Bored, hungry, and jobless. Couldn't pick a better time to write a journal entry. And what an entry this will be! Well, not really, this is probably gonna suck. But regardless, I decided I'd rant/review(partially)/comment a little about Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2. Why do I write about this game you ask? Well for one, this game just came out and I (along with many other fans) have been anxiously awaiting its release for a few years. But another reason I am writing this is, well, I really have nobody to discuss it with at the moment. Anyways, time to get started. *There may be spoilers to the game later on, so you are now warned*

Well, for those of you that have not played any of the X-Men Legends games or MUA 1, this series is an action RPG with a large cast of playable characters. During play, you control 4 heroes and make your way through different missions and levels, beating the crap outta soldiers, villains, and robots along the way. Not too hard to understand. Now of course, MUA 2 is no different from its predecessors in this respect. Pick your 4 fave heroes and smack some heads to your hearts content. BUT there are several key changes to this game that gamers are complaining/whining/moaning/bitching about and I've decided to discuss them.

Now before I start my rant, I will say there are several improvements. For one the graphics are very nice, much better than MUA1. Villain/boss introductions are much better also, they have a better feel to them than MUA1. Level design is also top notch, no complaints from me on that. So yeah, the structure of the game is pretty solid. Anyways, on with the show.

1. Reduced RPG element: This is probably one of the biggest things the hard core fans can't get over. Characters still level up as you gain XP, but that's pretty much the only RPG aspect this game retains. In previous installments, there was a large focus on how you develop your characters stats and special moves. In this game, well not so much. There is really no need to even worry about leveling as they computer can decide what moves to level and eventually max them out for you. Bad move on the developers part? Perhaps, BUT it does make a bit easier to "pick up and play" with your friends. And since I prefer to have characters that are maxed out by the end of my gaming playthroughs anyway, it doesn't bother me terribly.

2. Shorter Story: Yep, this game is definitely shorter than MUA1. The story in this game focuses on the Marvel Civil war, and while I really enjoyed it, I can't help but feel they could have stretched it out longer, and many gamers agree with me. While this game is supposed to be "loosely" based on the comics, there were plenty of ways they could have expanded the game length. Hell there are many events in the comics that they skipped over, they could have easily taken them and modified them for the game. This had to be my biggest problem with the game, especially since it took me quite awhile to beat the past installments.

3. Cast of characters: There are a total of 24 (25 if you got the Juggernaut DLC) heroes to choose from, and the cast isn't too bad. They have some really great iconic characters, along with some awesome new ones (Gambit, Juggernaut, and Green Goblin rock). And on top of that they really did a great job balancing the characters powers. But I can't help but feel the cast was lacking. They really should have added a few more characters, mostly just make the entire Anti/Pro Reg choice more enjoyable (only 3 characters are locked per side, definitely would have been more fun if it had been 5 or 6) But despite this, the developer will be supporting DLC so the cast will be increased eventually. But yeah, overall the cast is fine and the new DLC will only make it better.

4. Overall lack of fan service: Yeah, it seems this game is lacking in that department. MUA 1 had loads of that stuff. Many characters had special conversations with NPCs and bosses, often referencing their past encounters and battles. This game, not so much. They also reduced the number of costumes per character, from 4 (in MUA1) down to 2 per character(primary outfit and unlockable.) While these two things aren't terribly important to the game, they are just nice touches that were left out. I'd have to say the developers dropped the ball on this.

So, is this game good? Heck yeah, it's a very fun game. Is it absolutely amazing? I wouldn't go that far, but it is worth playing if you are any kind of Marvel fan. This game is still good and has not turned me off to this series at all, even if there are things that I think should have been changed/improved/left alone. I'd still get the next installment, but hopefully they combine the best aspects of part 1 and 2. If they managed that, it would probably be the best Marvel game ever.