Marvel Ultimate Alliance 1 Retrospective | Marvel Gaming at its BEST

[@aylix2137]

let's not forget Spider-Man’s timeless "It's amazing what you can do with a few billion dollars..." after Stark finishes hyping up his own Tower.

[@alwaysnerdyretros]

Spider-Man has some great lines in MUA1 for sure!

[@TritonGamezYT]

@Justin Gary Dude, not here.

[@KaiKrimson56]

@@alwaysnerdyretros His banter in the cutscenes is awesome.

[@mjgalaxy]

I always liked Spidey’s combat dialogue. “Next time, I wanna fight a guy who doesn’t smell like OLD CHEESE.”

[@KnuttyEntertainment]

I don’t think I fully realize as an adult how much my children perspective of Spider Man was colored in by this portrayal, as really my only other exposure was the Raimi films. And as we all know, first impressions dictate how you see something forever. Hadn’t played the game in a decade and was surprised to find that THIS is what I thought of when imagining my default image of Spider-Man.

[@user-uz2sj4zs7i]

It's was MUA 1 that open my eyes that 99% villains wear green.

[@Jonathan-A.C.]

Yep. From a design choice, it and purple were meant to contrast with the blue and red colors of most heroes when comics originally were popularized. Joker to Batman, Lex to Supes (the biggest contrast), Doom to Fantastic Four, Baron Mordo to Strange, you get the idea

[@quintonporter270]

@@Jonathan-A.C. green goblin to spider man

[@Jonathan-A.C.]

@@quintonporter270 Yes, exactly

[@nasjordan2598]

@@quintonporter270 🤣litterely the most obvious one and he skips over it😂

[@tarinathellama4858]

@@nasjordan2598 that’s negative

[@seansnyder3215]

I was obsessed with this game back when it came out in 2006. My dad was able to get a copy for Christmas and the two of us binged the game for about 2 weeks and I loved every second of it.

[@Seasonal-Shadow_4674]

I never got to beat the game last-Gen though knew all what happened, hopefully it’s not too late to go back and play it and beat it still

[@seansnyder3215]

@@Seasonal-Shadow_4674 I actually checked the other day to see if it was available for PS4. Sadly it isn’t but some old copies for ps3 or xbox 360 should still be around.

[@falcodante]

@@seansnyder3215 It was available for PS4 at one point, but it was taken off of the store. Time will tell if it's added back to the marketplace.

[@AntiPeoplePersons]

Lol that’s dope

[@Brentonius_III]

@@falcodante wait.... I bought it but I've deleted it since does this mean I can't redownload?????

[@Beastinvader]

Jean or Nightcrawler is still the most difficult decision of my childhood

[@EX1515]

Agree and doesn’t matter who you save, it will still has a negative impact in the future

[@ILove2EatUranium]

@@EX1515 Well actually, saving Kurt is the good ending In MUA2, Jean is a playable character, meaning the whole Dark Phoenix thing blew over in between the two games.

[@EX1515]

@@ILove2EatUranium true but it wasn’t acknowledged in MUA2 but saving Jean and not Nightcrawler, Mystique kills Professor X out of revenge.

[@ILove2EatUranium]

@@EX1515 I like Kurt more than Jean so I always save him.

[@kennyc7260]

I saved Kurt because I felt like Jean was too OP to die. I mean she's technically the phoenix, so she can revive at some point.

[@benbehrenfeld9379]

The massive cavalcade of villains is something that has been sorely missing from almost every superhero game since

[@isinganddootherthings4616]

True

[@stephengrant4841]

Biggest disappointment in the new Avengers game for me. I knew the game would be trash anyway, but I was at least hoping there would be a large amount of villains. Instead there were like four or five, if that.

[@autobotproductions1244]

what about Spider-Man PS4? that had a good cast of villains

[@rakimmartinez2557]

@@autobotproductions1244 he said almost

[@stabbityjoe7588]

@@autobotproductions1244 it had like 5

[@MJHDRi]

Man the Asgardian warrior charging Loki's Army and Odin punishing Doom are scenes that stuck with me forever

[@thee_morpheus]

For Asgard

[@angeleaterstudios1004]

Berserker At Stamford Bridge vibes

[@assassinmaster3419]

For me it was Colossus trying to stand up to Doom

[@bigwill5753]

The soundtrack of the game was also so sick. Will forever remember the music that plays when you first arrive on the hellicarrier.

[@stevenpadilla1890]

So epic and dramatic and just capsulates heroes fighting above air perfectly

[@berserkerkay]

@@stevenpadilla1890 fr

[@jgrey4066]

I grew up on the music man omg I’ll never forget the music in this game

[@bigwill5753]

@@jgrey4066 same here

[@nikkohewitt8848]

I hum the title screen theme all the time. And I have most of the home base songs burned into my brain

[@Nature_Quixote]

I worked in QA at Activision on this game and enjoyed every minute of it. Thanks for your insights. I agree 100%. Stan Lee was there in studio often and the conversation and atmosphere was very humbled and loyal toward the Marvel legacy. We talked about X-men Legends often. Its often overlooked that the game contains a huge amount of text. The intention was to feel more like comics. Its tempting to skip text but when you give in to the idea of reading a comic that you can play, it is rewarding. Also the voice acting was a really big deal. There are many things about the beta version I liked, that are missing now, that I wish i could get back.

[@alwaysnerdyretros]

Thank you for sharing your insight and experience! That’s really interesting! Can you recall aspects of that beta version that were cut?

[@tropichawk850]

That's so awesome! Thank you for all your hard work on this amazing game! I've always viewed the title as an interactive comic book myself, so seeing you say that is pretty gratifying, to be honest. Haha. Also, I'm in agreement: Is there anything specific you're able to talk about that you miss from the game's beta version?

