A Wild Ride
A lot has changed since Marvel vs. Capcom 2 released on the Dreamcast. However, the core of Marvel vs. Capcom is still alive and well in this third entry. The game revolves around three-on-three battles that boil down to making a fireworks show on your TV. If you're the type of person who couldn't watch that Porygon Pokemon episode, you might want to consider your health before playing MVC3. Virtually all of the 38 character's special moves involve filling the screen with a fireball. If that sounds appealing, you will be hard-pressed to find another fighter that serves that need as well as MVC3.
MVC3 is arguably one of the best looking games that go for the comic book style. The colors are bright and the individual special moves are a spectacular visual flares. Videos and screenshots don't do this game justice. A fight between two players who have a basic idea of what's going on begs to be seen first hand. Every stage is unique to a specific character and is populated with animations and effects. Stages range from an Umbrella lab to an epic war in New York City. Despite the stages being incredibly detailed, this never causes the fight to blend in. It's always easy to keep track of what's going on. Well, at least in a graphical sense.
From a distance, MVC3 is an intimidating game. There's six health bars on the top of the screen, each player has three individual characters who are as well-equipped as any fighter from a 1-on-1 fighting game, and the game strongly encourages air control. I have never had any luck getting into the Street Fighter games or any other game of the genre. MVC3 eliminates hard to learn combos with its Simple Mode. This control option for rookies allow special moves to be executed with a single button. Because of this, people like me can focus on learning strategies and how the game actually works instead of wasting time wrapping their heads around long combos. It's also simple to find players of your skill online. There's a lack of a real tutorial, which is a real shame.
The downside to MVC3 is simply the lack of features. It will take less than an hour to unlock the four extra characters, and beyond that there aren't any other unlockables outside of profile goods. Capcom delivered a fighting game with the bare minimum, Arcade Mode and an online component that kind of works. Those looking for more than simply fighting online probably won't be satisfied. Capcom didn't shortchange us on characters, however. There's a good balance of recognizable characters like Spider-Man, Ryu, and Dante, along with more obscure characters like Morrigan, M.O.D.O.K, and X-23.Fighting online is generally simple, that is when it works. Right now, getting into a ranked match is impossible. This is the same issue Street Fighter IV had at launch but was eventually fixed. The only reliable way to get a fight going is to create or join an unranked lobby. You can set titles to the lobby like “Beginner's Unit” or “Advance Players Only” to hopefully attract similar-thinking players. Creating a party in a lobby really makes MVC3's lack of features stand out. Players in a lobby waiting for their turn to fight cannot spectate the current match. Hypothetically, you can spend 6-10 minutes staring at a menu waiting for your turn.
MVC3's fighting mechanics are well designed and are wrapped in top-notch visual flair. The game offers a huge roster of fun characters that any fan of Marvel or Capcom will be able to create a team of characters they like. Newcomers that are willing to take the time to learn the game will find it rewarding and one of the more easier fighting games to get into. If you haven't boughten MVC3 yet, you're probably just on the fence in fear of getting your ass beat. I can confirm there are plenty of terrible like-minded players online right now.
EpicSteve (Steven Beynon)
