I picked up Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 because I wanted a game that I could play together with Audrea. I wanted something wasn't too complex yet with enough depth not to be vacuous. And so far, we've been having fun.
As with the previous Ultimate Alliance game, players take control of various Marvel characters stopping a string of villains from dastardly deeds. Over the course of the game, players can upgrade their characters with skills and abilities with experience points gained from trouncing various minions and underlings.
One reason why I'm liking this game so much is that many RPG elements have been removed from the game. And that to me is a good thing. Apparently, this is not a commonly shared opinion. One major problem I've always had with the first Ultimate Alliance was the infinite minute increments that didn't have significant impact on the game. +3% damage for every level increase in the relevant skill? -2.4secs cool-down time? I don't want to deal with that level of tedium. I just want to get into the action as quickly as I can.
Which is why I also appreciate the new in-game levelling system. Instead of having to continuously wait for other players to upgrade their characters, you can now do it on the fly whilst others continue playing. Your character is taken over by the AI while you upgrade.
Visually, I'm finding it much easier to differentiate characters, enemies and background. I had a hard time with UA1, when there were too many clashing colours. But it's easier to follow the action in UA2. The in-game camera does need a little work though; there are multiple times when the camera ends up in the oddest angles, obscuring the vision of the players.
Audrea and I haven't gotten too deep into the game yet. We finished about 3 missions yesterday. But I reckon that we'll be playing this often over the course of the next couple of weeks. I'm finding the improvements in the sequel make for a better playing experience. And the removal of tedious elements helps to condense the fun factor.
