to use the canned air, and I'm definitely not putting a disc cleaner in the 360 (learned that lesson with the Xbox). Only things I can think of that's safe are 1) using a keyboard vacuum for the back and side where the fan(s) are located, and blowing on the entrance and disc (like the NES days) while making sure my disc is clean before I enclose the thing.
-

About MUA- Raven needs to get it together. I'm glad they used real graphics for the 360 version, but they have to do something about the AI. It's horrible to the point that I'd rather their next game have separate story and multiplayer modes, so that the story mode can utilize just one character instead of up to four. I'm tired of being trapped by these morons running around with me each time I check a corner or crevace for one of those action figures. Also, the fighting isn't real pretty since all they do is bunch up against the enemy.

[ThaMaskedGamer]

First off... sorry TMG; I didn't see your message until about an hour after you had signed off. Not that I would have played with you anyway. I was not in a good mood last nite. This game is pissing me off. Royally.

I will be back at it tonite tho'. And if you still want to play, send me a msg., and we'll do it. (That goes for any and all of ya.)


I've finished the story on Normal, and am now playing it thru on Hard. Plus, going for Achievements. (8 of which I'll need to get by playing online.)


Second off... Is anybody else experiencing any troubles with their game running? There are some definite glitches that I know belong strictly to the game (that are due to coding and whatnot and I know that these are the developers fault and not my 360's), but I'm also getting the "Your disk is dirty or some-$#!%" message far too often. Which, well, I don't who's fault that is. But between the game's glitches and my system locking up, it's gotten to the point where I'm afraid to go into the next room if I know it's going to take me to a loading screen first - or even go to the character-stats menu! Seriously. I'm playing the game in total fear. And it sucks!

This is the last RavenSoft game I ever buy. I just need to know how much I should be worried about my 360...


Hey Glock, first off, sorry you are having these problem man, I have had no problems with the game yet. I'm not as far as you, thanks to GOW and FEAR, i've only made it to Doom's castle. But no problems yet, knock wood.

I'll see if I can catch up with you.

[ThaMaskedGamer]

-

About MUA- Raven needs to get it together. I'm glad they used real graphics for the 360 version, but they have to do something about the AI. It's horrible to the point that I'd rather their next game have separate story and multiplayer modes, so that the story mode can utilize just one character instead of up to four. I'm tired of being trapped by these morons running around with me each time I check a corner or crevace for one of those action figures. Also, the fighting isn't real pretty since all they do is bunch up against the enemy.

I agree, which is why Arcade mode is sweet, only two players! It is a much better game without the AI's problems and their clogging up the screen.

Other changes i'd like to see is a game more focused on the actual powers of the characters and eliminate pickups. Maybe we will see some of this in the online Marvel rpg that is coming out. If i'm Iron Man I shouldn't have to worry about getting hurt by fire! I know it would make the game kinda unbalanced, but the Marvel universe is unbalanced, not everyone is equal. But this woud make choosing a team really important and matter. I'd just as soon play with Elektra or a weaker character, especially if the game made their skills necessary, maybe stealthy missions. Anyway, game designers play it safe way too often. We will see what they do with the online Marvel rpg.

[Glockstar]

Alright, last nite I got thru a whole gaming session without seeing that 'Your Disk is dirty bs' message once. Yay!

But that's not to say that I didn't experience problems. Here's just a few off the top of my head:

- The Thing's Comic Mission: Boss fight versus Rhino. Who at later levels (enemies level-up as you do) is just a downright spaz. Don't let him get you cornered, or backed up against a wall! If you do, then when Rhino pops you up, 9 times out of 10 The Thing will get hung up in the air and stuck on/in the wall. Where you might remain for as long as 30 seconds (all the while losing points!) with a complete and total loss of control... you're just hanging there...

- MurderWorld: The part where you have to race ahead of the closing/chasing wall trap. I entered the area controlling one guy, but upon realizing the situation immediately switched to Cap (to use his shield to throw and knock down the fences ahead)... well when I did that ALL the rest of my team members FROZE in place and got crunched right away. As if that wasn't neat enough, they also somehow managed to jam and lock-up the moving wall. Now I got a busted level... that I have to complete with just one guy! And for those of you who've played MurderWorld, you know that it is a long way - a ridiculously long way! - to the next save-point! (Just #@$%ing awful game design!)

- Later in MurderWorld, all of my party members special powers that were assigned to the X-button wouldn't work! Not Caps team boost, not Storms hail storm... not Nick Fury's invisibility... nothing!

You guys haven't had party members just freeze in place for no apparent reason? They still follow you along from room to room and level to level, but you have no control over them, and the A.I. doesn't do anything with them either - they're just stuck in pose.

Howabout those invisible enemies? I don't think they're meant to be invisible. I think that's a glitch.

I'm sure I'll remember, or come across, more tonite. :(

[Glockstar]

Here's another one: hasn't any of y'all experienced it when the music just stops playing? It usually occurs during boss fights, or when you're engaging a ton of enemies in a long drawn drawn out battle sequence.

