Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 (Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo DS, PSP, Nintendo DSi, PlayStation 2)

Based on the Marvel Comics storyline Civil War, the game begins with a fatal attack in Connecticut caused by a superhuman character. The government is forced to pass the Superhero Registration Act to keep track of these powerful beings, forcing a rift between supporters such as Iron Man and opponents such as Captain America. The heroes begin fighting each other before they realize a more dangerous enemy lurks, prompting them to work together again to protect the Earth.

The title is a pretty simple beat-em-up where teamwork is crucial. In fact, building teams properly can lead to special bonuses. For example, playing as the Fantastic Four provides a stamina boost. Heroes can perform team strikes called Fusion Attacks used to deliver heavy damage to multiple enemies. While the game feels very similar to the original, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 presents an intriguing story as well as a proven gameplay formula that's fun and intense.

Visually, the game looks much better, as players will notice more details in heroes' costumes and mannerisms. On the standard difficulty, it seems pretty easy to coast through each levels and defeat the toughest of foes with little trouble. Players can also unlock a bevy of costumes, power boosts, and dossiers which provide extra details on each Marvel character. Once the single-player campaign is complete, players can opt to tackle it again in cooperative mode or alone on a tougher, unlockable difficulty. Fans of the original Ultimate Alliance should be pleased with the sequel.

Online interaction: The game has online chat during cooperative sessions, where players work together to win. Questionable language is possible.