[@commentate3652]

Thanks for making such a fantastic game man. My father got my brother and I this game for the original Xbox and it was a great bonding experience between all three of us playing this growing up. It was also another spark into my interest in comics aside from the Spider-Man films of the early 00's, Daredevil, X-Men, etc. Sadly my father passed away in 09' but this game will forever hold a special place in my heart. Once again good sir, thank you for being apart of something very special :)

[@TheTylerRobison]

@@commentate3652 So sorry for your loss, buddy I am glad this video rekindled such a fond memory.

[@commentate3652]

@@TheTylerRobison Thank you man! Much appreciated:)

[@0gre191]

I clicked on this and was thinking "Oh man I wonder how much I'll remember" and then, in the first few seconds, the nostalgia from the music alone smacked me in the teeth harder than Doctor Doom ever could

[@GenAqua]

Whomever voiced Loki....he's REALLY damn good.

[@jehehehedias5881]

And Dr Doom

[@HazWolverine]

Tom hiddleston

[@twilimess]

And Spider-Man who is played by Raiden!

[@smaaron_j_46]

⁠@@twilimess Richard Epcar plays Spider-Man in this game? If so, that’s cool!

[@twilimess]

@@smaaron_j_46 Huh? No no Quentin Flynn who voiced Raiden in the Metal Gear games and the spinoff we need a sequel for Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance voices Spider-Man here in Ultimate Alliance 1

[@47FloridaManDre]

Mephistos realm, Asgard, & Murderworld are the Top 3 levels

[@peterkerly3496]

Man of culture

[@floralfire]

murderworld was my least favorite because the music got annoying fast. But I really enjoyed that Deadpool side mission on murderworld, deadpool’s lines were so funny to me.

[@zacharyjochumsen9677]

Florida man what about the shiar empire levels

[@masterrserch3971]

Def, and in that order too... well done

[@benjamindavenport9265]

J ok in ibo I ooo ooo o

[@JcgLounge]

The game that defined the Marvel Universe. A true gem in the superhero gaming realm.

[@yorkljorgan987]

I think so too. I love MCU, but at the same time, I miss the days of most comic book heroes not having film franchises, so Marvel fans had to be comic readers. Now every comic book hero gets a major film. That’s cool and all, but comic books have become an obsolete medium. We don’t need painters and sketchers when we have HD photographs and we don’t need superhero comic books when we have super hero movies. It’s the sad truth.😢

[@majoraplays6159]

Also, fun fact. The Wii version was going to have Samus Aran and Link as guest characters. They were scrapped last minute sadly, but thanks to Mods, the PC version has them, and I often bring one or the other with me a majority of the time.

[@alwaysnerdyretros]

Oh you’re right!!! I totally forgot to add that In the video

[@alexanderavila8488]

they never even got into the game

[@marlonclark1896]

wow Really? that would've been awesome

[@James-yx5qt]

How did you get the PC version?

[@jsmaster4779]

WHAT? Yo, that’s awesome! Imagining Samus firing blasts with Iron Man would’ve been insane for my 10 year old self when I first played the game.

[@TrippleBPlays]

Choosing to kill Nightcrawler or Jean Grey really hurts me because the X-Men have always been some of my favorite Marvel characters. Also, seeing Colossus get beat up by Doctor Doom in a cutscene was really tough.

[@MegaCloud05]

Plus seeing Cyclops get blasted by Dr. Doom really traumatized me as a kid. Of course that was before I saw Cyclops get suffocated by Thanos in the Infinity Gauntlet comic event.

[@TrippleBPlays]

@@MegaCloud05 True, that was rough seeing Cyclops beat like that by Doctor Doom.

[@cmp6291]

Nightcrawler was an easy choice for me since he was my favorite character in the 4player Xmen arcade game

[@Minious1020]

@@MegaCloud05 or cyclops having his head blown when deadpool kills the marvel universe

[@juryantonelli]

On the modded version on PC if you use Magneto you can save both

[@destronlaserwave9566]

MUA1 and MUA2 are my childhood. But, out of the entire MUA series. The first one is my favorite. It nailed the characters and was one of the first times Marvel superheroes crossovered in a large scale outside of the comics. This game introduced me to Deadpool, the extended X-Men, Doctor Strange, the Fantastic Four and more. I hope you do MUA 2/3!

[@alwaysnerdyretros]

It’s my favorite of the two also and I revisit it the most. It’s cool hearing that mua1 was your introduction to all of the heroes, the same way it did for me! Thank you for the feedback btw! I look forward to jumping into mua2 next

[@user-hg4hz1lx2h]

UA 1 will always be one of my favorite games ever. Plus introducing me to Deadpool. It does make me sad when Ultimate Alliance 3 has nothing to do with this story

[@marlonclark1896]

same this game Educated me on the marvel universe more it also introduced me to characters like Dr Strange Luke Cage Deadpool Captain marvel (well Ms marvel as she is called here) Spider-woman Elektra Black panther Vision

[@pkt86737]

MUA 1 is the best bc of the extra costumes & story. 2 was fun playing the bad guys but seemed to be a short story. 3 is ok but deserves to have the better console graphics, not just on the switch

[@user-hg4hz1lx2h]

@@pkt86737 1 I feel like is near perfection especially for it’s time, And if there was ever a remaster it could be one of the greatest games ever. 2 was great too but I feel like they removed more then added like cutscenes are less and there was no point in removing costumes and characters they should have kept them and builded onto it. 3 I don’t count as UA because it doesn’t follow after the first 2 and clearly was jus to Capitalize on Infinity War hype. Plus it lost all the grit and grim that the first 2 had🤷🏾‍♂️

[@dr.toboggan3347]

This game prepared me for the MCU in ways that I'm still realizing. Love this game

[@alwaysnerdyretros]

Hahaha what a great way to put it! So much of my marvel info comes from this game

[@jakeriese4862]

@@alwaysnerdyretros me too, though some were changed for the mcu

[@AgeDrain]

The game is what the mcu should’ve been.

