Knowing a wise decision when they see it, Activision knew where to turn when starting their new action/RPG series. They turned to X-Men.

Having been legendary for two years running, several of the X-Men are now teaming up with the best of Marvel's other worlds, including (but not limited to) Captain America, Elektra, Thing, Human Torch, Invisible Woman, Spider-Woman, and Miss Marvel. Wolverine, Storm, and Iceman are your introductory X-Men, with other Marvel heroes locked up tight.  

The combat is straight action, bringing back memories of the X-Men arcade game (the co-op multiplayer action title, not the fighting game from Capcom). Anyone who remembers that classic is in for a treat. Ultimate Alliance incorporates four of its playable characters into the adventure at almost all times.

Thor, Wolverine, Spider-Man, and Captain America form your starting lineup. Switch between your characters by pressing one of the directional buttons while holding the left trigger. The ability to replace party members arrives shortly after the first battle. You'll be given a preliminary mission to ease you into the system. It's not a tutorial, but hints do flash across the screen.

Diversity

Ultimate Alliance wouldn't have a point if all its characters played exactly the same. The controls are tight, responsive, and consistent throughout the journey, regardless of who you're controlling. Basic attack moves and combos are also the same, as the game relies on simple button-mashers to get the job done. (It's okay for you X-Men arcade fans to start drooling now.)

How these characters differ is in their mutant abilities. At the start of the game Wolverine will be able to power up to increase the strength of his attacks. He'll also be able to lunge forward with a crossing claw attack. 

Spider-Man has a similar power-up move, as well as a web shot that damages enemies from afar. Captain American tosses his shield like a boomerang. It'll return every time, but not before causing some serious destruction. In fact, you may not realize just how destructible the environments are until you start throwing his shield. It's not entirely guided, normally taking its own path. Watch for it to bounce off walls and destroy nearby equipment before returning to its owner. Enemies should also keep an eye on its path.

Thor uses his powers to wield his hammer in the most deadly ways possible. Iron Man projects blasts of fire, while Ice Man launches streams of ice. Ice Man's power-up move gives the whole party a pair of sharp ice gloves, increasing their attack level for a limited time. Captain Marvel has a blast of his own to fire. Storm wields her powers well, casting a bolt of lightning down on anyone who defies her.

Mutant powers are executed by holding down the right trigger, which brings up the power selection menu in the top right corner. One ability can be assigned to each of the four buttons. The described powers are just the tip of the iceberg. As you play through the game, pummeling enemy after enemy, you'll gain the experience necessary to learn new moves.

Stunning Graphics, Stunted Camera

Ultimate Alliance looks amazing on the PSP. Every mutant is rendered in the highest quality details, plus a smooth coating that eliminates the square appearance of most handheld game characters. Their animations are limited to the number of moves they can perform, but what's there looks great. Very smooth and accurate (compared to the cartoons).

The backgrounds are also impressive, having lots of tiny, individual pieces to feast your eyes on. Many of the doors and computer terminals can be destroyed, among other vulnerable objects. How can you tell if an object is vulnerable? Attack it. If a red health bar appears, keep striking – that means the object can be taken out. 

PSP owners have a pretty game to dive into, no doubt. But it's one with a frustrating camera system. It's not entirely flawed. Many of the battles work out fine. But when it doesn't work – when the camera automatically places itself in some awkward, unexpected position, you're going to want to scream. The camera may be turned and zoomed in or out by holding the left trigger and pressing any of the four face buttons.

Hopefully this will make hardware manufacturers see that the PSP and other handhelds do not have enough buttons. To compensate in Ultimate Alliances, the developers were forced to make the players press a lot of buttons while holding others. It's not terribly difficult, but it's far from quick or intuitive.

Gameplay: 8
Non-stop beat-‘em-up combat. Marvel: Ultimate Alliance is unquestionably the best action/RPG available for PSP. It’s exciting, addictive, and very well paced. The mini-map points you in the right direction at all times, keeping the game from losing its consistent, arcade style. Mutant abilities and character leveling give players something to focus on while working toward the ultimate goal.

Graphics: 8.7
Some of the PSP’s best effects can be found right here in Ultimate Alliance. The characters, backgrounds, explosions, super powers, etc., etc. – look terrific.

Sound: 8
A marvelous, enormously epic score that will immerse you in the action. It has certain qualities of the X-Men and Spider-Man film scores.

As usual, the voice acting didn’t fare as well. It’s decent at times, downright laughable at others. I’m sure my judgment is somewhat clouded. I love the old X-Men and Spider-Man cartoons, and even enjoyed the ill-fated MTV version. That’s not even including Hugh Jackman’s wonderful portrayal of Wolverine. Still – without those clouded thoughts in place, I don’t believe I would’ve been impressed by these hokey and often overacted performances.

Difficulty: Medium
Ultimate Alliance is moderately challenging for a button-masher. I know the technical term is “action/RPG,” but if we’re going to get really technical, the majority of your actions will revolve around the destruction of every enemy and perishable object in sight.

Concept: 7
Good game, but the concept is getting old. Ultimate Alliance is polished, and even a little startling considering all that went into this handheld adaptation. But it’s not groundbreaking.

Multiplayer: 7.9
With both ad hoc and infrastructure supported, Marvel fans will be able to go online or hook up locally for four-player co-op.

Overall: 8
An action/RPG gone back in time, searching for the days when you paid $0.50 for three minutes. Technically we were getting ripped off, but the experience couldn’t be beat at the time. A little bit of that experience – the joy and repetition – of the arcade X-Men title is flowing through Ultimate Alliance. Consequently, there will be some players who tire of the repetitive actions you have to perform. But I encourage those who can stomach it, if only for a while, and especially those who can relate to my great arcade memories, to play the game as soon as possible.