Ah, I remember the days of spending hours playing the first two Marvel Ultimate Alliance games. Where else could you assemble and play as your own mixed-up superteam featuring the likes of Iceman, Venom, Ghost Rider, and Thor?

While there’ve been a number of games released since then where you can do that sort of thing, none have quite captured the same magic for me — that is, until a few days ago when Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order was released for the Nintendo Switch. This latest entry in the acclaimed action-RPG series is very clearly inspired by recent films from the MCU franchise, as you’ll see in the launch trailer:

Like the two previous titles, MAU:3 lets your form your own unique squad of Marvel heroes and villains, including characters from:

• The Avengers
• The Guardians of the Galaxy
• The X-Men
• Ms. Marvel and Captain Marvel
• Spider-Man (both Peter Parker and Miles Morales), along with Spider-Gwen
• The Defenders/Marvel Knights (Daredevil, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist, with an appearance by Jessica Jones)

…the list goes on. And, even more characters will be obtainable through paid DLC later on, like the Fantastic Four, additional X-Men, etc.

Now, if you’re sick of the whole “Thanos and the Infinity Stones” plot line at this point, I’m sorry to say that that’s the main focus of this game’s story, albeit with a more kid-friendly tone. But if you can put that aside, you’ll have a blast combining your team’s powers to clobber lots of baddies in spectacular ways, and solve a few basic puzzles along the way.

MAU:3 can be played offline (via local wireless) or online with up to 4 players, either on a single screen or using multiple Switches. You can get the game for $60 on Amazon, and if you want the bonus content coming later this year, add on the Expansion Pass for another $20, which will get you all three upcoming DLC packs as they’re released.

Posted By Chris Gonzales