[@chickenpit9991]

During the Avengers movie when Iron man and Captain America used their combo, literal goosebumps and all memories of Ultimate Alliance game came rushing back.

[@srchzo]

@@chickenpit9991 sameeee bro, i thought i was the only one who noticed that

[@UltimateTS64]

It's so crazy how much the interpretations of these characters have changed. The MCU really changed a lot, I kinda miss the days of the characters feeling relatively unknown

[@turbotrup96]

same. I dislike how nearly everything now is inspired by the MCU.

[@MikeSpicyWinner]

Yeah as a comic fan first, I’ve come to loathe the MCU and the Disney Shills. They have Star Wars and Marvel but can’t make a good game to save their lives.

[@Jiub_SN]

@@MikeSpicyWinnerDisney has had negative effects on everything they touch. It all start with their reinterpreting story books into animated movies

[@AdrianLemmons]

@@MikeSpicyWinner I mostly agree. I think the only GENUINELY good games since Disney took over is the Insomnia Spider-Man games and hopefully, their Wolverine game. Other than that, I can't think of any other games that were good since Disney took over sadly.

[@majora919]

It introduced alot of younger people to unkown heros though, i would have never got into deadpool if i had not played this game as a child, had never even heard of the guy at the time

[@memedowsss]

That guard from the asgard cutscene was a badass.

[@jordandennis6794]

That's an alpha male!

[@n_explosion8199]

That cutscene with Collossus already missing an arm and a leg getting beat up some more gets me every time. Right in the feels...

[@lilrandy8364]

Yea colossus and night crawler got did bad

[@Andrew-yj4pn]

(9:50) This Nightcrawler cutscene in MUA1 is my favorite combat scene in all of the Marvel Universe (movies included). it's so elegant and encapsulates the essence of Nightcrawler. He's a performer, so style is woven into his repertoire, and you see the artistry in this scene. Nightcrawler is always a step ahead of the enemies, and you can see that as he shows off his anticipation, agility, and acrobatic skills. Even the sword dance at the beginning of the fight is effortless and confident. I was a Nightcrawler main in XML1, XML2, MUA1, and still am in MUA3. I think MUA3 nailed Nightcrawler's combat, as you can kind of play him similarly to how he fights in this clip -- teleporting around the battlefield to flank enemies and deliver stylish blows.

[@hater5940]

Second X-man movie have an amazing opening Nightcrawler combat scene

[@jnormile9924]

My main complaint was why did he just try to open the door? Should’ve just teleported

[@maakujiten3812]

@@jnormile9924 One of the limits to his powers is that he can't blindly teleport. He has to know what his destination looks like so that he doesn't teleport into a wall.

[@dopendous]

he used to be one of my favorite characters in the game til I played it years later and realized that’s the voice of Klaus from American Dad and now I can’t even take him seriously 😂

[@The_Boys_Archive]

@@jnormile9924 I always took it as him just being overconfident and having too much fun. He thought the danger was gone, and he had no reason to think that the door was electrified. That thought would not cross anyone's mind.

[@isinganddootherthings4616]

I wish I could alter reality like Franklin Richards and Molecule Man and just have Marvel's Avengers be more like the ultimate alliance and X-men legends games

[@alwaysnerdyretros]

Lol! I’d like all 3 games to exist and be multi platform 🙏

[@WhatwouldRoddyPiperdo]

Marvel Avengers now there's a game me and my friends played for 3 days after release and never touched again lmao

[@generationx5338]

Marvel's Avengers was just another MCU cash-grab game. I wish they would actually make a game based on the comic book version of the Avengers. Also, Avengers like Wonder Man and Tigra are pretty underrated, and would be cool to use in a game.

[@jinxact532]

@@generationx5338 originally there weren't any MCU costumes they where harassed into adding them and the game had been getting better

[@keelanbarron928]

@@generationx5338 How is it a "mcu cashgrab" if it's not apart of the mcu at all? (it IS based off of the comics, the comics nowadays look like the mcu because of brand synergy.)

[@acgcharger4608]

Lets not forget how fun Deadpool was in this game

[@marlonclark1896]

oh yeah i especially enjoyed all his fighting and the dialog he has with other characters

[@floralfire]

@@marlonclark1896 his dialogue with that murderworld villain was my favorite

[@marlonclark1896]

@@floralfire my favorite is his dialog with the Shield agent during the first mission on the Helicarrier

[@DoctorInk20]

Heck yes. I'd argue this game was a major contributor to his spike in popularity.

[@weefy117]

@@DoctorInk20 I can attest to this. I was 9 years old when I got this for Christmas. I played the ever living shit out this game. One day, im just looking at new characters to play, and Deadpool caught my attention. He looks cool and his name sounds cool, so i was like sure. I fell in love with his character. He was a bad ass, loved his abilities, and his interactions were amazing. "Hey you, give me your milk money!". "My health is getting low, help me player! (Something like that, its been so long)". I fckin loved this dude. Then as i got older, i looked him up on Wikipedia and stuff, and read up on more about him, and loved him even more. I was like "Wow id love for there to be a movie, but theres no way they'd do it because hes R rated and comic movies nowadays dont like R rated". Then the test footage leaked. I was so fcking hyped. I remember showing my best friend in his room the footage, laughing our asses off at him playing "bananas", and drawing him decapitating a dude. I was so hyped and i was like "please let this happen". And the rest is history. I still feel so cool being a mega Deadpool fan before the movie dropped. Man those were the fcking days

[@sammysamiam5219]

I swear to Oden every single time I see that one Asgard Warrior charge into Loki’s army, It pumps me up every time

[@doom3926]

A couple things I would like to add. Iron Man was a hidden playable character in X-Men Legends 2, this was likely to gear up for MUA1 especially since a good amount of Iron Man’s specials and animations carried over between games. You mentioned how the PSP version of the game had Black Widow and Captain Mar-Vel but it also had Ronin and it had Hawkeye before the console versions got him, you would unlock him by registering for online play at the time. PSP version also had some unlockable game modes that wouldn’t be in the console versions which were, Hardcore Heroes Mode which is characters can’t be revived when killed, Hardcore Squad Mode which is the same as the last one but you’re locked to one team you take through the whole game. And Uber Hero Mode which is you play as one character through the whole game with everything maxed out.

