Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 Character Analysis Part 1

The best thing about the Marvel Ultimate Alliance series (and when I say the MUA series, I include the two X-Men Legends games) is the fact that you’ve got a bajillion characters to choose from and even bajillions more to encounter. This is a wet dream for any fan who wants to see their favorite character come to life in polygonal awesomeness. Unfortunately, if you want the MUA character to play like their comic book counterpart, not all characters would be balanced. I think MUA suffered greatly from this, as Thor got knocked out faster than guys like Cap or Blade. This was changed in MUA 2. The downside is that a weaker character in the comics would generally be weaker in the game. I’d rather thave it this way, though.

In this post, I’ll talk about what I think about each character and how I think would be the best way to play as him/her.

I’ll be talking about non-DLC, non-preorder characters, because Activision and Marvel apparently couldn’t come to a decision that would be beneficial for the consumer. Meh. Also, FUCK MISNEY!

There’s going to be a ton so let’s do it by parts. Okay, let’s start with good ole’ Captain America.

Cap was nerfed something awful. In MUA, the shield throw was fucking devastating. It would knock down people and go through multiple enemies. He also had that buff that made his attacks faster. It totally made him a moster to play as. In MUA 2, not so much. Shield throw, even at the highest level, does not knock down anyone. It only staggers them. His best move would be his Shield Swipe, which clears out a radius of enemies. Good melee character, but still pretty weak. Cap gets 2.5 out of 5.

You can buy an action figure of Cap by clicking this link.

Similarly, Iron Man was also nerfed quite a bit. His Pulse Barrage, at low levels, is weak as shit. But at higher levels, it just fucking owns, but drains out far too quickly. His Rocket Punch is by far, his best power, though it shouldn’t be. The Uni Beam, isn’t even a fucking beam. It’s like MUA’s Plasma Disc, but doesn’t explode. I was disappointed. Keep his focus high. Iron Man gets 3 out of 5.

Luke Cage is utterly useless. He’s got good melee, but sooner or later, a guy with additional wounding, fire, ice or crushing damage with high strike could easily overtake him. His powers are boring to use and they’re weak. His best power is his buff, Throw Down, which ups his defense. He can be used as a tank. Luke gets a 1.5 out of 5.

And not surprisingly, Mr. Fantastic kicks fucking ass. His quips are quite amusing, too. I especially like his Dashing Wheel, because it does fairly good damage and it adds a defense buff. His moves are all quite similar except his radial one, though. He’s strong but a bit boring to use. 3.5 out of 5.

Iron Fist, supposedly the best martial artist, has the fastest melee. His attacks have additional crushing damage because of his um… iron-like fist. At higher levels, he’s got a very high critical strike, like most melee users, which makes him a monster because of the speed at which he whips out his kung fu. Build up his striking and his crushing damage and you’ve got a good melee fighter who can heal his entire party. Very useful. He can be a bit weak in the HP department, so that sucks. His costume sucks, too. 3 out of 5.

And the last side-specific character is Songbird. I find her effects really fun to watch. Her moves, except for her Piercing Bolt, which is incredibly useful, are clones of other people’s moves. The rapid fire, the pillar and the constant stream of sound are duplicates of someone else’s powers. Okay, the Shatter Scream rapes bosses like Human Torch’s Flamethrower, but still, a clone. Oh, and she flies, too. With high enough focus, she’s pretty useful. 3.5 out of 5.

Everyone knows I’m a huge DD fan, so I’m going to sound biased, but I’m seriously not (okay, maybe a little). Daredevil is one of the most useful tanks in the game, believe it or not. What’s better - a tank that absorbs damage or a tank that takes the attack but doesn’t take any damage? DD has quick melee, high crits, and high evade stat, which is boosted by his Fearless Dive buff that also adds immunity to slowness. Fuck yes. His other attacks aren’t so great, though, so he’s not the perfect character. His Binding Bola is fucking useless and out of character. 4 out of 5.

You’d expect Spider-Man to have the best crit and evade stat, right, with all the buffs? Unfortunately, he is mediocre in both departments. His powers aren’t exactly something to write home about either, because they have very niche uses. His Web Yank can take shields away from enemies but that’s about all it’s used for. And his Web Barrage is weak, but it holds enemies in place. Still, he’s quite average. 2.5 out of 5.

Take time out of your day again tomorrow, when I present the next part of this analysis. Later, guys.