The LV. Cap: Marvel vs. Capcom 3 Review
How many times can two universes successfully collide before a black hole appears, sucking them into an infinite oblivion? After 10 high combo years, Capcom has finally released the next installment of their amalgamated series, Marvel vs. Capcom.
Marvel Vs. Capcom 3: Fate Of Two Worlds boasts a whopping mix of 35 playable characters from the Capcom and Marvel Comics universes’ right out of the gate. On top of that, there are two initial DLC characters Shuma-Gorath and Jill Valentine, for those who purchase the collector’s edition of the game. Surely, we will see more in the future. It is arguable to say that any character Capcom would have chosen to represent their universe could be considered obscure, but from the Marvel end of things it could be said some of the character choices are indeed bizarre and esoteric, to say the least. An arguable point can be made that any character representing Capcom could be considered obscure, but on the Marvel end of things, some of the character choices cross obscure and go into the bizarre and esoteric.
“Who the hell is Taskmaster”? Is a common question spewed from the lips of those who aren’t deep into Marvel comics; and “What the F*$% is a M.O.D.O.K”? soon follows. Some fan favorite’s return, while new wonders grace the beautiful stages of MvC3. With so many choices, a fair curiosity could come about balance… MvC3 is unbalanced, maybe more so than Blazblue. Where some characters do a ton of damage, while others have an incalculable amount of hit points, some characters don’t do nearly enough [damage], and can be knocked out of a match after a single devastating combo. This may cause great frustration for those who are not “in the know”, while providing an ego of those who are without honor, choosing the biggest damage dealing hit point monster available.
Three installments of Marvel vs. Capcom, and with each one debut a new button configuration. MvC3 returns to the six button layout where MvC2 had four. With four attack buttons, one of them being launch, and 2 assist buttons, MvC3 has found its comfort zone. Once a player captures the gist of the buttons, the road to epic combo city awaits, even moreso after a visit to the training and mission modes. Both these modes help you master the timing of assists and which button sequences work best for your favorite team of characters.
Though nothing but player vs. player experience could truly prepare you for online battles, arcade mode could be considered the next best tutor. In arcade mode, players progress through six life or death battles, before coming face to face with the world eater Galactus; a rage inducing coward of a boss with no skill to speak of, he is composed of mere cheese and overpower. After beating arcade mode, gamers are treated to a comic story of the character who delivered the final blow, saving the world. Though the can be quite amusing, they just don’t feel grand enough to make the single player experience feel worth it.
With limpid intent, MvC3 is meant to be an arcade experience brought home. If the year was anytime before 1996, this game would be the hit attraction at your local quartering hole, surrounded by cheering onlookers and aggressive competitive types, waiting to show their prowess on the sticks. What we have today are impersonal online lobbies which can hold up to eight players, taking turns to have a go at each others super powered throats.
As the game is played and a series of challenges are executed, players unlock icons titles, and galleries. Icons and titles can be applied to a players profile for the world to see. A cool feature to prepare players to venture out in to the fighting internets lies in training mode, Capcom has added a lag feature. Players can adjust the connection bar, to virtually experience what it would be like if they attempt to perform their favorite combos against players using netzero, downloading porn, tormenting, or decide to stress their 56k connection to its limits.
Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 is beautiful. Every character is done great graphic justice, with each character having four seemingly well thought out color palettes. Smooth animation and sweet moves bring our nerdiest fantasies to life. The stages on which players fight are steeped in astounding detailed visuals that may easily distract those with attention deficit disorder. Marvel Vs. Capcom is awesome, but it is not perfect. Bigger rewards for the single player experience would have been a much welcomed addition, as this is a console game in a console generation; and the consideration of a fix for the balance issue is in order. MvC3 successfully brings the arcade feel to your home TV set, and we can be sure to see cooler additions and characters added as DLC in the future. Capcom has managed to live to the hype, which is a hard task in this day and age. Everything the fighter’s generation looked forward to lie there for the conquering. Nothing came as a surprise, what we saw and got our blood burning is there, which leaves things in a perfect limbo. Where are the pleasant blindsiding surprises?