[@SHEVCHENKOFAN18]

Somebody that worked on the game is a huge Iron Man fan. This is why he was playable in XML2. This is also why Psylocke was playable in MUA2.

[@doom3926]

@@SHEVCHENKOFAN18 That’s awesome

[@xxHkR1xx]

sorry for the late response but do you perhaps know if those unlockable modes that were on PSP are in anyway moddable to have them avaiable on PC for example?

[@doom3926]

@@xxHkR1xx I haven’t seen any but it might be worth looking into with how many different mods the game has had over the years.

[@kelvinwebley6971]

is the psp version more or less the same as the ps2 version?

[@samcheriyan2000]

One of the best parts is how characters who know each other will interact with one another. Example: Daredevil and Elektra, The Fantastic Four and Namor and so many many more. That level of detail is just brilliant!

[@iKouey]

I didn't have a memory card so me and my cousin would replay the game from the beginning and see how far we got. One day we completed the game. Recently took out my PS2 from my closet and bought a new copy of the game and invited my cousin over. This game is amazing and still holds up

[@blueworldcomics7908]

This game was basically "Thor: The Game" to me. I would remove everyone and just play as Thor the whole time. I wish the sequels would allow you to remove teammates.

[@WhatwouldRoddyPiperdo]

I played co op with my best mate 2 characters each I was Moon Knight & Ghost Rider he was Thor & Collosus we needed at least 1 guy that could fly haha

[@The_Boys_Archive]

@@WhatwouldRoddyPiperdo I did the same with one of my friends. I was the Thing and Blade, and he was Wolverine and Deadpool.

[@WhatwouldRoddyPiperdo]

@@The_Boys_Archive Respect as I recall Blade was a pain in the arse to unlock finding the little collectibles on each level but so rewarding when you did it.

[@The_Boys_Archive]

@@WhatwouldRoddyPiperdo You're thinking of Black Panther and Daredevil. Those are the only 2 characters that you have to unlock by finding the tiny "action figures." You had to find five for each. Blade, on the other hand, is unlocked by rescuing him from the claw machine game in Murderworld. Also, rather than finding all of those annoying action figures, the unlock all characters cheat code was always an option.

[@lyzeman]

Playing with daredevil alone was so much fun as you are not able to see around without beating someone up or breaking up the environment.

[@Sindel1011]

This game was my childhood- the loading screen art gives me so much joy- each character and level was so memorable! UGH! I need to go back and play through this again

[@BerzerKing055]

You can tell that the devs were huge fans of the comics. There’s a trivia mini game in the hubs and some of the answers are so obscure that even myself being a big marvel fan didn’t know

[@HobGungan]

Dr. Strange wasn't the original "Enemy-to-Crate" character. Scarlet Witch had that ability in X-Legends II

[@bolaknirom7836]

This game in my opinion what most superhero games should strive for in a sense. Like a celebration of their universe not just one of their popular characters or movies over and over

[@RIPLOUDOG]

that scene of legless colossus getting tortured by dr.doom always lived rent free in my mind growing up, as long as the nightcrawler one and the intro i think that one is underrated

[@orion0098]

Literally the best fucking marvel game I’ve ever played, such nostalgia aswell

[@ThatAbrax]

Really enjoyed the video, I grew up with games like Ultimate Alliance and X-Men Legends so it was very nostalgic! Would love to see more in the future

[@alwaysnerdyretros]

Thank you very much for the feedback!

[@jakeriese4862]

Me too

[@princejosway6632]

This why I love your channel I jus started playing again

[@alwaysnerdyretros]

Haha that’s awesome! Is it as good as you remember?

[@princejosway6632]

Yea I get to use more characters & acts than the new avengers game right now 😂

[@honorworks6]

@@princejosway6632 u got p4 bro?

[@princejosway6632]

@@honorworks6 yes its my name prince_josway

[@honorworks6]

@@princejosway6632 can u game share bro I'll give u some of my games too this is so nostalgic for me.

[@everythingella4575]

Being able to play that many superhero’s in a video game was just incredible to me. And each character respectfully had a great range of powers to choose from. Round of applause to the developers. Would’ve loved to see more missions available after finishing the game though..

[@themegatonmenace1224]

The robot Mandarin uses against you is Ultimo, not the Destroyer.

[@Leo-ms8gm]

Really good video I know that making this wasn't easy but I'm happy you did keep up the good work I can't wait for the next one.

[@alwaysnerdyretros]

Thank you for the feedback and kind words! I definitely plan on keeping it going as I have time. They’re a lot fun to make 😃

[@alexandersuico5246]

This is great. I just purchased and finished MUA3 and found your channel. The Original MUA has a special place in my heart as a child and playing MU3 as an adult is still a blast. This video is really well done and brought back a lot of memories. Thanks for this you’ve earned my sub!

