OXCGN’s Marvel vs. Capcom 3:

Fate Of Two Worlds Review

Marvel v’s Capcom 3 gets a lot of things right, most notably, the characters

by : Belgavion

©2011 Gav Ross

With the resurgence in popularity of fighting games as well as the countless Marvel films that continue to hit the silver screen, the time is more than ripe for the first new Marvel vs. Capcom installment in more than a decade.

As anyone familiar with the franchise would already know, MvC3 is a team-based fighter where it’s always 3-on-3.

This means that not only do players need to master multiple fighters, they need to ascertain which trio work best together and, more importantly, in which order to utilise them.

Simply starting a round with your best fighter and moving onto the next once they’ve been defeated isn’t going to get you anywhere.

Careful timing by pressing the LB and RB buttons and swapping over fighters to let one that’s low in health have some recovery time is key to getting far in this game, both online and in Arcade mode.

Two worlds: 32 Fighters

Marvel vs Capcom 3 gets a lot of things right, most notably the characteristics and spirit of each fighter.

Pint-sized bearded battler Sir Arthur from Ghost ‘n Goblins runs along the screen in a similar, slightly slow-mo pace much like he does in his first arcade appearance in 1985, while Dante from the Devil May Cry series has the same quick-fire, acrobatic finesse he’s so well-known for in his series.

Each member of the game’s roster brings something from their own universe that’s completely unique and representative of their own origin.

Likewise, on the Marvel side, Deadpool moves along in a self-assured swagger making wisecracks and breaking out ridiculous specials like whacking his opponent over the head with his own energy bar, while Captain America is his patriotic, stand-up self, playing the good guy who can wipe the smile off any foe’s face with a quick spinning slash of his red-white-and-blue shield.

The Capcom characters give off more of a feeling of authenticity, but that’s probably just because we’ve played them in their respective roles in the gaming space over the years, whereas the Marvel characters have jumped straight from print.

Character choice for MvC3 is definitely an interesting aspect and it’s no wonder fans salivated over the reveals that slowly came out during 2010.

On the Marvel side, many of the expected ‘big guns’ – such as Wolverine, Iron Man and Thor – are present, but there are also a few very obscure characters that most speculators would never have guessed.

M.O.D.O.K is a giant head that used to be a man before he mutated into a living computer. His origin dates back to an issue of Tales Of Suspense in 1967 where he became a headache for Captain America and Iron Man.

Although he’s been a part of the Marvel canon for all the years since, he’s hardly the sort of name known by anyone unless they’re a keen Marvel aficionado. Another supervillain named Dormammu – a magician with a flaming head and hands constantly full of fireballs – is also included.

The developers could have just gone with another fiery-skulled character like Ghost Rider – a name most regular folk have heard of – but it’s a credit to them that they’ve dug out these minor identities form the Marvel Universe.

There are several surprises on the Capcom team as well: Amatertsu – the mystical white canine from experimental delight Okami (2006) – gives the game an ethereal feel, while Darkstalkers fans would be pleased that there’s not one, but three oddballs from the franchise making an appearance (Hsien-Ko, Felicia and Morrigan).

A Matter Of Control

The accessibility of MvC3 is one of the game’s initial strengths and it definitely sets it apart from others in the genre.

Even without going through any tutorials, it is relatively simple to unleash short combos just by pressing the Medium and High attack buttons.

Many of the special moves are the same combination for each character; the standard quarter-diagonal-flick to the right with a stick or d-pad followed by an attack button usually comes up with something impressive.

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That’s not to say that the game’s controls are strictly built for newcomers. Learning additional tricks such as Team Aerial Combos and Advancing Guard – which is activated by precisely timing a block and hitting two attack buttons at the same time – make the game a much deeper combat experience.

There are a massive variety of combos to be practiced mastered for each character and many of them can be learned in Mission Mode: an area made up of 10 different tasks for each character that get progressively harder.

For example, when doing the first mission for the modern Marvel Wolverine-like femme fatale X-23, you might only be asked to perform one easy special move to pass.

Move up to missions 6-10 and you’ll be asked to pull off combos of up to 20 moves, including the use of team-mates and your Hyper meter (which builds up at the bottom of the screen during a fight and, when summoned, brings forth a devastating super move with unique animations).

It’s fair to say that the average gamer will have difficulty with the higher end of Mission Mode unless they practice for hours on end, but the hardcore are sure to appreciate it.

Devourer Of Worlds

The Arcade Mode boss is the non-playable, planet-devouring purple and blue behemoth known as Galactus. In typical Capcom fashion, he has an arsenal of cheap, overly powerful moves that can wipe one of your team out in one go.

Still, he’s an impressive sight to behold (and fight), even if his brain has become a little muddled from eating too many gaseous planets (for some reason he says “I will crush you like the bug that you are” each time he succumbs to defeat…makes sense).

It is somewhat strange that Galactus has been included as a set-piece but his herald, the ever-popular Silver Surfer, is nowhere to be seen. Then again, that’s what DLC is for.

Fate Of Online

As with any current-gen fighting game, the stability and robustness of its online can make or break things. Thankfully MvC3 is as reliable as Super Street Fighter 4, even if its established player base isn’t quite as high.

Match listings include a player’s experience, skill level, connection strength and, funnily enough, their tendency to ‘rage-quit’ if applicable – a long overdue addition to any fighting title.

It may not end up having the legs of a game such as Street Fighter 4, but Marvel vs Capcom 3 is an incredibly approachable and enjoyable experience, whether you play in short stints or for hours at a time.

With it’s nifty comic book presentation, bright and colourful characters and stages, rewarding control depth and constantly busy online lobbies, it could easily go down as the fighting game of 2011.

OXCGN’s Golden Award

“ 9.0/10

Filed under: 3rd Party Games, Console gaming, Game Impressions, Xbox 360, Xbox 360 3rd Party Games, Xbox 360 Game Reviews, Xbox 360 News Tagged: | Bionic Commando, Capcom, Captain America, Darkstalkers, Deadpool, Devil May Cry, Dormammu, Fighting game, Final Fight, Galactus, Ghost Rider, Ghosts 'n Goblins, Iron Man, Marvel, Marvel Comics, Marvel Universe, Marvel Vs Capcom, Marvel vs. Capcom (series), Marvel-vs-Capcom-3-Fate-of-Two-Worlds, Mega Man, Okami, Resident Evil, Street Fighter 4, Viewtiful Joe