Nerd Mentality

XBOX 360 REVIEW - Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds

Posted February 21st 2011 by Frankie Aguilar.

Fans of fighting games are about as nostalgic as gamers come, and not without warrant. Great fighting games tend to have long lifespans; just look at your friends that still play Super Smash Brothers Melee.  In 2000, Marvel vs. Capcom 2 came out in arcades and became a fighting game watermark for the next decade. MVC2 has kept its fans happy by not only having one of the best rosters of all time, but by implementing a tight fighting system that has held up tremendously over time. If MVC2  wasn't so good, do you think people could honestly try and charge upwards of $400 for still wrapped copies of it on Amazon? With Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Capcom has recaptured everything that made MVC2 great, and added all the polish you'd expect from this generation of consoles. Sadly, MVC3 overall isn't as deep as it could've been considering Capcom's recent success with Tatsunoko vs. Capcom and Street Fighter IV, but don't worry kids, this game is fantastic.

The MVC2 formula is back in full force, keeping the three-on-three tag team battle system and matching heroes and villains from both Marvel and Capcom's incredible universes. All the frantic fast-paced fisticuffs are present and fluid as ever, and seeing your favorite characters return in HD glory is like a dream come true. The gigantic 56 character roster of MVC2 has been trimmed down to a minimal 36. While this deflated number doesn't take away from the all important synergistic gameplay, it does takes away from the fan service factor that draws a lot of players to the franchise.

MVC3's controls are as tight as every and really benefit from Capcom's current generation work with their vs. and Street Fighter series. However, the remapped button system  will be alien to anyone who hasn't played Tastunoko vs. Capcom. Forgoing the two-kick/two-punch button system applied by MVC2 for light, medium and heavy attack buttons, MVC3 will have series vets retooling their play style. But the system is intuitive and quick to learn, and vets and newcomers alike will easily find characters that fit their style. And for those players that want to do all the cool moves but don't care to actually learn them, the "Simple Mode" allows for that while limiting your characters overall move set. Simple Mode maps each characters signature combos and Hyper moves to single buttons presses which is a great way for new players to get a feel for the game and for series vets to scope out new characters.

A few new ways to kick ass in MVC3 are midair assist combos, advanced blocking, and the X-Factor ability, all three of which are tricky to perfect and irritating to play against. The midair assist combos, which your button mashing friends are very likely to accidentally pull off, takes the regular assist game to the next level and adds even more strategy when picking your team. Advanced blocking is a great way to negate the unstoppable flurries of said button mashing friends, and key when playing through Arcade mode on any setting harder than normal. These blocks can negate all combos when pulled off correctly and can quickly put you on the counterattack. The most important tactical addition however is undoubtedly the X-Factor ability which is a team-encompassing buff that affects all your characters in different way. Timing this ability correctly can do everything from regenerate your health and increase your attack speed to stopping a three-man Hyper Combo dead in its tracks. All these new tactics are really difficult to perfect, but when you finally do it opens up a whole other level of play style that really deepens this game and will have you hooked.

Of course, when you're talking Marvel vs. Capcom, the most important thing is the characters and while the overall roster may be smaller than its predecessor, the cast is still fantastic. With faces both new and old from the Marvel and Capcom libraries, you're guaranteed to find a few of your old standbys and gain some new favorites. Two of my favorite rookies are Amaterasu of Okami fame and Marvel's Merc with a Mouth, Deadpool. When I heard that Amaterasu had been announced for MVC3 I thought it was more for fan service than anything, but this she-wolf kicks ass and makes destruction beautiful. And Deadpool, with his asides, moonwalking blocking move, and consistent taunting is about as fun a character to play as in any fighting game. Overall, this roster really ingratiates itself to the player and makes you want to try and play as every character.

There aren't a whole lot of game modes or extra content in MVC3, which is sad considering that Tatsunoko vs. Capcom and SFIV had plenty. The only game modes of merit, outside the fantastic multiplayer options, are the obligatory Training mode and the Mission mode that forces you to attempt complex combos with each character. And with only four unlockable characters there's really not that much to work for outside of character models and art to look at in the extremely boring Gallery mode. Really, only people that have an unhealthy need to complete every game they own 100% will enjoy the replayability of arcade mode where they can unlock unique endings for each individual character. Good luck with not losing your mind beating Galactus, the arcade mode's final boss, 36 times. And you thought Seth from SFIV was annoying.

What can make or break any fighting game is the Versus modes, and both the normal and online gameplay shines here. Fighting your buddies in these three-on-three slug fests is both satisfying and addictive. Once you think you have the perfect unbeatable team, you get your ass whipped by your friend's little brother who had his entire team picked randomly. MVC3 is the ultimate "one more game" game and the online mulitplayer functionality only adds to that. With the ability to play ranked and unranked matches, as well as allowing impromptu challenges from online players while you play Arcade mode makes the multiplayer aspect cohesive and deep.

Graphically MVC3 is stunning and at no point in time did I see any noticeable lag amidst the seizure-inducing full screen hyper attacks or fast-paced teammate switching. The 3D model against the 3D/2D background keeps pace with the style set by SFIV and retains the nostalgic arcade feel that make these games so fun. Having the camera pan in and out and all around for corresponding special attacks and combos always fits and mimics depth in a way that makes the stages seem a lot bigger than they are. Loving the sprite style look of MVC2 as much as I do, I really enjoy the fresh modern look of the 3D models in MVC3. Using the same engine as both Resident Evil 5 and Lost Planet 2 gives MVC3 all the power it could ever need and the results are very visible.

Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is the game Marvel vs. Capcom 2 fans have been patiently waiting for and absolutely deserved, and with the inevitable onslaught of new characters and costumes to be downloaded MVC3 looks poised to be around for quite some time. It just seems like there was so much more that could've been put in this game; A time trial or survival mode would've broken up the monotony of solo play quite nicely. Lack of modes however can't detract from what is an overall great fighting game and a welcome addition to the Marvel vs. Capcom franchise. MVC3 expertly walks the line between fan servuce nostalgia and contemporary expectations and you can look forward to your Smash Brothers friends having a copy of it on hand for years to come.

Tags: Capcom, review, Marvel vs. Capcom 3

Posted in: Reviews

Comments (1) | Permalink | Digg | Reddit