Superheroes strike a pose

It's the game that boasts the "largest superhero alliance ever," and we've got the latest shots and a trailer of action RPG Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. The horde of heroes will land this fall on PS2, PS3, PSP, Xbox, Xbox 360, PC, Wii and GBA. This batch of shots is from the Xbox 360, but we're hoping to snag some from the other platforms soon.

The game allows you to hand pick a team of four superheroes from a total of 20 playable Marvel characters, then take on the united might of the Marvel super-villains, who have been gathered together by Doctor Doom. The action bears a striking similarity to X-Men Legends but is more sophisticated. In Ultimate Alliance, you'll be able to customize your own team in terms of name and team icon, and then take them along a unique path through the game where you can choose your own missions. Fighting is tailored to exploit each of the hero's powers. For instance, when playing as Captain America you can control the arch of his indestructible throwing shield using the analog sticks.

The new trailer - which can be accessed via the movies tab above - reveals the identity of several non-playable characters who will play a major part in the plot. Uatu the Watcher shows up, which usually means something majorly disastrous is about to go down, while convoluted X-Men characters Corsair and Lilandra arrive to confuse the hell out of anyone trying to make sense of the storyline.

July 6, 2006