Marvel Ultimate Alliance (Wii)

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance is an all-new action/RPG where players create their Marvel dream team from the largest roster of Super Heroes ever in an epic quest that will determine the fate of Earth and the Marvel universe.

In a nutshell:
X-Men Legends expands into the whole of the Marvel universe with a game featuring more heroes, villains and superhero brawls than a hundred mighty Marvel crossovers.

The lowdown:
It was hardly the deepest action role-player around, but with X-Men Legends, developer Raven found the perfect balance for most comic book fans, between simple action and an expectedly convoluted storyline featuring as many characters as possible. This is basically the same game turned up to 11, as you initially take control of Captain America, Thor, Spider-Man and Wolverine in a battle against Dr Doom and his newfound allies. The graphics are perhaps not quite as detailed as they could be but the scope of the story and the variety of the settings more than makes up for it. Considering how much the game packs in there’s few Marvel diehards that will be disappointed by this.

Most exciting moment:
Although the game works perfectly well on your own it’s really at its best when playing with friends. Depending on the system, you get both online and four-player options, with each player controlling a hero. Many of the superpowers can be combined into a single special move making team work a must (until there’s a fight over a health power-up anyway).

Since you ask:
Although all the obvious heroes are included as playable characters some of the more obscure unlockables include Black Panther, Daredevil, Nick Fury and Silver Surfer. There’s also four exclusive characters for the PSP version (including Captain Marvel and Hawkeye) and more for the Xbox 360 such as Colossus and Moon Knight.

The bottom line:
The ultimate celebration of the Marvel universe in interactive form.-HARRISON DENT