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NOW PLAYING
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2
Published By: Activision
Developed By: Vicarious Visions
Genre: Action RPG
Let me start by saying that I'm a comic book fanatic and with that said "Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2" is at best an OK to average game. First of all the story is loosely based on one of the lamest storylines in Marvel history and while the cut-scenes/cinematics started off strong they quickly digressed to pretty lame and simple. The game may look like its predecessor but the controls and gameplay are way off and the blame has to fall solely on Vicarious Visions who tried to pick-up where Raven Software had left off and failed miserably. The game has no great improvements and there are plenty of noticeable drop-offs in quality.
EPIC FAIL = Vicarious Visions takes over the MUA franchise.
What's wrong with "MUA2" you may ask? Well, the camera is quite uncooperative at times, the controls don't feel as solid as they use to, the "fusion" gimmick isn't as cool as the character combos from the past, and the menu screens for an RPG are quite clunky. Also, the game is really kind of short for a dungeon crawler as it took me only just under 13 hours to beat the game and I'm a gamer who takes his time. I did all the simulator missions, read all the intel on characters, and found almost all of the hidden artwork. I did this all in a few gaming sessions and never felt like I was getting $60 worth of entertainment. I am however happy that they have kept the trivia game alive and well.
"We're putting the band back together!"
Much like how the most recent Wolverine film was an absolute abortion to what could have been great, I felt the same way while playing "MUA2". The plot is based on Marvel's "Civil War" storyline but it quickly falls a part into some kind of futuristic robot threat to mankind drivel, with a blatant rip-off from the Halo Universe. You see there are these tiny robots that get inside the characters and take control of them, it's kind of like an evil virus running wild and it's called "The Fold"....wow, reminds me a lot like an element from Halo called "The Flood". C'mon if you're going to steal at least be somewhat clever about it. This storyline also restricts which characters you can play with at certain times depending on where you are in the plot, for instance at one point I couldn't play with both Iron Man and Captain America even though they're two of my favorite heroes. Also, the new look Venom is and always will be gay and stupid!
When I ended up beating the final boss I really didn't feel an sense of accomplishment like I did with the "X-Men Legends" games and the other "Ultimate Alliance" game. Instead I had a flashback to the end of "X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse" and remember something being featured about a possible sequel with Mr. Sinister as the main villain. Anyone else remember that? Or know what became of that? Or am I just tripping my balls off? Anyways, while this review might be coming off as pretty harsh I will say that "Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2" is not an absolutely horrible game. I guess I'm just being a little hard on it because I loved the three games before it so much. But just let me sum it up with this: If you're a gamer with no real interest in comics or the Marvel Universe, then there are dozens of other games out there you should be playing instead of this.
2 Stan Lees Out Of 5
WHEN IT'S COOL TO CHEAT
Brady Games GTA IV Strategy Guide
I promise you my review of "Grand Theft Auto IV' is coming! But God damn is this game huge. Of course I could just mail in a review before actually getting everything I want out of the game, but how would I live with myself if I did that?
Unless you have 500 hours to spend on this game, good luck fully experiencing it.
Now I believe those gamers that consistently cheat at games are totally lame......but sometimes a little harmless guidance isn't such a bad thing. Especially when you're dealing with a game on the scale of "GTA IV". Look I beat the main storyline without any help from walkthroughs, but just imagine how much of the game I would be missing out on if I didn't have my trusty Brady Games Strategy Guide. There are "Flying Rats" to kill, "Unique Stunt Jumps" to find and other random characters and side missions that you wouldn't exactly stumble upon if you just stuck to the Storyline Missions.
Here's how I find those "Flying Rats".
Some gaming purists will call me a "poser", but look I have other things to do in my life than walk down every alley and backstreet in Liberty City. But at the same time I love "GTA IV" and I want to see and kill everything the game has to offer. It's not like I'm using "cheat codes", which to me truly is cheating. I'm just unlocking the secrets of the game in a "Cliff Notes" kind of way. And if you have a problem with that than you can find me on the streets of Algonquin with a RPG ready to blow your ass away.
