Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds (PS3) Review
May 21, 2011 
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[By -K-]
Over a decade has passed since we have seen the last Marvel vs. Capcom title. Let’s take a look at what it offers. I know I’ve been waiting way too long. I’ve played both games prior to this in the series and always wondered if another would come out and have been a fan of all similar games beforehand. I’m hoping that this game improves the series by fixing balance issues allowing all players of different levels to enjoy game play against each other and evaluate the total package we get from this game. Was this truly worth the wait?
Gameplay:
For those who are unfamiliar with the series, this is a 2D fighting game that involves each player to control multiple characters per battle. Most of the basic comboing system (such as hitting the ascending button sequence: light-mid-hard) is still intact with adjustments & limitations in order to avoid infinites or abuses of the system that would make it pointless or unfair to play, which its predecessors were known for. Infinite combos were rampant in each of the previous MvC games, which were among other bizarre bugs/glitches that were discovered. In MvC3, easy infinite combos were dealt with by limiting wall bounces, ground bounces, and knock downs in a combo before an opponent recovers. In addition to that, each hit does less stun then the previous did (diminishing hit stun) so eventually a hard hit will be unable to hold stun an opponent for even a fraction of a moment if the combos get high enough. It takes quite a few hits before they can slip right out of your combo. Most players proficient with a character are still able to do 60%-70% damage to an opponent’s characters’ with one good combo. Also, this is nearly impossible to do as an intermediate player or even for veterans, but in the last few months of keeping an eye out for tournament footage, there have been really insane combos over 230 hits with supers mixed in before opponents die. Only advance players have pulled off such feats.
All old veterans of the game series would be able to jump in quickly and be able to enjoy the game despite the changes. One of the main changes is the new 6-button layout similar to Tatsunoko vs. Capcom. No more punch or kick buttons; there are only three buttons for light, medium and hard attacks. And a specific fourth attack button called Special, which all characters can use as their launcher attack. Like MvC2, the two assist buttons are the same and used the same way; however, if you hold down an assist key, you will switch your main character with the specific assist character. After adjusting to that, it’s fairly smooth sailing and for beginners who just want to play for fun they can always try simple mode. Simple mode assigns one button for comboing and the others for specials. It’s very limiting for intermediate or veteran players, but makes a newbie a monster when playing with friends for the first time. There is also a Missions Mode to help players learn intermediate combos. Each character has 10 missions that have the difficulty of the combo increases, which seems to be one of the best ways for a novice to get better into understanding advanced combos.
There is a large cast of new and old characters to choose from. We have classics [from both Marvel and Capcom] like Ryu and Wolverine, as well as new faces like Dante (from the Devil May Cry series) and Super Skrull (from the Fantastic Four comic series). Many are simple to start and to play with but some are out right are nuts to figure out. All in all with the new characters and combat system, it’s a pleasure to play. I only touch on this because certain characters have a severe learning curve to start using effectively. For instance, Dante, who is most likely the most advanced character in the game, is usable without much difficulty, but extreme difficult to master because of his extensive move list. I feel a rant coming… What I really hate are the lemon characters in the game that weren’t well-made. Sure they can be very powerful in certain setups, but they are extremely limited and many better made characters will roll right over them in most situations (I believed in you, SPIDER-MAN! WHY?!).
The other notable game mechanics worth mentioning are team air combos which can charge the super meter significantly and safely swap characters for you. A new addition to the game is the ability to “X-Factor,” which gives you auto healing, immunity to block damage, increases your damage and speed. Moreover, it lets you cancel moves that aren’t normally cancel-able to chain them; in essence a single character can cancel a super move into another super move. I’ve seen people move faster than they can play and a 4-6 hit combo by an X-Factored Sentinel being able to kill almost any character.
The AI (Artificial Intelligence) for the game when set to very hard is maddening with near human skill that adjusts to your strategy to counter and crush you. Combined with that is the instant reaction time it gets from not having input commands with human hands makes playing against the CPU a real threat; however, it can’t do extremely advanced combos that humans can, but it doesn’t really have to in order to crush you. It may very well play better than people at times and a lot can be learned from the computer.
