Marvel vs Capcom 3 review by Joseph Dunn
Finally, a new Marvel vs. Capcom title! Ten years is an eternity between games in a series, especially when the games are this exciting to play. For a payoff to those that have (impatiently) waited this long, MvC3 got a complete facelift. In addition to using awesome cell shading similar to Street Fighter 4, but there’s a new battle system that allows beginners to compete on par with seasoned veterans. This is a welcome change to the fighting genre, as well as making it easier for party-style tournaments.
MvC3 uses a four-button based attack system as opposed to the six buttons previous titles utilized. When I first approached this game, I tried the standard Street Fighter approach, meaning I would try to learn the combination attacks and attempt to play tactfully. This approach quickly failed. My next attempt involved the tried-and-true method of holding the fight stick towards my opponent and mashing the attack buttons. Sure enough, within seconds I was landing 30+ hit combos and aerial tag attacks. While amusing, as a fighting game fanatic this is sort of a let down. Playing games with friends over for a party night is just as fun as playing opponents online for more seasoned players, and this title can be added to both lists. If you’re new to the fighting genre, this is a good place to start.
Previous MvC titles were (and still are) stunning with their 2D sprite animation. MvC3 employs cell shading, which can easily lean towards stunning or horrible, depending on the design team. Thankfully, MvC3 leans towards the positive side. While you are busy accidentally pulling off insane combos that prevent your opponent from retaliating, you’ll be staring at your screen, confused at how you pulled off such an insane combo and amazed at how good it looks. The hyper combos are either fantastic or terrible, sometimes even boring to the point where you will avoid using them. Regardless, the cell shading is a welcome addition to the new chapter in this franchise.
Have you ever played a previous installment of Marvel vs. Capcom? Do the words “Gonna take you for a ride!” haunt your memories of those games? If this is your first foray into this franchise, consider yourself fortunate that MvC3 uses wordless character select music. While the fighting stages do use music, you tend not to notice while you’re either kicking ass or getting beaten into the ground. What you do notice, however, is the immensely talented voice-overs that saturate each battle. Personal favorites include Deadpool constantly screaming “BANG BANG!” while shooting his guns and Viewtiful Joe calling out his attacks, constantly amusing even though it can occasionally get distracting. For those concerned, there is an option to change the voice-overs from English to Japanese, further enriching the fighting game experience.
Overall I would say this game is defiantly worth at least checking out if you have a rental store. Otherwise maybe spend $40 max on it.
Graphics – 7.5
Gameplay – 8
Sound – 8
Story – 4
Multiplayer – 9
Joseph Dunn