And I am #@$%ing sick of my AI teammates falling over edges to their death! It's especially a problem in Mephisto's realm. I swear, everytime I turn around, I'm like, 'Hey, what happened to so-and-so?!' Again, another gods-awful decision by the developers; $#!% like this should not be in any game!

[Rogue Bounty Hunter]

You guys haven't had party members just freeze in place for no apparent reason? They still follow you along from room to room and level to level, but you have no control over them, and the A.I. doesn't do anything with them either - they're just stuck in pose.

Howabout those invisible enemies? I don't think they're meant to be invisible. I think that's a glitch.

Now that you mention it, I had a few of these glitches happen to me. In MurderWorld after the moving wall, I had two characters left (Cap bit it), but for some reason, Luke Cage would not fight anyone. Not when he was getting his assed kicked, not when I asked for assistance. When I switched over from my other character (Moon something), then I had no problem because Moon something would fight. Switched back to Moony, and Cage still wouldn't fight.

I haven't had any invisible enemies, but invisible barriers in places such as Dr. Strange's place. At times I wouldn't hear any sound effect when I was fighting with Captain America early in the game.

I haven't had any members fall off cliffs, but I do have some that love to stand in fire or a laval river in Mephisto's Realm until they die. Or go stand in the spikes in Murder World after you "pull the fingers".

To me, the AI is actually worse than the cel-shaded X-Men Legend games.

I agree, which is why Arcade mode is sweet, only two players! It is a much better game without the AI's problems and their clogging up the screen.

Other changes i'd like to see is a game more focused on the actual powers of the characters and eliminate pickups. Maybe we will see some of this in the online Marvel rpg that is coming out. If i'm Iron Man I shouldn't have to worry about getting hurt by fire! I know it would make the game kinda unbalanced, but the Marvel universe is unbalanced, not everyone is equal. But this woud make choosing a team really important and matter. I'd just as soon play with Elektra or a weaker character, especially if the game made their skills necessary, maybe stealthy missions. Anyway, game designers play it safe way too often. We will see what they do with the online Marvel rpg.

I always thought pickups in a Super Hero game was ridiculous, whether it was health or for powers. It's like their power is being treated like magic in rpgs, and it's really annoying that Cap need to have a super power bar just to be able to throw his shield. I have a feeling Raven will not fix this before they make their next game, that's why I always consider some of the other games that come out with comic characters, like Superman, Ghost Rider (Nic Cage sucks) or Ironman. Hopefully, they won't do the same super powers = magic type of thing in their games, though I think that Supes game won't have that problem.

You'r right about game designers playing it too safe. It's next-gen, time to show what you can really do, not stick to the same old formula that got old and tiresome on weaker systems. There's one game in particular that comes to mind in this, but luckily it's not a 360 game so I'm not going to mention it.

[Glockstar]

The game I love to hate gets a (surprise) download that I can only be ga-ga about.(!)

Hulk Smashes Activision's Ultimate Alliance
Eight new playable characters coming with new downloadable content.
by Hilary Goldstein

March 23, 2007 - Good news Merry Marvel fans, Activision's Marvel: Ultimate Alliance is getting the Hulk in April. Today, Activision announced plans to release its first expansion pack for last year's well-received Marvel RPG.

Marvel: Ultimate Heroes and Villains expansion adds eight new playable characters. Joining the aforementioned green behemoth are Cyclops, Nightcrawler, Hawkeye, Magneto, Venom, Sabretooth and Doctor Doom. Each character comes with new signature powers, skins, dialogue and conversations. And yes, 10 new Achievements are being added, bringing Ultimate Alliance's total to a whopping 60 possible Achievements.

"The signature gameplay of Marvel: Ultimate Alliance has made it a favorite among fans, as well as the best-selling Super Hero game on the Xbox 360 to date," said Rob Kostich, VP of global brand management at Activision. "By adding some of the biggest names in the Marvel Universe to the roster we're enabling Xbox 360 gamers to build a variety of all-new teams and enjoy the epic action in brand new ways."

The content does not add any new areas or villains to battle. But it adds the friggin' Hulk, so that may be reason enough for comic geeks to give the expansion pack a try. The eight characters are also being fitted to match current Marvel team bonuses already in the game. New teams are also being added to take advantage of the expanded roster.

The Ultimate Alliance DLC will be available in three separate packs. Both a Hero and a Villain Pack will be offered (containing four playable characters apiece) for 500 Microsoft Points ($6.25) each. Or you can but the Hero and Villain Pack, which includes all eight new characters for 800 Microsoft Points ($10).

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/775/775365p1.html

Hulk! Hawkeye! Venom! New Achievements! BOOM, baby!!!

[Rogue Bounty Hunter]

I'm surprised they are making content for the game, since it's been out for a while. Hopefully, this is a sign that they aren't in a rush to throw a sequel together for Holiday '07 season.

Venom, Sabretooth? Cool. Also, I haven't played a good game with a playable Magneto since X-Men 2: Clone Wars (Genesis).

[DarkJason]

Omg! hulk!