Marvel Vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds

Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is the visually flashy, fun, and fast paced fighting game that fans have come to love from the series. It features the return of many fan favorites while inserting many obscure characters from both universes that long time fans of both franchises will love. Don’t fret too much over characters that didn’t make the cut from the past games as there are similar characters in the roster. For all of its pluses this game does lack in the diversity of its game modes, and the importance of this fact will depend on your desire to play a new MvC game or to play a varied in depth fighting game.

 The basics are still the same in this new version. There are still 3-on-3 battles and the over-sized hyper combos that this franchise is so known for. For those like me wanting to see giant sized attacks from your favorite character in HD you will not be disappointed. You will still tag in partners or summon them to use as a brief attack. The special meter that is built up in order to use special moves is still present and accounted for as well.

 The battle mechanics feel a little different (at least for me) since they are now on the console control and not an arcade machine. The four main attack buttons are remapped from the two kicks and punch buttons to a light, medium, heavy, and special attack. There is also a common move used that will pop opponents into the air and can then lead into a string of combos. The partners are now called into the game by pressing the assist buttons instead of pressing the kick and punch buttons. This will cause veterans to relearn a few old button combos, but it really does help with the accessibility of this game to newcomers.

 The roster was the biggest change in the franchise. The predecessor had 56 playable characters, but this version only sports 36 and four of those are locked at the start of the game. The characters also play a little different than in previous titles. Characters that you may have never heard of prove to be pretty good in battles once you give them a chance (and I advise you to try them all out because some will surely surprise you). There are no two characters that play exactly the same which is really nice in making the matches vary in play style. Characters that you would think would dominate the field in power prove to be well balanced with the other characters in the game.

 Even with a smaller cast these characters are fun and entertaining to play with. You will find yourself changing your teams wondering how a set of characters powers will mix with each other in battle. The differences in characters powers shows that Capcom put the time in to make these players as diverse and compatible as possible, and it really makes me feel that they have revived a franchise that was close to extinction. Although, it is rather disappointing at the sheer amount of lost characters from previous entries it seems they spent a lot of time in crafting a fun roster by increasing the quality of the characters. Some of the fan favorites missing from this game are Venom and Mega Man just to name two that I wanted to see, but the new additions made in the roster do bring a new air to this franchise that I feel is really needed. I would be lying if I didn’t want more characters, but the quality of those in the game is top notch.

 Another change this title makes is that now you can swap out characters while doing a mid-air combo and you can now adjust the control scheme. There is also an X-Factor mechanic introduced which can give a boost to speed and strength. It’s a very simple concept but it can be used strategically by the fact that it cancels any attack, including those annoying hyper combos. Once this is mastered it’s another useful new tool in this fighter.

 Marvel vs. Capcom has been labeled as a button masher, but for any casual player that has played a skilled veteran player you know this is not true. Veterans are capable of destroying those that just want to play for fun with ease, and Capcom took lengths to make this less possible by adding a Simple Mode. The Simple Mode will re-map your three primary attack buttons where they now produce your special moves and abilities. This will make one button for use instead of three different buttons for punches and kicks. It now means that you don’t have to memorize button combinations to perform your favorite attacks and allows the casual player to have more fun playing an experienced player. It will make it easier for them but it does not provide much of an edge for those that are truly experienced in this game.

 The old fans of this game will be pleased by the familiarity of this game. Most of the roster is available at the start of this game which is a huge plus. There is also an extensive training mode to help players master their favorite characters. There is a “License” screen that will collect your statistics and allowing you to create three preset teams available for you to use quickly. Online functions are also available that allows you to play ranked and unranked matches. You can also create personal lobbies for you to battle your friends or random players. There is also the option to allow random online matches while you are still playing Arcade Mode.

 The biggest drawback to this game is that it lacks the additions many fighting games have added to extend the playability of this game. Outside of the core battle mode there is only a Mission Mode to really pass time with, and it helps to master your character by having you complete specific special moves and combos.  Thus, once you’ve beaten the Arcade Mode and unlocked all the characters, this game will lose a lot of its appeal. The online matches will be the only thing bringing anyone back except for the most hardcore of the fans.

 Marvel vs. Capcom 3 does not disappointment much except for the lack of characters and game modes. Otherwise it’s a fun and visually pleasing experience that is easily accessible by all types of game fans. It will please any fan of the series for many hours and newcomers to the series will find it to be a fun fighter at least for a while. I like the quality of this game I just find myself wanting more quantity with it.

Written by: Paul Miller

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