The old co-op action role-playing series makes an unexpected return as a Switch exclusive – but how super is it really

Large cast of characters with a fun visual style and script; Four player co-op is good mindless fun and there's plenty of content

Extremely shallow and repetitive combat, with very limited role-playing elements; Character powers are never as unique as they first seem

A lot can happen in a decade. The last time we received an entry in the Marvel Ultimate Alliance catalogue, DC was the hot property with 'The Dark Knight' taking superhero films to the next level.

When I began Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order, I wasn't sure what to expect. As a newcomer to the Ultimate Alliance series, I booted up the game knowing only that I loved the properties represented–unsure as to whether the gameplay would actually grab me.

Excellent art direction; Quippy; fun writing; High-octane storyline; Empowering gameplay mechanics

Convoluted RPG mechanics; Shoddy camera; Hit-or-miss AI

I've always known about the Ultimate Alliance games but despite multiple attempts to get into the series I never quite gelled with them. Marvel has never been my thing, but as games, they always seemed a bit too simplistic and I could never find the right group of friends to jump in.

Diverse Roster; Nice Art; Great Co-Op

Simplistic Combat; Online Limitations

If a film or book introduced a new hero every five minutes it would be a chaotic, poorly paced, incoherent mess. And yet somehow this hyperactive drip-feed of familiar masked faces ends up being the most exciting element of Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order.

Can Team Ninja deliver a super hero of epic proportions or should this series have been left on the back-burner

+ Excellent character roster; + Some great looking animations and effects; + Lots of variety between levels; + Cutscenes look excellent; + Voice acting is mostly on-point

- Bizarre difficulty spikes, - Questionable leveling system, - Massive fights can be hard to make out in handheld mode with all of the effects going off; - Combat is far too simple

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order might have some issues but it is a great arcade beat em' up make be...

No matter how many times Thanos threatens the Marvel Universe, Earth's mightiest heroes - along with their intergalactic friends - are always there to stop him. It's a theme that's run throughout numerous stories in Marvel's comics, movies and other media, and with Ultimate Alliance 3, it gets a...

In yet another take on the Infinity Stone saga, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order is a fun and irreverent comic book story that pulls from an exceptionally wide pool of Marvel material.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 is mindless video game fun that never asks you to take it seriously. It also feels outdated for a full-price game, while the skin-deep, repetitive nature of the gameplay will likely cause some players to bounce off it before they reach the credits. But if you’ve got a Nintendo Switch, some friends and you love Marvel, there are far less entertaining ways to spend an evening.

Easy-to-learn combat; Loads of Marvel fans service; Various co-op options;

Camera struggles to keep up at times; Very repetitive; Forgettable story;