A Decade of Hype
With its bright flashing colors, screen filling super moves, overwhelmingly loud sounds and infamous gigantic roster of characters, it's easy to see why Marvel vs. Capcom 2 remained a popular "money match" game for over a decade; the arcade cabinet might as well have been a giant fighting game slot machine. For some people, Capcom's decision to tone some of this insanity down a notch sounded like heresy. Ten less characters? A simpler control scheme? Are the people at Capcom complete, to quote Garth Algar, nutbars? Given that they managed to
Right off the bat, it should be noted this game comes with a huge burden: there is absolutely no way it can please everyone. Marvel 2 fanatics might scoff at the new control scheme and choice of newer characters, while fighting game novices will have a hard time picking up exactly what in the blue hell is happening on the screen. Combine these factors with a hardcore fanbase and months of hype and the expectations are beyond high. Thankfully, from a gameplay perspective, MvC3 completely delivers; the new control scheme (similar to the one found in Tatsunoko vs. Capcom) streamlines combos in a way that just makes sense for a game as fast paced as this. Gone are the days of individual punch and kick buttons, now you just have light, medium, and hard. Unsurprisingly, if you hit a quarter circle forward and one of these buttons, you'll do a special move. It seems strange at first, but it doesn't take long to pick up on the basics so long as you have an understanding of how fighting games work.
While this is great news, it still doesn't do much for fighting game novices. Obviously if you're into these types of games, you already own this, but with the recent reemerging fighting game scene attracting more and more new players, it feels like Capcom could have done more to ease them into this cavalcade of madness. There is a flashy, confounding appearance to all the VS games, and this understandably puts off many players from ever figuring out what is going on behind the scenes. It doesn't help that the menus are fairly clunky and the training and mission modes don't do much to teach you how to effectively utilize character's normal, command, and special moves. Even more disappointing is the lack of a spectator mode in online play, which is a must for a game like this where a great match is really something to behold. As of this writing, Capcom is apparently looking into patching this in, but it feels somewhat naked without it, especially considering the fact there are less online modes in here than there are in Super Street Fighter IV.
These issues would all be significantly bigger problems if this was a lesser game. Capcom definitely took some risks with the aforementioned control scheme and the new roster. While some fan favorites haven't returned, the new cast is fantastic. It makes MvC3 feel more like its own game and not just an extension of 2. Your longing for some of your favorites will probably go away when you see Arthur from Ghouls n' Ghosts break out of his armor into his trademark heart boxers, or pulling off a 47 hit combo with Dante from Devil May Cry without even knowing exactly what you just did with the game's beautiful, seizure-inducing graphics. More obscure characters like M.O.D.O.K., Super Skrull, Amaterasu, and Haggar really complement mainstays like Captain America, Wolverine, Ryu, and Chun-Li.
No matter how bitter you are over Sentinel feeling overpowered or how full of glee you are finally getting to hear Deadpool say something about a " curly mustache", it's hard to deny that MvC3 is a well designed fighting game. With a higher damage output and the new X-Factor feature, there's always a feeling that no matter how horribly one player is being demolished, there's a change for a comeback. In a fighting game as breakneck as this, those moments really shine and make just one fight feel like a grandiose event.
