I played 'Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3'to see if Nintendo delivered the game diehard fans deserve - and it's even better than I expected
At the start of "Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3" you'll take control of the Guardians of the Galaxy as they encounter an abandoned warship.
You'll always have a team of four heroes as you explore different parts of the Marvel universe. If you're playing alone you can swap between them.
A quick trip to the pause menu will let you add friends to the game right away with no problem. Up to four people can team up online as well.
Along with more than 30 playable heroes, "Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3" features dozens of villains, like Nebula and the Kree army.
Things take a turn for the worse when the Guardians encounter one of the Infinity Stones, a set of cosmic artifacts that can re-shape the world.
Just like in the movies, the evil titan Thanos wants to gather the six Infinity Stones and wipe out half of all life in the galaxy.
The Marvel heroes need to stop Thanos and his generals, who call themselves The Black Order.
After learning the ropes, you'll unlock a roster of about a dozen heroes, and more will join the alliance as the story continues.
Every new hero gets a brief introduction, so don't worry if you don't recognize them all right away.
You'll even end up adding some villains and anti-heroes to your alliance as you progress through the story.
Depending on which four heroes you play with, you can get special bonuses for picking heroes who are related. For example, playing with a team full of Avengers will give you extra energy, and playing with a team of heroes with super strength will boost their strength even further.
Your heroes will level up as they gain fighting experience, unlocking new abilities in the process.
Each hero has their own unique stats and traits. Traits can range from special abilities like flying to passive skills like fire resistance. You can equip items to boost specific stats too.
Every hero has four unlockable abilities as well, and they'll increase in strength if you continue to play the same hero.
Each chapter of "Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3" will bring you to an iconic location in the Marvel universe, each of which has a distinct style.
While the camera usually hovers above the action, some moments add a bit of cinematic flair to keep things interesting.
"Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3" isn't the prettiest game around, but it still looks good when the action is flowing.
Generally, the graphics are decent, but there's a pretty clear difference when you're playing the game in portable mode.
The game can also suffer from a bit of slowdown when the action gets too intense on screen.
While the game has a few flaws, the mix of memorable characters, bombastic boss fights and steady beat 'em up action makes the game a fun experience from start to finish.
"Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3" is an action game more than a decade in the making, and it's a perfect exclusive for the Nintendo Switch.
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