REVIEW: Game sequel brings interesting characters, but lacks variety
It has been 10 years since “Marvel Vs. Capcom 2” blessed consoles and arcades alike with its incredibly deep, addictive gameplay and gigantic character roster. During that time, millions of gamers spent hours mastering combos and devastating friends with their favorite characters, all the while waiting for the sequel. “Marvel Vs. Capcom 3” is here and it was worth the wait.
The first thing that you will notice when you put in “Marvel Vs. Capcom 3” is the visual style. Characters look like they came straight out of a comic book and the entire game adopts that feel. Colors are bright and deep and everything is very well drawn and animated, making the entire experience a visual comic book dream. Stages look so good it’s hard not to let your eyes drift away from the action to look at the stunning backdrops, and characters visually move so smoothly you forget you’re controlling them. The game also has some awesome effects that take advantage of the game’s style. Never did I experience any graphical hiccups while playing the game. Sound is also handled well enough. All the characters have their own sayings and stage music is upbeat always fitting the unique style of each stage. “MvC3” is one of the best looking fighting games on the market and has the most style.
That style carries right into the gameplay. The Marvel Vs. Capcom series is known for the depth and excitement of its three-on-three all star battles and “MvC3” carries on that tradition proudly. Gameplay is fast and frantic, requiring precision timing and quick reflexes. It will take hours to master the many combos and specials each character brings to the table. Many gamers will spend hours in training, learning new combos and specials with different character sets. Some of the combos and specials can get absolutely insane. It’s extremely satisfying to pull off that super-combo you have been practicing and watch your opponent’s health drop.
The geniuses at Capcom also understand that not everyone wants to spend hours practicing to be awesome, which is why there is the new simple control scheme option. This setting will map multiple button presses to one button, making specials and combos much easier to execute, allowing for more competitive matches between vets and newbies. For example a move that requires three directions followed by two attacks would be done by hitting one direction and one attack. They do, however, limit the most powerful moves for normal mode which means experienced players will still have the upper hand.
The best thing about and a Marvel Vs. Capcom game though is the characters and “MvC3” is no exception. Featuring an all-star cast that consists of recognizable faces, like Ryu and Spiderman, as well as some fan favorites like X-23 and Viewtiful Joe, both universes are well represented. They are also incredibly well-balanced. I never felt a particular character was too strong or too weak. All 36 fighters have their own style and fill different roles. It allows gamers to constantly be able to compete with their favorite characters, as well as ensuring a variety in the characters people use. There are a lot of recognizable faces missing from the second game, which featured 20 more characters. The roster will expand, however, through DLC with at least two more fighters on the way and who knows how many more in the future.
Unfortunately as much variety as the game has in gameplay, it lacks it pretty much every where else. The game really only has five modes consisting of arcade, online versus, offline versus, mission mode and training mode. The arcade fails to stand out because of the complete lack of any kind of story, making it more like something to do to try out your moves in real fights. Online is handled really well with eight player lobbies and quick and ranked matches that will keep hardcore fans playing and make sure you always have someone to fight. There is just nothing really to do outside of that. Mission mode is there to teach you some cool combos and training is … well, training. This is disappointing considering it has become a standard these days for fighting games to offer a lot of variety so you’re not forced to play online if your playing alone.
Lack of variety aside, “Marvel Vs. Capcom 3” is a can’t-miss for fans of the series and new-comers alike. With an incredibly balanced character roster, some of the deepest and best controls in the genre, and not to mention boasting one of the best visual presentations around, “MvC3” is sure to keep buttons mashing for months to come.
– nathan.c@aggiemail.usu.edu