Story/Plot:
It’s the same bread and butter story of stopping some great evil. In this case, Dr. Doom and Albert Wesker join forces with an army of the greatest villains assembled in order to take over both universes (Marvel and Capcom). By doing that, of course, they awaken a greater evil and it’s up to the Heroes of two worlds to band together to defeat both evils to save the universe!!!!!
Each character has an ending that is achieved after defeating Galactus. Each ending is unique and has some humor, which usually involves a crossover scene of Marvel and Capcom characters. I wish it was a little more elaborate than 2-3 pictures and some text, which is the one thing that hasn’t changed throughout the Capcom vs. game series.
Graphics:
The graphics have had an overhaul from the old “Marvel vs. Capcom 2” graphics, and looks similar to “Tatsunoko vs. Capcom”. This is probably due to having the same game producer and director Ryota Niitsuma. Using bright vibrant colors and strangely familiar stages, the game is as exciting to watch as to play it. The screen, when a match is going on, lights up in a myriad of colors and flashes from the sprites of the super moves. I sometimes wonder if anyone ever got epilepsy from it. What I would really appreciate is some texture detail though. It feels like everything lacks in detail ranging from some of the weapons or clothing to Galactus’ [the final boss] armor being way to unpolished (looks like paint or is that plastic). The actual characters and stages are 3D and moving on a locked 2D fighting field. The movements and animation are smooth and fluid in the new system almost giving the illusion that the characters have a weight about them despite being in a game. There does not seem to be any graphical or performance differences from the PS3 or the Xbox 360 versions.
Sound and Music:
The music has always been fast, light and upbeat. The remix of the older songs are very nostalgic. It all feels more vibrant at a faster pace matching the madness of the game very well. The new music is just as enjoyable, granted all the new songs are a wonderful change of pace after 11 years of the same old songs. A gripe for me is the commentaries from the announcers. It’s fun for a while, but thank god it can be turned off in matches.
The game has well done voice acting available both in English and Japanese. My only wish would be more dialogue. A match between Spencer and Dante makes my ears bleed. “In your face!” said by two characters every other second is painful… after the first hour of laughing. A lot of characters say the same lines though it’s hilarious to hear each character call the name of the person they are swapping out with.
Replayability / Replay Value:
Being a versus-game only gives it a ton of replayability when playing against other players online or offline. Changing opponents gives this game new life to every round. Although there are some serious issues with latency in online play when pinpoint timing is required, this can be said for all online multiplayer games. To play this game, is the love to give mayhem. Beside just mayhem, there is the usual art, music and sounds gallery that can be unlocked. An average play should be able to unlock everything within a week, but completing 100% of the missions is a different story.
Conclusion:
This game is a solid addition to the other titles we grew up loving and I would recommend everyone old or new to give it a try. (The mayhem beckons you…) The changes made to the game have given a well deserved face lift to an aging game series and fading breed of 2D fighters. It’s the most balanced game in the series I can think of, though I wouldn’t call every matchup a fair one. A lot has changed in advanced combos and game mechanics to prevent terrible matches; however, it can’t be totally eliminated and shouldn’t be or else skill wouldn’t be needed. My only big negative is that there are a few characters that are poorly designed being inflexible and effective in only a few situations. It’s like being offered a flavor then realizing it’s nowhere near as good as vanilla, the plainest flavor, or even out right bad. Having so many great points and so few flaws, the game is well worth the price of getting a copy and will provide countless hours of fresh exciting play for months. (I’m at 4 hours a day for 3 months.) It’s a true battle when even the two players and a full crowd have almost no idea what is going on. Now is also a good time to start with it still being relatively new. Many things like combos and strategies are being developed so making a name for your self isn’t so insane. Looking at tournaments from over three months ago, a ton has changed in teams and strategy.
Positives
1. Tons of replayability for offline and online
2. Most balanced game in the series to date
3. Very accessible to old and new players alike
4. Hours of game play for the price
5. Varied characters and interesting character design
Negatives
1. Character design is lacking a bit as a couple of characters are not worth using being dead weight or useless
2. Galleries, rewards and endings could have been more creative
3. Downloadable content raises the price of the game slightly if you want to have everything available
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