Look at that sweet steel case, bro! Alongside the announcement of the game’s proper release date, Capcom has also unveiled the Marvel vs. Capcom 3 Special Edition package, and if you’re looking to make MvC your fighting game of choice for 2010, it may actually make sense to pony up the additional $10 for the package. No, it’s not because of steel book case included with the package (though, I have to admit, I do love me a metal case). Nor is it the prologue comic that will explain the story behind the collision of worlds in the game (though I’m sure it’s hilarious.). It’s not even the free 1-month subscription to Marvel’s Digital Comics platform (a $10 value!) that might convince you to spring for the package.
No, the main reason the Special Edition might be the way to go Is that it includes a free voucher for the first two DLC characters being added to Marvel vs. Capcom 3. If you’re confident enough in MvC’s quality to lay down the extra $10 up front (or you’re just going to own that game, regardless of what anyone says) you’ll gain free access to two returning MvC2 fighters: Resident Evil protagonist Jill Valentine (which, when grouped up with new MvC edition Chris Redfield, will make for a fun RE1 team), and crazy eyeball/tentacle/morphing anomaly/cyclops Shuma-Gorath. It's worth pointing out that you won't have access to those characters out of the gate; Jill and Shuma-Gorath won't be released for about four weeks after the game's February launch date, so save your Jill Sandwich jokes until March.
Now, if we only knew the full character roster for MvC3, we’d really be all set. But yeah, that ain’t happening. Expect Capcom to keep trickling out the rest of the game’s core roster in the lead-up to the February launch date.
Also, expect the places where you see those character announcements to get more bizarre as well. Like just yesterday, when Capcom unveiled that Zero and She-Hulk were the latest additions to the character list... with each character revealed exclusively by a different online publication. Though, to be fair, I hear Giant Bomb is working on a deal with Capcom to announce a character’s elbows, as well as the vowels in their name, at a time closer to MvC3's release. Stay tuned!
