Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: 10 MAJOR Issues Team Ninja Must Fix
That godawful camera is a start.
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 is one of the biggest releases of the year so far, and for longstanding (and patient) fans of the series, it does a great job of scratching a decade-long itch.
Unfortunately, however, the game is not without a litany of flaws, ranging from minor irritations to game-breaking bugs - some of which will make you want to Hulk Smash your Switch into tiny pieces.
Whether down to technical underperformance or questionable design, these problems are a whacking great tear in MUA3's spandex, and threaten to derail players' joy at finally getting a new entry in the franchise.
Still, this is the age of continual video game patching stretching out months and years after release. An imperfect game can be improved - we have the technology - and with a little elbow grease, MUA3 could become a truly excellent title.
While it may be too much to hope that developers Team Ninja will overhaul some fundamental problems with the game's design, such as the linear levels and arbitrary "Will-this-do?" puzzle sections, they absolutely should prioritise numerous key issues, starting with these.
10. Weird Gaps In The Roster
On the face of it MUA3's cast is impressive, pulling together dozens of Marvel's best-known heroes and villains from a variety of franchises, with room remaining for some truly obscure picks (Elsa Bloodstone, anyone?). However, this only makes some notable absences from the roster all the more glaring.
Wasp makes the cut, but not the better-known Ant-Man. Luke Cage, Daredevil, and Iron First can all come out to play, but fellow Defender Jessica Jones is relegated to an NPC role.
Playing through the story it becomes apparent that Team Ninja's ambition was bigger than the 36 characters who made it into the final game. On several occasions supporting heroes show up, make all the right noises about joining your team, and then... don't.
In fact, dataminers have found evidence that four of the most prominent omissions (Black Bolt, Medusa, Valkyrie, and Vision) were once planned but were unceremoniously cut during development.
Still, Team Ninja have announced plans to add some of the missing characters, whether through free drops (Cyclops, Colossus) or paid DLC (Blade, Punisher, the Fantastic Four). Let's hope they find time to revive even more of the scrapped heroes - preferably without asking players to pay for the privilege.