MUA Deserves a Civil War Sequel, But It Can’t Make the Same Mistake

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MUA Deserves a Civil War Sequel, But It Can’t Make the Same Mistake

As a longtime fan and player of the Marvel Ultimate Alliance series, I must say that my feelings about the handling of the Civil War storyline in the second game are rather divided. On one hand, it was exciting to see such a significant comic book event adapted into a video game, especially since the first game had set such a high bar for superhero co-op action RPGs.

The Civil War could have been an exciting storyline to incorporate into Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, given that the series showcases a wide variety of Marvel characters and alliances. By allowing players to pick a side, which might limit their access to certain characters, it creates a high level of replayability with a narrative that branches out. Additionally, this setup adds an engaging aspect about team compositions. However, while the original Civil War storyline takes strong stances and portrays characters from Marvel’s universe choosing sides for personal reasons, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 tends to be more accommodating and flexible to prevent overly limiting player choices.

The game Marvel Ultimate Alliance, last seen with Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order and its additional DLC, has been quiet for some time. It’s too early to definitively say whether it will remain in hiatus for another near decade or be permanently put aside, but if a future installment of Marvel Ultimate Alliance dares to revisit the Civil War theme, it would find an excellent opportunity with Civil War 2, and even more so with an innovative take on the Superhuman Registration Act featuring distinctive leaders and challenging decisions. Such a game wouldn’t find it difficult at all to surpass the underwhelming performance of Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2’s Brief and Abrupt Civil War Adaptation Leaves a Lot to Be Desired

MUA Deserves a Civil War Sequel, But It Can’t Make the Same MistakeMUA Deserves a Civil War Sequel, But It Can’t Make the Same MistakeMUA Deserves a Civil War Sequel, But It Can’t Make the Same MistakeMUA Deserves a Civil War Sequel, But It Can’t Make the Same MistakeMUA Deserves a Civil War Sequel, But It Can’t Make the Same Mistake

In Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, players are restricted from using four characters based on their chosen alliance: if you pick Iron Man, characters like Captain America, Storm, Daredevil, and Luke Cage will be unavailable; conversely, if you choose Captain America, Iron Man, Captain Marvel, Mr. Fantastic, and Thor will be off-limits. Regrettably, this decision doesn’t fully deliver on the potential of Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2‘s Civil War storyline as it only significantly impacts a minor part of an already compact game.

In a subsequent gameplay, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 allows you to explore the other side that you hadn’t chosen during your initial game experience.

The Civil War storyline in Marvel comics is engaging due to the exploration of which characters align with Pro-Registration or Anti-Registration in the Superhuman Registration Act and their reasons for doing so. However, the narrative direction in Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2’s Tinkerer/nanite arc feels intrusive and disconnected from the player’s experience. In fact, each act seems to have its own unique influences and storylines, which may lead some fans hoping for a more expansive exploration of the Civil War chapter within a game as comprehensive as the original Marvel Ultimate Alliance to feel let down.

In Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, the Civil War plot is more captivating, but it’s not the one that ultimately dominates. This setup allows for all heroes to team up instead of facing off against each other by the end, providing players with a wider selection of characters to choose from. However, this choice doesn’t seem as impactful or significant as it should be in the context of the game.

If Marvel Ultimate Alliance Still Lives, Civil War Shouldn’t Be Off the Table

MUA Deserves a Civil War Sequel, But It Can’t Make the Same MistakeMUA Deserves a Civil War Sequel, But It Can’t Make the Same MistakeMUA Deserves a Civil War Sequel, But It Can’t Make the Same MistakeMUA Deserves a Civil War Sequel, But It Can’t Make the Same MistakeMUA Deserves a Civil War Sequel, But It Can’t Make the Same Mistake

In a contemporary version of “Marvel Ultimate Alliance”, there’s potential for an accurate representation of the source material. However, given the controversial nature and mixed reception of the original comic event, a flexible adaptation or entirely new interpretation of the plot would be beneficial. If “Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2” missed its mark, it’d set a low standard for any future studio tackling this storyline.

In a Marvel Ultimate Alliance game based on Civil War 2, it would be inaccurate not to reduce the game’s playable character pool by half, as this underscores the concept that characters have taken sides. Players are then challenged to create four-character teams using only those characters who remain available following the division.

In simpler terms, the second “Marvel Ultimate Alliance” games had a good selection of characters, but having a larger and more comprehensive roster like the third one would significantly enhance the narrative of Civil War. This is because it would make choosing sides more significant and impactful, not just in terms of a series of missions, but also beyond them. Unfortunately, there’s no new “Marvel Ultimate Alliance” game planned at the moment. It will be intriguing to see if the Civil War storyline or something similar might be adapted into a future Marvel game in the future.

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2024-12-10 01:13