The Justice League has definitely fallen on hard times. DC Comics' collection of superheroes has not one but two major threats breathing down their necks. The first is the maniacal Brainiac, who's learned of an alien meteorite that's crashed on Earth, one that he is able to communicate with, giving him greater powers than he's ever imagined. The Justice League has it, so like any greedy mega-villain would, he launches an offensive to gain control of it. It's up to Superman, Batman, and the rest of the gang to stop him at all costs, before the universe is embroiled in utter chaos.

Unfortunately, that's the least of their worries. The League faces an even more realistic threat- the pending arrival of Marvel Ultimate Alliance. Activision's forthcoming action/RPG is being released this week for every console imaginable, and that's going to be a major thorn in the side of Justice League Heroes, Warner Bros. Interactive's attempt to bring the DC comic book League to life. It's not that the game isn't a strong contender. The problem is that it misses some opportunities that would've made it a real sweet. As is, it's the equivalent of getting a cat rescued from a tree- satisfying, but hardly a Herculean effort expected of a superhero.

As the game starts, you gain access to seven different members of the Justice League right from the start, including such faces as Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern. Each of these heroes has their own attacks, including special abilities pulled straight from the comic books. You have to balance out the more advanced moves by using regular attacks to build up an energy meter. Fortunately, there are enough of Brainiac's thugs scattered about to do this, coming at you from all sides.

The main problem with this, however, is that the gameplay really doesn't change that much over the course of time. There is the occasional side mission to complete involving the destruction of a certain item (such as a generator), as well as a boss that comes along to relentlessly pound on you, but otherwise, the course of the game remains about the same. Beat up thugs, move along, beat up thugs, move along, rinse, and repeat. Furthermore, some characters are more fun to play than others, packing some overwhelming advantages. Zantanna, for example, has kick-ass healing powers, while Green Lantern has the ability to create glowing cages. Real fair there. There is one noteworthy feature, however. The game contains a power-up system where superpowers can be charged up in a number of ways. It's just too bad the general attacks couldn't be changed over the course of time.

The game is backed by a story written by DC scripter Dwayne McDuffie, and it has a few twists and turns that manage to keep things interesting, especially towards the end with the inevitable showdown with Brainiac. The problem is you have to beat up too many thugs to move it along. It would've been awesome to see Justice League Heroes support online play with friends, but the option's not available. Instead, you have two players that can battle evildoers at once- the option for four is nowhere to be found here. Ultimate Alliance is set to do both with its release on the Xbox 360 later this week. It feels like Warner Bros. Interactive drove off in the bus and ran over comic book fans' feet on the way out of the station.

Continue...