Casting a Return Spell: Why Marvel Ultimate Alliance is the Superhero Game the Switch 2 Desperately Needs
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
Jeff muses on the Nintendo Switch 2's missing superhero game, making a strong case for the return of the beloved Marvel Ultimate Alliance series, particularly *MUA4* leveraging the current MCU multiverse and Secret Wars storyline with Doctor Doom as the big bad, while gently probing the mysterious reasons for the series' past hiatuses.
Alright, mate, let's have a proper chinwag about the shiny new Nintendo Switch 2, shall we? Two months in, and it's already got folks happily smashing environments for bananas in *Donkey Kong Bananza* (fair dinkum, who doesn't love a good banana hunt?), with the promise of *Metroid Prime 4: Beyond* looming large on the horizon. But I've been tinkering with this game library all morning, and there's a certain… *vibrational void* where a truly killer superhero game should be. It's like someone tried to conjure a Phoenix Force but ended up with a slightly damp pigeon.
You know that feeling when you're rummaging through your old spellbook, and you stumble upon a forgotten incantation that you just *know* would solve your current problem? That's how I feel about the *Marvel Ultimate Alliance* series. It's sitting there, gathering dust on the digital shelf, and I reckon it's high bloody time it made a triumphant return on the Switch 2.
Cast your minds back, if you will, to 2006. The original *Marvel Ultimate Alliance* dropped, giving us comic book nerds the absolute dream: Assemble your dream team of Avengers, X-Men, Fantastic Four, and frankly, anyone else they could squeeze in, and bash some super-villain heads in a glorious dungeon-crawling spree. It was pure, unadulterated fan service, done right. Then 2009 rolled around, and *Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2* upped the ante, taking on Mark Millar and Steve McNiven’s iconic *Civil War* storyline. Not only did it let you choose sides – Team Cap or Team Iron Man, before it was cool, mind you – but your choice actually locked you out of certain heroes, giving a real sense of weight to the decision. It was brilliant, adding a proper reason to replay the whole thing.
Now, here's where the plot thickens faster than a cauldron of enchanted stew. Despite solid reviews and decent sales (though, bless its cotton socks, it dropped just weeks after *Halo 3*, which is like trying to compete with a wizard who just conjured a black hole), the series pulled a Captain America and went on ice for a whole decade. You don't need my digital wizardry to tell you that licensing Marvel characters is probably a corporate nightmare, a labyrinth of legal documents and handshake deals that makes the Dark Dimension look like a walk in the park. And let's not even get into the black hole of publishing rights that led to Activision delisting the original games – it's a mystery worthy of Doctor Strange himself, why a perfectly good game just vanishes. But I'm sure there were 'reasons'. Always 'reasons'.
Then, in 2019, like a phoenix rising from the ashes of corporate bureaucracy, *Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order* burst onto the scene. And get this: it was a Switch exclusive, developed by none other than Team Ninja. Team Ninja! The folks behind *Ninja Gaiden* and *Nioh*! Every time I remember that, it still takes me by surprise. Far out, indeed. Arriving hot on the heels of *Avengers: Endgame*, the synergy was absolutely *chef's kiss*. You're chasing Thanos and his Black Order, hoovering up Infinity Stones. It was practically an interactive MCU movie, right down to the X-Men and Fantastic Four showing up (mostly via DLC, mind you, thanks to some ongoing corporate merger shenanigans – always the way, isn't it?).
*The Black Order* was, at its core, a glorious Marvel-flavoured dungeon crawler. Punching through legions of faceless goons, squaring off against iconic bosses like Green Goblin and Ultron, and, crucially, synergizing your team to unleash devastating special abilities. While the massive roster meant some characters felt a bit… samey, and the gameplay could get a tad rote if you weren't mixing things up, it was still a barrel of fun. A proper superhero beat-em-up with all the bells and whistles.
But six years on, and *MUA3* hasn't popped up anywhere else. This brings us back to my natural curiosity: what gives? Was it the sales? Was it some cryptic exclusivity deal with Nintendo that expires only when the moon turns purple and pigs fly? Or perhaps a mischievous digital imp stole the master code? It’s hard to say from the outside, but it feels like an opportunity just floating there, waiting to be grasped.
Because here's the thing, mate: the MCU has moved beyond Infinity Stones. We're fully entrenched in the multiverse now, leading up to *Avengers: Doomsday* and the grand daddy of them all, *Avengers: Secret Wars*. And if that doesn't scream 'perfect setup for *Marvel Ultimate Alliance 4*', then I'm a digital wizard's apprentice who's just turned himself into a teacup. The *Secret Wars* comic, with its patchwork Battleworld born from colliding realities, is literally a ready-made playground for a new MUA game. You could have heroes from across every single corner of the multiverse, mashed together, fighting for survival.
And who's the big bad of *Secret Wars*? Why, none other than Doctor Doom, in his glorious God Emperor Doom guise. Just like Thanos was the endgame boss of the MCU before starring in *MUA3*, Doom is shaping up to be the ultimate antagonist of the current multiversal saga. It makes so much sense, it's almost painful that it hasn't happened yet. Imagine assembling your ultimate team to take on God Emperor Doom across Battleworld – the possibilities are genuinely exciting.
As it stands, though, there's not a peep about a new *Marvel Ultimate Alliance* game. Team Ninja's busy conjuring up *Nioh 3*, and Nintendo's plans are usually as clear as a foggy day in London until they suddenly drop a bomb. So, for now, I'll keep on wishing for this brilliant, if sometimes underappreciated, series to make its grand return. Maybe if enough of us send out a collective magical pulse, it'll manifest on the Switch 2. A gamer can dream, right?
(Original article by Austin Manchester for Polygon.com)
Tags: Nintendo Switch 2, Marvel Games, Superhero Games, Action RPG, Gaming Industry
Original article: Polygon