We’re not quite sure why we gave this 80% when we initially reviewed Marvel Ultimate Alliance, oh wait here it is: "Marvel Ultimate Alliance... greatly benefi ts from having no real competition in the PS3 line-up." That’s from Issue 148 when we reviewed the US PS3 launch games – three issues on, when we are reviewing the UK launch games, will it be lucky enough to get such a high score?

Not bloody likely. Okay sure there still aren’t any games to give it a bit of competition in its fi eld of limited RPGing and bashing buttons (bar maybe Def Jam) but there are a load of better games to play: Virtua Tennis, Virtua Fighter, The Elder Scrolls lV: Oblivion, Tekken, Resistance, MotorStorm. See? Lots of stuff to be getting on with, without having to resort to a shinier version of the X-Men Legends games.

So why’d we decide to give Ultimate Alliance 64% this time round? Well... it’s really because it isn’t very good. It follows the same well-trodden path of the X-Men Legends games without actually doing anything to improve upon it, other than throwing shiny polygons at the characters. It’s still the same old trek through the claustrophobic levels, whacking enemies until they disappear and bashing down walls to hopefully uncover something that might make making enemies disappear a bit easier.

Again the selection of characters, while different from the X-Men games obviously, is still limited in what they can do and you only choose from three different types of team members: long range, short range and ones that do status effects. Everyone ends up with a smart bomb as their super special which just doesn’t seem like something every character should do.

You can create different teams for a negligible stat boost if it’s a recognized team from the comics, such as the Avengers team which includes Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Spider-Woman or Ms Marvel, or you can create your own team and distribute the points for your own pleasure. When that pleasure dies down though there are always the Danger Room missions to try your hand at. Or take it online and see if you can rustle up a game with someone. Though that might be tricky since everyone else will be playing a much better game.

So now that it has competition in the launch line-up Marvel Ultimate Alliance crumbles in the face of it, and not even having the awesome Deadpool in it can drag it back up the percentage ladder. Still if you’re really, really bored or really, really love Thor and everyone then it might last you until you look at all the characters. Which you can do in the fi rst level.

Tim Empey