Retro Runback: ‘Marvel Ultimate Alliance’ and ‘X-Men Legends’

Once in a while, we get a comic book game that hits like a meteorite slamming into Earth. At least, that’s how it used to be. Now, they’re pretty solid bets to hit — minus a couple. But back in the mid-2000s? You had to hope and pray for it. And then, Raven Software (Wisconsin!) stepped up to the plate and dropped two X-Men Legends games and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance.

Both X-Men Legends and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance were top-down isometric action RPGs that let you control many of the legendary Marvel characters. The coolest part of the games was that they weren’t explicitly based on any Marvel storyline. You could maybe see some overlapping elements, but these were original stories. 

RAVEN AND MARVEL ORIGINS: ‘X-MEN LEGENDS’

I’ve gone back and forth about which of these games was better for years, and I always end up settling on X-Men Legends. This was a game unlike anything we had seen up to this point.  Taking four X-Men into the world and being able to switch between them on the fly was incredible. 

Even better was the attention paid to their powers and other abilities. Each character played like you would expect them to based on their comic counterparts. There were even (somewhat) destructible environments, lending some extra punch to these super-powered beings running around. 

The combat was pretty standard fare for the action RPG genre, but keeping it simple was the best move. The IP is there, the development talent is there — just make a dope game. And that’s exactly what Raven Software did. And you can tell how much they loved the IP. Getting alternate costumes and running through the game with some of the ’90s-era uniforms hit hard.

‘MARVEL ULTIMATE ALLIANCE’ IS THE ONE TRUE AVENGERS GAME

I’ve made my feelings on Marvel’s Avengers known in the past. And it’s mostly because I’ve wanted a current Avengers game for so long. What I have been able to lean on, though, is  Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. I still own it and will go back to it every now and then. It’s the perfect full-blown Marvel experience in video game form. 

The gameplay here is similar to X-Men Legends, so there’s not much to go over. But, man, if teaming up Cap, Spidey, Wolverine, and Thor isn’t enough to get you going, I don’t think you can be helped. And it still holds up today gameplay-wise. The in-game dialogue setup is a bit clunky, but it’s a product of the time. It’s still very much a fun game.

SHOULD WE RUN THEM BACK?

Yes. Yes. A thousand times, yes. We got Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 3 on the Switch, which was a very good game that didn’t get the attention it deserved because of the console it was on. I’d love to see it hit the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, but given that this is another game that Nintendo published and saved from development hell (Bayonetta as well), maybe y’all should just play it on the damn Switch.

And I know Raven Software is busy with Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, but, man, I’d love to see X-Men Legends back in some capacity. I’m sure the licensing is a pain in the ass, though. But someone, somewhere, whoever is in charge of these things, make it happen. We need these games. Run them back.