[@alwaysnerdyretros]

Thank you so much for the feedback and support! Your experience with mua1 and mua3 mirrors my own too. I’m really looking forward to a possible mua4 🤞

[@GamerBoy870]

@@alwaysnerdyretros sucks I cant buy mua 1 and 2 on the ps4 and Xbox one why didnt they get ported onto switch

[@eziospaghettiauditore8369]

@@GamerBoy870 same

[@kornprime]

It's been 15 years, and still nothing as awesome as the Daredevil challenge map in MUA1 has hit our screens.

[@Hitenryuify]

Oh man, please do continue this series! This was very entertaining and I can’t wait to hear what else you have to say about the rest of the games you intend to cover 🙏🏾

[@alwaysnerdyretros]

Thank you for the feedback!!! There’s so many I want to revisit it’s tough to decide 😅 Is there a game in particular you’d like to hear about?

[@Hitenryuify]

@@alwaysnerdyretros honestly man, everything you named looks promising to me but the X-Men Legends series would definitely be up there for me. Same for Marvel Nemesis

[@alwaysnerdyretros]

Awesome choices 👍 Those are both really high on my list too so I’m sure I’ll get to those sooner rather than later. Thanks again for the suggestions and feedback!

[@Ivan-xk4uy]

That MODOK boss music is so creepy, I LOVE IT 😩

[@dtxspeaks268]

How is it creepy? It's just industrial electro rock.

[@nolanr3259]

Some of the sounds in this game like the cutscene footsteps and fires are so nostalgic and comforting

[@KenKaizenn]

This game is why I fell in love with the MCU! Characters like Doctor Strange, Moon Knight, Black Panther…. I had no clue who they were as a 6 year old before I played this game! To add to this, me and my brothers could all play together and we had some golden moments to say the least. Moments we quote to this day lol! Top tier nostalgia. Top tier video.

[@foreverconstant]

So many great memories . I used to play this game for hours .I used to love when you assembled a random team in the character selection screen just to find out there not random at all because it announced the combination you assembled .such as “ Femme Fatale “ ,Fantastic Four, Ultimate Avengers ..! The Alternate endings gave this replay value and the multiple costume selection each character had was amazing ..

[@TheRandalHandle]

This game was so good. Thanks for the trip down memory lane. I fondly remember trying to toss every single foe over the edge. This game had some amazing cutscenes for the time.

[@venomsnigle44]

I always come back to this video because this is one of my favorite games of all time!!!

[@randomm065]

Could you imagine a remake of this game with the graphics we have for marvel games now, god I wish that.

[@TooDankBro]

I’ve been waiting for a remake for a long time. You’d think they would have done it with the popularity of MCU but instead we got Marvel’s Avengers game

[@ghostaga]

They would charge 5 dollars for every character in a remake lol

[@TheRealAdaWong]

The Avengers title PALES to this series, if the servers went offline right now; there’s not a single disc in production that doesn’t require day one patch for Avengers. In 10 years it’ll be literally virtually unplayable, whereas a near 20 year old franchise like Ultimate Alliance still consolidated most of it’s content onto disc. Even after distributing to multiple consoles. Gaming industry now is a scam. Invest in retro gaming now while these fading franchises are still on public market!!!

[@prestohobo7685]

@@TheRealAdaWong you know you can buy a disk of games still right? Also UA 1 and 2 were digital for a limited time on Xbox one for 20 bucks for both games which I got 🥰

[@ethanlee4910]

@@TheRealAdaWong To be fair. Bugs that existed, will never get fixed. For instance on my old ps2 version, I cannot pick luke cage because the game freezes and has done that since we've had out ps2. No other issues in any other game. People want games to come out perfect, but more complex which is impossible. People back then embraced bugs and glitches, now we get upset by them.

[@lakerdave75]

I love this game so many memories I will always remember it and how much joy it brought to me. Hope some day Avengers will get a large roster like this game. Cant wait for ultimate alliance 2

[@blackjohn9240]

I feel like as long as the player base keeps playing, we will get a good selection of characters. I am hopeful.

[@nursenic03]

First game I ever played with my first best friend ever. We weren’t even old enough to understand the rpg elements at the time. I’m playing through it now by myself and it’s just as fun to play and much deeper then young me could have ever imagined

[@therobbiebandswho]

Oh my GOSH! I LOVE long videos like this, and I love it THAT much more, because you're talking about the game that shaped my childhood. Thank you so much! Please don't drop this format and make some more videos about older Marvel games!

[@alwaysnerdyretros]

Thank you for commenting!!! I really appreciate your feedback both on the length and the content 😃 I wasn’t sure how people would react to the retrospective idea, but your positivity and enthusiasm makes me feel much better about continuing it!

[@marcuswalters8093]

One of the most brilliant and subtle moments of characterisation? Wolverine popping his claws when they are all startled by Utau.

[@chrisa8863]

This is one of my favorite games of all time. I still hookup my 360 every once in a while to play this. I thought you would eventually dig into how cool the team system was and how you can upgrade your team's attributes and choose which/amount of characters you wanted on your team roster. The depth in this game is incredible especially for it's time. So glad I kept my originally copy since 2008, it's only unfortunate I'll never be able to play with the dlc character packs 😭

[@teddybearbomber2261]

Watching Dr. Strange turn that minion into a damn spinning top at 19:10 was hilarious, and should absolutely be included in the next Dr. Strange movie 🤣🤣🤣

[@AirCarlos97]

I really learned so much about Marvel because of this game, I miss playing this.

[@isinganddootherthings4616]

I hope you cover ultimate alliance 2 in the future the fusion mechanic in those games is such a great idea I hope they would bring that back in a potential ultimate alliance 4

[@alwaysnerdyretros]

Definitely! I have a couple Avengers videos planned and then I’d like to start on Ultimate Alliance 2. I’m interested to see if it’s held up as well as MUA1 over the years

[@SHEVCHENKOFAN18]

@@alwaysnerdyretros Could you also do one for MUA3?.