A DECADE OF GRAND THEFT AUTO
I'm currently balls deep into "Grand Theft Auto IV" and judging on the overall size of the game I know its going to be awhile before I give my official review. So in the meantime let's take a look at how this franchise has changed the video game industry forever over the last decade.
Grand Theft Auto (1997)
The original GTA
OPEN-ENDED GAMEPLAY - David Jones conceived "Race 'n' Chase", which was later renamed "Grand Theft Auto" as an advanced version of "Pac-Man" using cars. Jones' 2-D game featured gang alliances and an offbeat humor, but its "sandbox" gameplay would come to define the series (and many others as well...cough...cough.. "Saints Row", "Crackdown", "True Crime"...etc).
Grand Theft Auto 2 (1999)
GTA in 2-D Overhead view
NON-LINEAR STORYTELLING - Sam and Dan Houser of Rockstar Games took over the franchise in 1999 and their first goal was to make a 3-D action adventure with a rich storyline to boot. But the real kicker here is that up until then story-driven games forced you down specific paths that the gamer had no control over, whereas "Grand Theft Auto III" gave gamers an awesome story and all the freedom to ignore it.
Grand Theft Auto III (2001)
GTA goes 3-D and video games are never the same.
CELEBRITY VOICE ACTING - Gaming's early years saw a lot of B and C-list actors reading dialog. GTA upped the ante and brought in some big guns like Samuel L. Jackson, Ray Liotta, Dennis Hopper, Joe Pantoliano, Robert Loggia, and many others. Games now routinely feature A-list stars.
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002)
Freedom: You want to fly a helicopter? Go for it!
 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004)
Damn, it feels good to be a gangster!
THE GAMER AS THE ANTICHRIST - GTA lets gamers do anything from killing cops to having relations with hookers. The GTA games are sometimes blamed for real world tragedies, which we all know is simply ridiculous. But I guess that's one of the prices you have to pay for being one of the most successful franchises in Video Game History!
 Grand Theft Auto IV (2008)
 Perhaps the best GTA game of all-time?
CALL OF DUTY 4 MONTAGE
Here's a montage I cut with Call of Duty 4 footage set to Rage Against The Machine's "Killing In The Name Of".
The Top 111 Video Games of All-Time
Here are the most rewarding video games I've ever played.
1. Online Poker (PC)
2. Grand Theft Auto Series (PC, Playstation, X-Box, Hand-helds)
3. The Legend of Zelda Series (Nintendo)
4. Super Mario Brothers (NES, 1985)
5. Street Fighter II (Arcade, SNES)
6. Goldeneye 007 (N64, 1997)
7. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (X-Box 360, 2009)
8. Halo 3 (X-Box, 2007)
9. Burnout 3: Takedown (X-Box, 2004)
10. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (X-Box 360, 2007)
11. Halo 2 (X-Box, 2004)
12. Ninja Gaiden (X-Box, 2004)
13. Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness (PC, 1995)
14. X-Men (Arcade, 1992)
15. NHL Hockey '94 (Sega, 1993)
16. BioShock (X-Box 360, 2007)
17. Resident Evil 5 (X-Box 360, 2009)
18. Madden Football Series
19. Shadow Complex (X-Box Live, 2009)
20. Metroid (NES, 1986)
21. Tex Murphy Series (PC)
22. Max Payne (PC, 2001)
