The previous game in the Marvel Ultimate Alliance series, was released a good decade after the previous entry in what was believed to be a dormat franchise. In retrospect, the Nintendo Switch is the perfect platform for the co-op focused, pick up and play beat ’em up action of this series. Marvel keeps on growing in popularity, and with new heroes introduced to mainstream audiences at a regular pace, a fourth entry would be a wise investment for Nintendo at this point.
RELATED: All of She-Hulk’s Video Game Appearances
The Expanding Marvel Universe
As mentioned above, the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to expand with a bevy of new installments this year, and beyond. Both Shang-Chi and Eternals introduced new areas of the MCU not yet explored, which also happened to be brand-new to mainstream audiences not familiar with the comic books. So much has happened with Marvel properties since Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 hit the Nintendo Switch two years ago in 2019, leaving plenty of room for new characters, locations, and storylines.
The plot in Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 wisely centered around the conflict against Thanos and his search for the Infinity Stones. This same premise was also being used on the big screen in both Infinity War and Endgame at the time, making it easy for fans new and old to quickly jump in and be familiar with the general concept. A fourth game could follow a similar idea, drawing inspiration from current events in the MCU, such as Kang and the increased emphasis on the multiverse. Basing the game around established storylines makes it more accessible to players wanting to relive their favorite moments from the movies, giving Nintendo a competitive edge against Sony’s hugely successful Marvel’s Spider-Man series.
Improving Upon Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3
As with any sequel, there is an opportunity to revisit what worked, what didn’t, and make the necessary changes to improve the experience. Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 was a solid action game with plenty of fun to be had, but there are things that could be altered to make a potential fourth game even better. For starters, on the subject of new playable characters, there were a handful of strange omissions from the overall roster that could be included this time around.
For example, while characters like Jessica Jones and Winter Soldier did make appearances in the game, they were completely unplayable, even in later DLC additions to the base game. These seem like odd decisions, especially considering the popularity of these characters among fans. Furthermore, even more refinements to the combat system would be welcome, because while the third game was fun, it could become a bit repetitive on longer play sessions. New moves, combo attacks, and perhaps deeper RPG mechanics would help add more variety to the adventure.
Perhaps notes should even be taken from Lego Marvel Superheroes, in which players were able to roam a fully explorable sandbox environment, and then jump into story missions at their leisure. This would open up new opportunities for side missions, hidden collectibles, and just a general sense of fun for players. It remains to be seen if Marvel Ultimate Alliance 4 will ever see the light of day, but it would be wise on Nintendo’s part to take advantage of this franchise it gained access to, assembling Marvel’s mightiest heroes once more.
MORE: Every Marvel Movie And TV Show From 2021, Ranked