[@TripleR6000]

marvel ultimate alliance is a game i replay so much it’s my introduction to all these marvel hero’s & villains.

[@goatsin4421]

You did this game justice thank u for giving me a glimpse of my child hood

[@alwaysnerdyretros]

Thank you for watching!

[@kswaes]

@@alwaysnerdyretrossame here even my mother remembers the main menu theme thats how important this game is to me ❤

[@leoogdom]

Very nice video, man. So much memories of playing that game with my brothers, wish I could go back in time.

[@Juice_the_Guru]

Im 29 now, as a kid who was just getting into comics this story literally blew my whole a$$ mind. And the cutscenes?!?! *chef's kiss*

[@thomasraines1396]

The first one is amazing I love how the villains have unique grabs (Dr. Doom holds enemies in the air and electrocutes them while Venom simply bears hugs them and crushes them for example.)

[@secondavenger9775]

My favourite is when Doctor Strange puts an enemy upside down and makes them spin around like a Beyblade 🤣

[@fashionitjobert]

I still play through this game like every year. It’s my favorite game ever and I absolutely love how op you can make your characters.

[@Dethrones]

My cousins, brothers and I use to play this game all the time! Great video

[@slysi81]

I noticed in videos like this about ultimate alliance no ever mentions that at the character select screen if you characters that are part of a team like Fantastic Four or X-Men or Avengers you got bonus stats for the mission you was going into

[@eziospaghettiauditore8369]

Dude...Omega Base is awesome plenty of memorable moments. Mysterio turning on the Super Soldiers to break out of their cages, meeting Bruce Banner, time trial to take out a helicopter before it kills a Shield agent, Mysterios boss fight with his duplicates, the helicopter shooting missiles at you outside, the elevator fight. More variety in gameplay than anything that happens in X-Men Legends

[@dtxspeaks268]

For real

[@learn2xpand862]

I love how deep they get with the background characters, and even the trivia was deep af, I learned so much about Marvel from this game, it has such a strong aura idk how to explain it, probably just nostalgia taking

[@YourKingDeadpool]

Your early MUA 3 news and speculation videos were what drew me to the channel, it seemed like you were the only one on youtube who cared about MUA3, so of course, I subscribed, it's so amazing to see how your channel has developed, your content is great whether it is in long-form or in shorter videos, keep up the great work!

[@alwaysnerdyretros]

Thank you for the kind comment and for having been around since the beginning! I really appreciate the support 😃 Hopefully an MUA4 is on the horizon too 🤞

[@BINKUS243]

This was one of my favorite series of games as a kid. That opening part of the video gave me nostalgia instantly

[@SirBuzzaNut]

Mephisto's realm hands down has the best music. At this time the Ghost Rider movie had just come out including the game that went with it where you can also be Blade and Vengeance in that game. It's such a slept on game but this is peak marvel games.

[@HaviWasHere]

Always saw it on the shelfs of my Gamestop as a kid. I'm glad I got to play the remasters. Good work !

[@kindredJournal]

Great video! Absolutely love this game for everything it allowed me to learn and enjoy about Marvel. Thanks for bringing back those great positive Mavel vibes!

[@peterparker1683]

The Weasel Quest is underrated. It basically ties into the main plot about how Fury knew all along about Doom’s plan

[@hush3130]

fun fact the game had ronin and hawkeye it also had extra simulation missions on psp as well as a mode where if your character died he stayed dead until you completed the story btw before you do the ultimate alliance 2 retrospective there are secrets in each hub if you press something with a specific character secrets are revealed like an iron man armor secret room etc

[@alwaysnerdyretros]

That permanent death mode sounds really fun! I wish that had carried over into the console editions. Are the secret areas you’re referring to in mua2 or mua1?

[@hush3130]

@@alwaysnerdyretros they are in mua 2 they are in the hub areas also there was poll to decide who would be the dlc in the first and second game do you want the names? I am a veteran of the series i know things about it for example there is a jack o lantern character model in the files that from what i heard you can access in the steam version by manipulating it a bit i can send you a link on how to possibly do that not only for jack

[@hush3130]

@@alwaysnerdyretros if you want to find the secrets the hubs have look the guide for the collectibles and you will see how you find them

[@alwaysnerdyretros]

@@hush3130 oh yeah that’s really interesting! I’d love to have the names if you’ve got them. Btw, I’ll shout you out in the video too if I end up using your info. I appreciate it

[@hush3130]

@@alwaysnerdyretros no problem the characters that were in the polls to be added as dlc in the second game were namor, loki and emma frost i couldn't find them all but i did find some for mua1 punisher namor iron first abomination and mandarin where there i haven't found any more info on characters do you want a link about the jack o lantern?

[@CMast3r]

This game does so many things right that it’s easy to forgive some of the minor things. Nightcrawler’s cutscene in Doom’s castle is always amazing and that Asgardian soldier charging while yelling “For Asgard!” never fails to hype me up.

[@geddysokolowsky442]

Great video. You are absolutely right when you mention that MUA1 had copy-pasted mechanics from the X-Men Legends games - it was literally built over XML2, and many old files remain there if you look through the old 2006 PC version.

[@lewisaino]

The Asgard and Galactus Cutscenes were my faves so thxs for the Vid.

[@TrippleBPlays]

This is one of my favorite games. I got the Platinum in it on PS4 last year. Great fun!

[@katzeartist5833]

This brings back great memories, everyday after school my dad and I would play this on my PS1 and anytime an unknown (to me) character was introduced he would either find a comic or go online to explain their backstory.

[@antarwilliams1531]

Great job, A.N.! Your professional and thought out content is much appreciated. Keep bring the retrospectives.