23. Double Dribble (NES, 1987)
24. Ninja Gaiden (NES, 1989)
25. Tecmo Bowl (NES, 1989)
26. Tetris (NES, 1989)
27. Utopia (Intellivision, 1981)
28. NBA Live Series (SNES, Sega)
29. Final Fantasy II (NES, 1991)
30. Mike Tyson's Punch-Out (NES, 1987)
31. Resident Evil 4 (Gamecube, 2005)
32. X-Men Origins: Wolverine (X-Box 360, 2009)
33. Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (X-Box, 2005)
34. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Arcade, 1989)
35. Tron Deadly Disks (Intellivision, 1982)
36. Contra (NES, 1988)
37. Gears of War 2 (X-Box 360, 2008)
38. Viewtiful Joe (Gamecube, 2003)
39. 'Splosion Man (X-Box Live, 2009)
40. RC Pro-Am (NES, 1988)
41. Perfect Dark (N64, 2000)
42. Double Dragon (NES, 1988)
43. Bases Loaded (NES, 1988)
44. Star Wars (Arcade, 1983)
45. Hogan's Alley (NES, 1984)
46. Duke Nukem (PC)
47. Command & Conquer Series (PC)
48. Advanced Dungeons and Dragons (Intellivision, 1982)
49. 'Splosion Man (X-Box 360, 2009)
50. Dragon's Lair (Arcade, 1983)
51. Half-Life 2 (X-Box, 2004)
52. Gears of War (X-Box 360, 2006)
53. Metroid Prime (Gamecube, 2002)
54. Turok: Dinosaur Hunter (N64, 1997)
55. Metal Gear Solid (Playstation, 1998)
56. Doom 3 (X-box, 2005)
57. Age of Empires II (PC, 1999)
58. B-17 Bomber (Intellivision-Intellivoice, 1982)
59. Impossible Mission (Commodore 64)
60. Mortal Kombat (Arcade, 1992)
61. Rush 'N' Attack (NES, 1987)
62. Spy Hunter (Arcade, 1983)
63. Bionic Commando (NES, 1988)
64. Call of Duty 2 (X-Box 360, 2005)
65. Marvel: Ultimate Alliance (X-Box 360, 2006)
66. Super Castlevania IV (SNES, 1991)
67. Starfox (N64, 1997)
68. X-Men Legends I & II (X-Box)
69. Shark! Shark! (Intellivision, 1982)
70. Pro Wrestling (NES, 1987)
71. Metroid Fusion (Gameboy Advance, 2002)
72. Paperboy (Arcade, 1984)
73. NFL Blitz (Arcade, N64, 1997)
74. NBA Jam (Arcade, 1993)
75. Lock 'N' Chase (Intellivision, 1982)
76. F-Zero (SNES, 1991)
77. Mega Man 2 (NES, 1989)
78. BurgerTime (Intellivision, 1983)
79. Earthworm Jim (SNES, 1994)
80. Blades of Steel (NES, 1990)
81. Rampage (Arcade, 1986)
82. Bomb Squad (Intellivision-Intellivoice, 1982)
83. Pac-Man (Arcade, 1980 )
84. Big Buck Deer Hunter (Arcade, 2001)
85. Rollercoaster Tycoon (PC, 1999)
86. Baseball (NES, 1985)
87. Golf (NES, 1984)
88. Return to Castle Wolfenstein (PC, 2001)
89. ActRaiser (SNES, 1991)
90. Rygar (NES, 1987)
91. Pitfall (Intellivision, 1982)
92. Sonic The Hedgehog (Sega, 1991)
93. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (Gamecube, 2003)
94. Baseball (Intellivision, 1980)
95. Rad Racer (NES, 1987)
96. Snafu (Intellivision, 1981)
97. Zaxxon (Arcade, 1982)
98. Duck Hunt (NES, 1985)
99. Gauntlet (Arcade, 1985)
100. Elevator Action (NES, 1985)
101. Outrun (Arcade, 1986)
102. The Simpsons (Arcade, 1991)
103. Skate or Die! (NES, 1988)
104. Chase HQ (Arcade, 1988)
105. After Burner (Arcade, 1987)
106. Donkey Kong (Arcade, 1981)
107. Smash TV (Arcade, 1990)
108. Pole Position (Arcade, 1982)
109. Solitaire/Minesweeper (PC)
110. Star Strike (Intellivision, 1982)
111. Castlevania (NES, 1987)
112. Doom (PC, 1993)
113. Ice Hockey (NES, 1988)
114. Kung Fu (NES, 1985)
115. Excitebike (NES, 1985)
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