In fact, it’s practically easier to use Synergy in single player than it is in multiplayer. Synergy functions much like Fusion or X-Treme attacks of the past games, but they’re much much easier to use. Past that, Synergy attacks are one of the big new features of Ultimate Alliance 3, letting two heroes combine their abilities to unleash devastating effects. With over 30 characters there are so many combinations you can make, with each character feeling unique. You can combine Magneto with a super offensive hero like Wolverine to set up some crazy combos, then back them up with a powerful ranged character like Hawkeye or Scarlet Witch. This lets you have a lot more flexibility when building a party, instead of just playing as your favorite hero. This lets you adjust to battles on the fly, expend all of a characters EP, then swap to the next and do it again. Part of what makes single player so fun is the ability to swap between all four characters on the fly, not being restricted to one character like you would be if you played with three others. They’ll generally target weaker enemies first to take them down faster, but they constantly try to dodge attacks, avoid area-of-effect attacks from bosses, and will even revive characters that are downed, instead of forcing you to do it. Your AI teammates constantly follow you around except for in combat, where they’ll act on their own. However, after playing Ultimate Alliance 3 for over 2o hours I consistently found myself surprised by just how good your teammate AI is. Playing with others certainly gives you more flexibility in terms of combat, and a human player will always be smarter and more adaptive than AI. While the same could be said about Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3, this time around it’s practically just as much fun in single player as it is in multiplayer, thanks to some smart AI and design choices.
There’s was still fun to be had in single player, but clearly, the experience was even better with friends. Back in 2006 when the first Marvel Ultimate Alliance released it was the perfect idea for a co-op game, a brawler that lets you and your friends team up as your favorite superheroes.