[@alwaysnerdyretros]

Thank you very much for the feedback!!!

[@jax9771]

I played the shit out of this when I was a kid with my dad and brother. One of my favorite games of all time, and have some of the best memories of. I’m so happy you covered this

[@zombie-blood-490gaming5]

mua 1 was essential for me to get into the marvel world

[@HenriqueHCA14]

A time even before Iron Man or the idea of an MCU. This game deserves more credit than it has, the amazing cinematics, voice acting and lore makes it my favorite super hero game. It was also very accessible to people at the time, most characters has their design based of the Ultimate Universe, Spider Man has the same logo of the Sam Raimi movies, etc. And damn, that cutscene where it shows the consequences of your choices broke me as a kid. I remember immediately starting another playthrough trying to get the best ending possible. I hope that the Microsoft/Activision-Blizzard brings MUA 1 and 2 on Gamepass, more people need to play this gem.

[@ethanlee4910]

I think this game really helped propel the mcu as Ironman was already in development prior to this game coming out. However, for me. And I know others, this really gave some comfortability to getting the characters shown. More so when Xmen (2000) and the fantastic 4 (2004) movies were out already......

[@owenwhite366]

i played the original games on the ps2 religiously back in the day until both disks were to scratched to play and your right about the characters players picked, I always picked susan storm Blade ghost rider and Spiderman

[@bubblybobabubbles]

My grandpa introduced me to this game when I was itty-bitty, so I got a bucketload of nostalgia for it. He was the one who taught me to play- really, he taught me how to use a controller- and honestly he lowkey was the one who introduced me to video games as a whole. He passed before I remember ever finishing the game, and my little kid brain didn't really do directions well, so I got stuck often and eventually forgot about it. Recently though, ironically after finishing Injustice (which I thought I did actually, but then I realized I never actually did after I finished the second game), I realized I'd never finished MUA either. So I picked it back up. For some reason I got stuck in Murderworld? I didn't understand I was supposed to find a guy I guess lol, but I finally finished it over ten years later. Mid playthrough though, my Xbox controllers weren't staying on, and I realized the batteries had eroded and I had no clue how to clean them out safely. So naturally after my electronic-savvy and antique-loving friend who'd just been gifted an Xbox 360 of her own fixed them up for me (she's awesome), I got her into playing the game too and she's stoked about it PAHAHA, so we're playing through it together. It's definitely more fun with a friend!

[@andrewlopez4408]

Amazing video nerdy!!! :)

[@svenwalter4293]

man i just realized how much better these type of review vids are than say ign or gameranx below 10 min reviews, I havent really appreciated those types of reviews since its what I always see anyway and I dont really watch long full review vids so there might be of value as well to quick rundown type vids. But yeah i love full reviews such as these one and Id take this any day over mainstream ign review vids and the like

[@keelanbarron928]

9:57 I've always loved this scene and is what made me like nightcrawler. (even if it's too dark.)

[@thejongshow8821]

I loved how depending on which platform you played you had access to a special character

[@rafaelvictor2111]

My Marvel addiction started here

[@magicalgirllaurie]

I loved this game as a kid, it’s great. The one thing I hate looking back though is that Doom would NEVER work with Mephisto EVER given how Mephisto owns Doom’s mother’s soul and Doom hates him because of that. The choice between Nightcrawler and Jean Grey is the most memorable part of the entire game for me though.

[@kylemelendez358]

My journey with this game and series has been interesting. At the time of release i was very hype for this game at the time of release because i was so into xmen legends and then this game came out and kinda disapointed me a lot. A couple years later and part 2 releases and i played that one and was even more disappointed than the first one and while playing it i thought to myself i should play the first one again cuz it was better than this. So i did and ever since then i loved that first one and then hated the second one. THEN the rerelease a few years ago came out for both and i planed on buying just the first one and accidentally bought the bundle with both. So i said oh well i might as well play it, and while i still dont think its great i loved it a lot more. 80% of my knowledge comes from the mcu on marvel so in hindsight playing these games after expieriencing a lot more marvel in my life has really made me appreciate what the first 2 games in this series have to offer, although im still waiting on my xmen legends revival of some sorts lol. Great vid man love these in depth analysis you put into the videos.

[@alwaysnerdyretros]

Thank you! And I love your perspective over the years. It’s so interesting how you started off disliking it but grew to love it as your marvel knowledge expanded. I agree, the first game is better than 2, but I’m hoping that when I revisit 2 it’ll be better than I originally remembered. Btw, it’s a good thing you accidentally bought the remastered bundle, since those aren’t available anymore

[@kylemelendez358]

@@alwaysnerdyretros really? Wow i did not know that, but yea it is very interesting to see how time and place can change your perspective. Im looking forward to your thoughts on 2, the pure gameplay of 2 is much more refined and perfected in the second game i just thought just about everything else, story, characters, customization, and more were lacking more than the first.

[@alwaysnerdyretros]

@@kylemelendez358 Yeah I think Activision lost the rights so the remasters were pulled. I think our perspectives on 2 are very similar, or at least from what I remember when I played it last lol

[@kylemelendez358]

@@alwaysnerdyretros man i gotta check to make sure i can download them still cuz i had the digital version

[@alwaysnerdyretros]

@@kylemelendez358 if you own it you should be able to redownload but I’d double check to be sure

[@JuliusCaesar103]

Great video and I'm glad I found your channel. I remember playing this game as a kid, I loved the simulation disc missions and exploring every bit of the map, even as a kid I could tell there was so much passion in the game. Thank you for making me relive those times. Subscribed!

[@AndrewNoLove]

I remember loving these cinematic cutscenes my absolute favorite was nightcrawler trying to escape close second is Lokis invasion on asgard I use to yell FOR ASGARD!!!!! all the time as a kid

[@smithmccx_media]

One of my favorite childhood games, one I still come back to every now and then to replay. Great original story with fun characters and amazing costumes to swap. This game will always have a place in my heart.

