Starting today, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 are available digitally for PS4 via the PlayStation Store and for PC via Steam. Additionally, both games will be available for Xbox One owners via the Xbox Games Store on July 28.
You might remember the Marvel Ultimate Alliance series as the successor to Ravensoft’s own X-Men Legends series.
First released in 2006, the Ultimate Alliance games allowed fans to choose four of their favorite characters from the Marvel Universe to team up in a battle to save the world from Doctor Doom. While the game’s sequel Ultimate Alliance 2 received lukewarm reviews, the original Marvel Ultimate Alliance was one of Marvel’s last great game efforts before the subsequent drought of Marvel gaming ( the exception being Spider-Man Shattered Dimensions).
If you want to relive this decade old nostalgia, it won’t come cheap. Marvel Ultimate Alliance and Ultimate Alliance 2’s current generation ports will run you $40 each or you can pick up the bundle for $60. With the exception of online multiplayer and some upgraded visuals, these ports don’t seem to have any newly added content. The fact is the game was developed back in the PlayStation 2 era, in gaming time that might as well be 20 years ago. It makes the high price point that much steeper.
Compare it to the Batman Arkham collection coming from WB Games. Sure it’s just a slightly enhanced graphical version of the games, but it didn’t need to be anything more. Packed along with all the additional content, it more than speaks for itself in value. I loved the original Marvel Ultimate Alliance, the game was like playing through a living comic book. But the game itself wasn’t a genre-defining masterpiece like Arkham was. It’s a fact that whenever Marvel appears at E3 or holds a gaming panel at SDCC, the Ultimate Alliance games are a topic of discussion by fans. There’s a lot of people who want this, but are they willing to pay $40? It’ll be interesting to see what the numbers say in the coming months.
You can go and play Marvel Ultimate Alliance on PS4, Xbox One, and PC; I’ll just sit here with my Marvel Ultimate Alliance playing cards.
