Released as the first Marvel film universe story comes to close, Ultimate Alliance 3 retools that same story. Infinity Stones go missing, mega-big bad Thanos wants them, superheroes must stop him.

The videogame edition tells this with no real style. It’s crowded. Most of the action is noise, with four Marvel characters slicing or punching goons in swarms, lacking anything in the way of finesse or form. Ultimate Alliance 3 is a mass of stuff happening all at once, separated by hallways of nothingness. When Hulk struggles to beat up prisoners, it’s difficult to feel super.

Fighting punctuates with minimal narrative, primarily included to bundle characters for the sake of fan service. Those engaging themes of the films – from pro-military, anti-surveillance, or government overreach – fall to the weight of this roster. It’s a nothing tale of good-versus-evil, pulpy in the way of lesser comics, but ill-fitting to the brand’s current success.

1/5