MUA’s Future Has a Franchise-Defining Decision to Make

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As someone who has spent countless hours battling villains and saving the universe in the Marvel Ultimate Alliance series, I must say that each game has offered a unique take on RPG mechanics that have kept me engaged and entertained.

The latest version of Marvel Ultimate Alliance, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order, shares some similarities with its predecessors in terms of exploring different settings and recruiting or battling characters associated with them. However, its emphasis on ISO-8 farming and cumbersome menus has transformed it into something quite distinct from the original two Marvel Ultimate Alliance games, which were never confused with.

Each game in the Marvel Ultimate Alliance series has its unique methods of enhancing stats and skills – gear, medals, and ISO-8 being their respective choices. What’s considered better or worse will depend on personal preference since each installment presents a distinct gaming experience. If there ever comes a time for a fourth Marvel Ultimate Alliance game, it should take lessons from its predecessors and determine the optimal direction for the franchise moving forward.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance Has a Decent Foundation with Gear

In the game Marvel Ultimate Alliance, the equipment takes the shape of distinct items for heroes and villains, granting various passive abilities and boosts to the characters they’re attached to. Some equipment can only be used by specific characters. Each character is limited to wearing one piece of gear at a time, forcing players to frequently reassess if a new item offers a desirable passive stat upgrade or buff for any given character. With an abundance of gear items regularly accumulating in the players’ inventory, they could dismantle these for SHIELD credits when needed.

Beyond its vast quantity of items, equipment is arguably the simplest system for distributing stats and managing from the inventory, offering significant advantages in gameplay. For example, Enchantress drops the Aura of Seduction gear, which gives a 5% chance of enemies transforming into allies for 30 seconds after melee attacks – this is an entirely unique and valuable feature.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 Needlessly Simplifies Gear into Medals

In Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, medals serve a role similar to gear, providing passive abilities and boosts that benefit all characters. However, unlike gear, these medals must be placed in slots that increase in number as the story progresses, starting with one slot at the beginning and ending with four by the game’s end. Four categories of medals are also selectable, including melee, power, defense, and special abilities, allowing for a variety of combinations.

In my experience, you can only have one exceptional medal active at any moment because they’re somewhat rare and potent, with higher quality grades being introduced for each category – bronze, silver, and gold. Frankly, the bronze and silver medals seem insignificant compared to the advantages gold medals provide. When it comes to managing medals, it’s simpler than dealing with gear, but with only four that can be equipped at once, players might miss out on the wide variety of ability and stat-enhancing items that the previous game had, making characters appear less powerful or specialized in their roles.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order’s ISO-8 is Highly Controversial

The controversial RPG aspect in Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order, denoted by ISO-8, seems to prioritize gear over medals. However, its presentation and progression structure are so discordant that they give the entire game an unfamiliar feel. Each character carries these ISO-8 crystals, which are earned through various activities and Infinity Rift rewards, distinguished by color codes.

Exploring equipment in Marvel Ultimate Alliance isn’t always an exhilarating experience, and managing The Black Order’s menus and inventory can be quite tedious when it comes to user interface. ISO-8 introduces a farming/grinding aspect that was absent in the previous Marvel Ultimate Alliance games, but the additional Infinity content lacks significant variety in terms of offering only minor adjustments to levels or stages from the campaign.

Absolutely, much, if not all, of this content aligns harmoniously; some gamers might appreciate that Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order offers a deeper character-leveling experience, particularly with a broader roster and numerous expansion packs. In contrast, others may yearn for a system more similar to the original and second Marvel Ultimate Alliance games.

There’s an argument to be made that the ISO-8 formula should be either reworked or discarded, and it’d probably be preferable if something closer to gear was considered for a fourth Marvel Ultimate Alliance game. Otherwise, a new entry may have success experimenting further with this system and exploring other options. It’d largely depend on what kind of game Marvel Ultimate Alliance 4 turns out to be, such as if it incentivizes grinding or simply immerses players in the rich Marvel atmosphere they inhabit with a focus on lore rather than leveling up.

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2024-12-21 04:24