Hold it right there. Yes, we know what you were thinking – it’s a Marvel game, hence it’s almost certainly going to be another half-baked cash cow pumped out by some faceless corporation in a cynical attempt to cash in on a popular comic franchise, hence there’s no need to waste your time reading this review – and while we’d ordinarily agree with you, in this instance you’d be wrong; Marvel Ultimate Alliance is quite possibly the best Marvel themed game we’ve played on the PS2 to date.

Through a combination of established gameplay routines and meticulous attention to detail, Raven has crafted a title that while not wining any awards for innovation, is a wonderfully deep and superbly balanced game. The actual gameplay itself is standard hack-and-slash fare; controlling your team of four superheroes, you roam through a series of (admittedly rather linear) dungeons, knocking the proverbial seven shades (in time-honoured button mashing fashion) out of anything that’s foolish enough to get in your way, with some rudimentary tactical controls thrown in for good measure. It’s hardly novel, admittedly, but its established style gives the game a solid enough vehicle to deliver the story.

It’s here that the game impresses the most. Imagine pretty much every major Marvel comic character of the last 50 years condensed into one game universe and you’re not far off what Raven has delivered; the representation of the characters in the game is neigh-on faultless, covering not only the personalities and moves of the protagonists – both good and bad – but also including such things as rivalries, background stories, locations and even clichéd one-liners.

But while this meticulous attention to detail is most certainly impressive (certainly compared to the usual array of pap Marvel games tend to be), equally of note is how all of this has been integrated into the excellent story. While there’s no doubting the actual act of playing the game is rather linear, the story’s ability to twist and turn at a moment’s notice is more than enough to keep you plugging away.

Functional where it needs to be, yet thanks to a superb story and some wonderfully executed characters, offering a deep and engrossing gaming experience, anyone with a penchant for Marvel’s dazzling array of superheroes should seek out a copy of Marvel Ultimate Alliance post-haste.