In 2004, Activision and the crew at Raven released one of the best games based on any comic book property. It bought the X-Men mythos into the realm of roleplaying, and it won over comic book fanboys everywhere. A year later, Activision granted us a sequel that not only added more of what the original awesome, but it addressed the complaints that players had about the first one, mainly the uselessness of some characters, and parts of the game where players were forced to fight solo. With over a dozen characters, (some of which are hidden) unlockable costumes, online multiplayer, and just about every facet of the X-universe a gamer can think of, this is a Marvel fan’s dream come true…at least until Marvel Ultimate Alliance arrives this fall.

The days of Pilotwings 64 and Wave Race: Blue Storm are a distant memory.

Nintendo appears to be getting huge support from 3rd parties, with Ubisoft promising 7 launch titles, including the previously announced Red Steel and Rayman. PC/Xbox island survivor shooter Far Cry will likely get the Wii off to a good start with a solid online multiplayer. Monster 4×4 World Circuit and GT Pro Series will add racing action, and Ubisoft is also planning an adaptation of the forthcoming animated movie Open Season. Finally, theres Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII, which is about squadrons of WWII or something. Prince of Persia has been mentioned but not yet confirmed.

Thats not all! Midway is in on the act too. The Chicago based publisher will bring Rampage: Total Destruction, Blitz: The League, and Mortal Kombat: Armageddon! While all 3 of these are current gen titles, they have no presence on the PS3 or 360. Rampage is an update on a classic arcade game. Blitz is a football title stripped of the NFL license but beefed up with arcade play and a more true to life atmosphere. MK: Armageddon is the final installment in the legendary fighting franchise, featuring every character in the series thus far (see right).

EA’s been eerily silent on the Wii but plan on Madden NFL, Tiger Woods PGA Tour, SSX, Need for Speed, Harry Potter, and The Godfather to make it out sometime. Madden NFL and Need For Speed are the only titles from their camp likely to make it out in the launch window, but the rest won’t be far behind.

Sega’s Sonic Wildfire has slippsed to the beginning of 2007, but Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz is planned for launch.

Finally, Activision is going to port Marvel Ultimate Alliance to Wii as well, giving the Wii an awesome action RPG and comic books fan’s dream all in one.

Thats over a dozen third party games to hit on or near launch for the Wii! And don’t forget they’ve still got Zelda: Twilight Princess, Metroid Prime 3, Mario Galaxy, and Super Smash Brothers Brawl.

Also, if you love reading tech specs, look at a breakdown of the Wii, and if you like rumors, check out the The Ultimate Wii Rumour Compilation . All that stuff is secondary to what we’re really excited about: a ton of good games.

I’ll try to compile some info on the PS3 launch too when I get more info. But honestly, just look at whats happening here. Nintendo in less than a year’s time has gone from the 3rd place purple box to the developer darling. Got to admit, its getting better. Getting better, all the time….

Discuss this in our forums

Activision just sent out an email:

“Kurt Wagner, a.k.a. the whip-tailed blue mutant Nightcrawler, will be appearing as an NPC alongside more than 140 Super Heroes in the upcoming next-gen super-game, Marvel™: Ultimate Alliance, and Super Hero Newsletter subbers are the first to know!”

Wow, a whole email dedicated to announcing a non-playabled character. Way to keep me informed, Activision. Wasn’t Nightcrawler playable in X-Men Legends?

In other news, Marvel Ultimate Alliace is a video game that will be distributed on a digital versatile disc that can be interfaced with by way of an electronic gaming console or personal computer.

Here’s a wallpaper.

We previously reported on a contest being held by Activision for the upcoming Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. Basically the contest gave anyone the chance to the voice of a hero in the game. For the guys, Bruce Banner, the Hulk’s alter ego. For the ladies, Jean Grey, the telepathic mainstay of the X-Men. Casting has closed for the voice of Bruce Banner, but tryouts for Jean Grey remain open. Meanwhile, a new character is now open for tryouts for the men, Namor the Sub-mariner.

Grand Prize winners will win a trip to Los Angeles to record their dialogue and meet the producers of the game, and receive an X-Box 360, a copy of Marvel: Ultimate Alliance the game, a pack of Marvel: Ultimate Alliance playing cards, and a poster signed by Stan “The Man” Lee!

Submit your auditions soon because entries end July 23, 2006. For the official contest page with full entry details and rules, along with information on Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, head to: www.MarvelUltimateAlliance.com.

WorthPlaying has a well of 35 new screen to the sequel to X-Men Legends 2.
Marvel Ultimate Alliace will pit 140 heroes from the Marvel Comics universe against Dr. Doom, Galactus and more. If that last sentence doesn’t make you want to at least play the game, just skip to the next article.
Multiplayer modes from X-Men Legends 2 return, and the customization levels go off the chart with the ability to re-create classic teams from Marvel’s past to make all new ones with your favorite characters.
The Official Site only has 14 characters revealed so far, but odds are you’ll be able to play as anyone you want. 140 is a lot of characters. You can also take a peek at the impressive trailer.