It’s been over a decade since a new Marvel vs. Capcom. Think about that… this can feel like an eternity, especially when gamers are known to complain when a game gets pushed back for a few weeks. But after 10 long years, Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is finally in the hands of fighting fans waiting to put the beatdown on their favorite heroes, (and Taskmaster.) You don’t need me telling you that between the hype and the time it’s taken to be released, this newest entry in the Vs. series has galactic expectations to live up to.
If for some reason you managed to avoid the hooplah surrounding the series, Capcom has dug into the archives of both Capcom’s and Marvel’s history, (pre-Disney, so no punching Mickey’s teeth in,) to bring a 3-on-3 tag team fighting action. Aside from the usual suspects like Ryu, Spider-Man, Wolverine and Chun-Li come characters new to the fighting game scene like Resident Evil stars Chris Redfield and Wesker, the significantly less hairy Wolverine clone X-23 and Phoenix… not the lawyer but the intergalactic killing machine. With the exception of Akuma, each character feels unique and isn’t dominated by fighters who play exactly the same. And finally, all but four characters are available from the beginning with the other four being unlocked after a small amount of play time. It’s a far cry from the days where it took 30 hours in front of the Dreamcast to be able to fully play the game.
While the basic feel of the game is similar, veterans shouldn’t get too comfortable. Much has changed in ten years and I’m not just talking about online subscriptions and DLC. Rather than the four button attack scheme, it’s been reduced to a low, medium and high attack, similarly to Tatsunoko vs. Capcom a year ago. The fourth button is special. No, seriously, that’s what it’s called, and it’s used to pop up enemies to start air combos, send them crashing to the ground or activate new, nifty features like switching out mid air-combo, (also lifted from TvC.) Brand new to the series is a panic button called the X-Factor. Once a match, a player can go into this mode to double their power, speed and healing power. It can be cheap, but it adds a new layer of strategy to how one would tackle matches.
MvC3 delivers with its unique roster and deep, yet more accessible fighting system The visuals, music and presentation don’t disappoint, (although that horrible “Take You on a Ride” song comes back occaisionally,) But when it comes to game modes… maybe it’s not so super. After being promised an extensive story, what we get is a two frame ending for each character in arcade mode, some of which are only about four sentences long. And before someone complains that story doesn’t matter in a fighting game, go play BlazBlue and tell me that. This all star roster deserved more than what it got. Besides arcade mode is your basic training mode and the mission mode where players will practice preset combos with each character.
Online doesn’t fare much better. You have your ranked matches and player match lobbies, but the lack of a spectator mode really hurts the experience. In player match lobbies, there is nothing to do while waiting for your turn, (unless you want to make awkward conversation with the 12 year old that’s cursing you out.) Even a practice mode to brush up on your moves while you waited would have been much appreciated, but I guess we’ll have to wait another decade for an upgraded online mode. But at the end of the day, the game works near seamlessly online during matches, so that’s all one can really ask for.
So does MvC3 live up to its ridiculous amount of hype? Only time will tell if fighting game fans will still be playing this in the years to come, but I feel like it comes pretty damn close. The amount of unlockables is huge, and I can see the completionists out there putting in hundreds of hours to find everything. While the casual fan might wonder who the hell Amaterasu, Trish, Taskmaster and M.O.D.O.K. are, the depth in the unique movesets more than justify some of the obscure choices and the game is better for it. My biggest issue is that I feel like we should have gotten the full treatment after ten years of waiting, rather than a bare bones single and online mode that feels like it was slapped together at the last minute. Regardless, MvC3 takes us on a wild ride that will please Marvel, Capcom and fighting enthusiasts alike. Now, let’s go crazy!