Capcom
Developer:
Capcom
Genre:
2d fighter
Release Date:
February 18th 2011
The first Marvel vs Capcom game came out on the Dreamcast in 1999 and while some of the "die hard" fans of 2d fighters were put off my its simplicity, it made the genre a lot more accessible to the more casual player. Truly stunning combinations were no longer exclusive to people who devoted hours to the study of complex move lists. You could quite easily get the same effect from mashing a few buttons and hoping for the best, well, some of the time. So 12 years on Marvel Vs Capcom 3 graces our consoles, how does it fare?
The premise is as always paper thin. Some how Doctor Doom and Albert Wesker have managed to cause the worlds of Capcom and Marvel to merge, allowing the top fighters from both worlds to engage in a massive free for all. Oh and then Galactus shows up. Don't expect a great deal of plot from these games, though the endings for each character are amusing, they are ultimately meaningless.
The game's format is simple, each player picks 3 characters from the vast roster and squares up against another similar squad. There are no "rounds" as such, the game keeps going until the time runs out or all 3 characters are knocked unconscious. You get to switch your characters in and out as and when you wish, allowing your other team members time to rest, so you aren't stuck with just one person until they are knocked out. You can also bring your team mates out temporarily to throw the odd fireball but this leaves them vulnerable to a good kicking. Special moves are fairly easy to pull off and the ability to knock people around in the air makes for some spectacular combinations that are all easy to pull off. If you're new to the genre or just not very good, like me, then the game is generous to provide a "simple" mode. In simple mode a lot of the moves are just simplified to pushing a few buttons, which means they are easier to pull off. Of course this simplicity gets in the way of the really large combinations that require a bit more skill.
Just as an aside, you don't need an arcade stick for this game, you can quite happily play the game with the default controller of choice but an arcade stick does make things better and easier. I still had my "Street Fighter 4: Standard" one knocking around and that does the job adequately.
The multiplayer aspect is definitely this game's forte. The online system is fairly quick to get into, although I've had some difficulty in the past with ranked games. In truth I prefer playing against friends round someone's house as thats where the most fun is to be had, but it's nice that the online aspect has been done well.
Visually the game is stunning, the characters themselves are a mixture of cell shading and 3D that gives them a very comic book feel. The backgrounds while vibrant and detailed are done in a manner that doesn't distract you from the fight at hand, but provides a colourful backdrop for your special moves. My personal favourite level is "Tron Bonne's", with a firework display going off in the background.
I have to admit that while for the most part the voice acting is good, a certain few character's voices get annoying very quickly. Thankfully there is an option to switch specific character's voice acting to Japanese that makes it slightly less painful on the ears. The music is pretty much a standard affair, it's often hard to hear over the special moves and the like but there are a few good songs, the remix of "Gonna take you for a ride" is really good.
The biggest problem that you will find with Marvel Vs Capcom 3, with any game of this genre , is the lack of longevity. After the first few days of initial play you'll slowly find yourself playing less and less. Often the game becomes relegated to the occasional gaming session at a friend's house. It's sad but is often the way with these games, they're lack of any discernable story makes it hard for them to maintain interest. There is a noble effort to address this by providing a gallery of content that is for the most part locked until you accrue a certain level of points, points being awarded for almost anything apart from looking at things in the gallery. While it's enough to make people want to finish the game as each character, it's not enough to add a great deal to the game.
So enjoy this game, even by the high standards of this genre it stands top of the class, just don't expect to be playing it as much in a few months time.
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