Marvel Vs Capcom 3 UK Review

Posted By Yousif A. about 1 year, 2 months ago

Marvel Vs Capcom 3 UK Review

For fighting game fans, comic book junkies, and what seems like pop culture fans the world over, Marvel vs Capcom 3 has been a long time comin’ (he says, using the apostrophe for a combo-breaker cliche!). And in that long time there have been more than a few changes, not only to the people waiting for a sequel (I’m an uncle now!), but to the companies they’ve been waiting for. Marvel has been bought out by Disney and switched direction more than a little since last time they teamed up with Capcom (for starters, Brian Bendis writes everything now!?). Meanwhile, the Japanese developer has expanded their roster of stars quite considerably, adding many more relatively new faces to the supposed ‘classics’ department. And more importantly, they’ve made the bold decision to approach their new over-the-top brawler with a different control scheme in mind. To that end, both media giants have brought a rather odd list of personalities to a rather different entry in the arcade-fighter universe. After spending a considerable amount of time with this band of heroes and misfits, I’m here to tell you if MvC3 deserves a lot of your time, or if it’s likely to cause a Civil War (warning:  jokes will contain Marvel and Capcom references).

Marvel and Capcom’s worlds have been thrust together by their most evil residents, Dr Doom and Albert Wesker. This diabolical scheme to conquer both worlds has lead to pissing off something far larger than themselves. Larger AND wearing pink – the most evil of colors! Somehow it is up to the heroes and villains of these two worlds to stop the world devourer and save humanity/whatever lives in their world from destruction. Does the game need any more to its plot than this? Does someone need to explain how Ryu and Amaratsu are actually from one world? Not really, and thankfully the game doesn’t. Apart from some unlockable character bios and endings, there is very little to distract from the main spectacle of beating the living crap out of famous icons.

I wish my kicks had the same special effects

With a smaller list of characters than the previous title, MvC3 hosts a respectable 36 characters, 18 from each side. While all of the cast are faces most should recognize, there are many obvious omissions from the selection page. I can understand that characters like Cable and Venom have had their heyday and in fact have gone through several reboots since the last installment in this series, but some of the bigger names have also left the building. Mega Man, Cyclops and Ken Masters are left out of the action despite their popularity within their respective markets. Hell, Cyclops has even stopped being a boring character over the last few years and still this wasn’t enough to keep him in.

With a shortened list and many of the big names taken out, it’s even more surprising to see some lesser known characters take the stage. Zero and Tron Bonne both make it in (even though the main character from their series is MIA), the widely unknown Task Master makes an appearance as an unlockable character and even Hsien-ko from the immortal Dark Stalkers series even made it into the final line-up. Many players will spend the next few months complaining about the current roster, but once you get past the disappointment/surprise you discover that what is here is pretty interesting varied choice of fighters. With the expectation of Akuma and Ryu, it’s heartwarming to see a Capcom fighter devoid of clones (which I am sure Spider-Man is glad for).

Ironically it will be players coming from Tatsunoko vs. Capcom that will feel at home with MvC3′s control scheme and not the vast legions of Street Fighter 4 competitors. Foregoing the classic 2 punches and 2 kicks, MvC3 instead gives players 3 different strengths of attack and a launchers/team combo button. This means that players can use any of the face buttons for their special moves, but interestingly each strength will result in often completely different results. Rather than simplifying things, this actually results in making move lists far more complicated in depth, while at the same time making the game more open to newcomers.

Overkill is not something Iron Man knows

It should also be mentioned that there is an option to use simplified controls, which allow lesser skilled players to compete with those with more experience. These simple controls allow for some of the much harder combinations to be activated with a single button combination, but at the same time do not allow for the more complex combos. Players should be aware that this is not a substitute for the main controls, but an option for those who are less experienced or knowingly poor at fighting games. If you start on this control scheme it will be much harder for you to transfer anything you have learned into the main game.

Anyone suddenly panicking like some sort of Dark Reign has befallen the series, worry not. From team assists to team hyper combos return in their entirety, even if the tag system is a bit clumsier. Players now have to hold the assist button relevant to the character they wish to swap with to leave the arena which feels a bit slower than the previous game, but everyone suffers from the same problem so it’s not a huge hang-up. However, there are now other ways to tag in your characters. During an air combo, using the launcher button (A or X, depending on your console) and a direction will send your opponent flying into your next partner in an instant swap. However, be aware that if your opponent sees this move coming, it can be countered. Overall the gameplay feels incredibly similar, despite its differences from the previous games. Instead of coming across as an overhaul, the changes feel more like tweaks. A personal high five to the new advancing guard maneuver that feels a little like a parry system in a previous Capcom fighter.

Mer-merka-merage, or Berserker Barrage to you and me

Instead of going for the obvious choice of using the SF4 engine to produce this game, the developers decided to build this one from the ground up using the MT Framework which Lost Planet 2 and Resident Evil 5 were created on. While I have very few kind words towards these two games, I cannot deny that they both were visually stunning. Both of these games, however, are completely out-classed by the graphical joy that MvC3 displays every second. Using 3D models was a bold step when trying to mix two very different worlds together, but somehow Capcom has created something beautiful. Every character and level oozes personality and style, capturing both companies’ franchises perfectly. A couple more levels would have been nice, especially from Capcom. Marvel’s levels feel very vibrant and memorable, while the Capcom levels feel rather plain. It wouldn’t be too much to ask for a SF level with characters in the background, but unfortunately I imagine that Capcom are reserving their cast for possible DLC.

Marvel vs Capcom 3 Review – Zeitgeist Game Review, 4.2 out of 5 based on 16 ratings

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