[@PlusOneGamer]

What you said about players losing interest during the first 3 missions and giving up on the game is exactly what happened with me and my brothers. We had played through the X Men Legends games together growing up and when we played this is just didn't grab us right away like those did, so we wrote it off as a bad game and didn't play past the Helicarrier.

[@alwaysnerdyretros]

That’s a shame. And with the remasters being pulled you don’t have a great way to give it another shot if you wanted :/ It’s definitely frustrating

[@PlusOneGamer]

@@alwaysnerdyretros I think a big thing too was that we were all really big fans of the X-Men, but weren't as familiar with the Marvel Universe as a whole. Like when we unlocked Iron Man in Legends 2, I didn't even know who he was as a kid. It's hard to get excited for characters you're not familiar with.

[@Deltatrip39]

@@alwaysnerdyretros glad you made this video, kinda crazy how much these games can influence your life. I hope you release something new to watch soon

[@dtxspeaks268]

​@@PlusOneGamerI mean the Omega Base (2nd level) is arguably one the best levels in the game. I'm surprised it didn't do much for you as a kid

[@MountainRangeEntertainment]

There are no words to describe how much Me, My Dad, and My brother Loved this game. Nothing but good times and good vibes.....and Hella junk foods to go with it.

[@213AnimeFreak213]

For me I like the interaction with the characters you pick on the team I wish Ultimate Alliance 3 had this feature

[@nobodyknowsforsure]

The cut scenes and story was so brilliant. Loved it.

[@Deimos_Fresh]

MUA3 did made me feel nostalgic toward MUA1 to the point that I replayed it from start to finish. While I still enjoy it a lot, honestly I'm very conflicted about what game in this series I enjoy the most. I didn't played MUA2 except for DS port, which is okay in my book. I've tried Wii version, but didn't go really far. Maybe Xbox 360 is what I should actually try to get. So I only can compare MUA1 and MUA3 for what I like and dislike about them. There is no point to talk about plot, music and graphics and stuff. Those games was made in different times with different philosophies and I equally like both. One personal thing I'd like to mention is how MUA3 treated it's bosses. Let's say Bullseye in both games. Two things that I really don't like about MUA3 is MCU character design and game's plot isn't connected with previous two games. I also not a fan of Ultimate design for most characters in MUA1, but there is a catch. Gameplay is what I'd like to write about from my perspective. So let's start from basics. It's a different games where MUA1 plays more similar to Action RPG, while MUA3 is more similar to linear beat'em up with RPG elements. But we can compare few things, so let's take Cap and Panther as an example for basic combat. In MUA1 both characters do exactly the same basic combos with little deviation in animations. In MUA3 basic combo for Cap goes with 3 hits, while Panther do 7 hits and can mix it with his strong attack. Cap can chain his strong attack, but it's main advantage is range, which Panther lacks. Same goes for aerial attack. There is no grab moves in MUA3, personally I didn't missed them, but it's a con for some. As for character skills I was disappointed at first that MUA3 didn't have same variety as MUA1, but after replaying MUA1 I found myself using the same basic skills. I take Captain America as an example again. His shield throw, shield bash and team buff skills is what I've used the most back in 2006 is basically what we have in MUA3. I can't really find any use for remaining skills other than solo playing whole game as one hero. The advantage of original PC port is that we can play with a keyboard and all skills available via number keys, but good luck using that running skill. With controller it's only 3 skills and extreme attack and as far as I know there is no skill swap buttons, so it's only slow menu screens for us. In MUA3 it's 4 upgradeable skills and extreme attack. Nice and simple. I won't dive deep into customisation options. One thing to say is they both have very frustrating inventory systems. MUA1 allow only one item to be equipped and slot for spare items is very limited, but I like that items have specific names and some random stuff. ISO-8 in MUA3 is an upgradable random stuff, but we can equip more of them. What's definitely better in MUA1 is costumes. Not only I can play as classic Cap, costumes give different perks. Sadly MUA3 missed a lot if good stuff in this regard, but I guess ISO-8 can be considered as a more flexible customisation overall. Collectibles is something Activision was always known for with Marvel games, In general I prefer MUA3 over MUA1. My preference comes from experience of singleplayer, multiplayer with friends and multiplayer with random people. Singleplayer is better in MUA3 as AI is a little more intelligent in this game and we can easily manage skill synergy with AI. Playing with friends is what both games is all about... No, whole series from XML1 up to MUA3 is all about it. It's awesome to play with friends. But with random people MUA3 plays a lot smoother compared to MUA1 all thanks to almost simplistic beat'em up design. There is some details I didn't mention, but in general this is what I currently feel toward this series. I'd really like to see your retrospective for MUA2 and of course for both X-Men Legends games. I did completed XML2, but only tried XML1 this year, but still would like to see what people think about those games.

[@alwaysnerdyretros]

I’ve had the same dilemma of choosing between 1 & 3 for the title of best mua game. I liked your breakdown, and I think most of it mirrored my thoughts too. Ultimately, I’m slightly leaning towards 3 being my favorite too, but it’s a tough call. Both are phenomenal games!

[@TheKawagawaga]

@@alwaysnerdyretros 3 has a couple advantages but 1 is by far the superior title. Better story, good voice acting unlike 3, doesn't cater to the MCU Stans.

[@Asherjoshua098]

Awesome series, man! I'm impressed with research you put into these Retrospective videos. This and Marvel Nemesis were a big part of my childhood.

[@alwaysnerdyretros]

Thank you! I agree, I think mua1 and nemesis were the 2 main games I was hooked to as a kid. Along with Spider-Man 2 🕸