It has been eleven years since the release of Marvel vs Capcom 2 for the Sega Dreamcast. Does this new installment in the VS series hold a coin to its predecessors or should that coin be used for a different game?
In order to conquer both the Marvel and Capcom universes, Doctor Doom joins forces with Albert Wesker and together they have assembled some of the greatest villains of the Marvel and Capcom universes. The villains use Galactus’ ship to unite the worlds but this awakens Galactus who is a threat so powerful that it could potentially destroy both worlds. It’s up to the heroes of Marvel and Capcom to put a stop to this evil before it is too late. Yeah I know, it sounds like bad fan fiction but I guess that a bad story is better than no story.
The gameplay of Marvel vs Capcom 3 is solid, responsive and is everything you’d expect from a Capcom fighting game. The controls are easy to pick up and intuitive. It seems Capcom has simplified the controls to bring in new players. The button set has been reworked. Instead of two kick and punch buttons like the last game, you now have three general attack buttons. Light, medium, heavy as well as a special attack button. The SP button is for starting the air combos. Switching partners has been streamlined as well. Instead of using two buttons to switch a character, now you use the right or left shoulder buttons. Simply tap either of the buttons for a quick attack by one of your partners or hold one of the buttons to switch yourself for another character. In addition to the new button set there is a mode called X factor. X factor is a mode which gives you a temporary boost in speed, power and constantly heals you. This is great if you need to try to turn the tide of the battle or just want to put and end to a battle faster. To activate X factor mode press all the face buttons at once. Also for players that find the new control scheme too complicated, there is a mode called “Simple Play” where by tapping buttons lets you automatically do combos and special moves. Unfortunately there isn’t a classic mode which allows players to go back to the classic button set.
Some players may find the new control scheme off putting and may feel it lacks the depth of the previous games or Capcom’s flagship Street Fighter series. I do feel this is true but it is done all in the interest of getting new players into the title. To be honest, the original games can be somewhat overwhelming to new players. Attack and special moves can now be performed with ease. In some cases it almost seems like a joke. For example Akuma’s “Demon Rage”, which is one of the most powerful moves in the game can be performed so easily that it can be worked in to a combo. The new control scheme evens the playing field but in some ways it takes away the sense of accomplishment of doing a difficult special move or combo.
The roster of characters is a who’s who from the Capcom and Marvel universes. It’s a mixture of tried and true classics and some new comers to the series. My only issue with the roster is that there is not a wider variety of characters from other Capcom or Marvel series. That said, the new comers are welcome additions to the series and I can’t wait to see what other characters may come down the pipe line in future dlc .
The music and sound are great. The music invokes a sense of nostalgia for the old games. Gone is the jazz music of MvC2 in favor of the classic character specific music. However the music and sound can be adjusted to whatever your preferences are. Unfortunately none of the classic Marvel voices make their return for this game, probably in favor of making the characters sound like their current incarnations on TV and film. While all voice overs are very well done they suffer from being repetitive. It would have been nice to have some slightly different performances for a little variety when doing moves multiple times in a row.
The graphics are nice and crisp. They have the feel of the previous 2d animated games. Capcom definitely put a lot of love into this one in the graphics department. They painstakingly recreated the animations of the classic characters and did a great job on the new characters. Take Deadpool for a spin and you’ll see what I mean.
You can’t talk about a game today with out talking a little about replay value. For a fighting game there are quite a bit of things to unlock. It’s no Soul Calibur but there is a generous amount of things to keep you busy. Such as new characters, costumes artwork and movies to unlock. Though I do have to say the selection of artwork is a little disappointing. Most of the more memorable artwork and movies can be found on the internet and it kind of defeats the purpose of having to unlock them. You are not seeing anything you haven’t seen somewhere else. Even the reward for beating the game with each character doesn’t really hold much. The online mode is well done. It’s simple to use but lacks the depth of Super Street Fighter IV. Speaking of SSFIV, there is also a mission mode similar to the trials mode if you want to brush up on the more advanced techniques and combos of the game.
All in all Marvel vs Capcom 3 is yet another great entry in the MvC series. It follows the MvC formula however it is more accessible to newcomers. Of course it has its flaws but these are small gripes compared to the big picture. Personally, I think that there is something for everyone and if you haven’t played any of the Marvel vs Capcom games this one is a great start.
Liked:
- Classy character animation
- Nostalgia
Disliked:
- The inability to change the controls to classic Marvel vs Capcom controls
- Long load times.
Marvel vs Capcom 3 was developed and published by Capcom. It was released on the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 and is available now for $59.99. The copy played for this review was a new retail copy.
Cool Stuff Universe 1.0 