Synopsis: Fighting fans, it is time to celebrate the release of the recent blockbuster fighter from Capcom, Marvel vs. Capcom 3. It has been a decade since the release of MVC 2 and it is now time for a three on three battle royale pitting some of Marvel’s most notorious supers against Capcom’s hit squad. Powered by the MT Framework, used in Resident Evil 5 and Lost Planet 2, bringing you brilliant backgrounds and ultra-detailed character animations to fill MVC 3: Fate of Two Worlds with enough eye candy to make your eyes melt. Like the previous versions of its predecessor, this title is still toting signature combos, assist attacks, and special moves to master whether fighting the computer or online. The controls have changed since MVC 2, bringing back the simplified three-button control layout seen in Marvel vs Tatsunoku, while also providing a “Simple” mode if you want to use as a tutorial. Get ready to go for a ride with our review of MVC 3: Fate of Two Worlds.
Praise: Where do I start, it is such a tough call to determine the game’s most redeeming feature as the environments, characters, and animations are all amazing. The controls are easy to get and similar for almost all the characters, however each character handles differently, so determining your team does take some trial and error to lock down. Like Super Street Fighter 4, there is a huge online community which makes it incredibly fast and easy to find opponents. Playing this game with a fight stick makes a world of difference on the gameplay, even with my sub par Hori arcade stick, the gameplay was much better than trying to master the controls with the PS3 controller, although almost loud enough to wake the household with the button mashing. Strategy is definitely needed on harder difficulty levels and online as some of the moves can be absolutely brutal on your team if caught off guard, making it harder to rush and spam your enemy when the battle starts.
Gripes: Though having a crossover fighting game on the current generation consoles is nice; I do feel that this has taken a step back from MVC 2. To start, would be the controls, as I feel the old controls made the game more challenging to master over the three button controls that make accidental combos easier to perform. The speed of gameplay feels slower and less smooth than the original, which isn’t a big deal for newcomers to the genre, however, fans like me that have played MVC 2 across multiple platforms, have to either slow down their input of moves and combos or try to input the moves multiple times. Lastly, which is my biggest issue, is the character roster, as both franchises have a huge list of characters that fans would love to play as, Fate of Two Worlds has significantly less fighters than the second. There are plenty of people to make up your team, it would be no surprise if Capcom capitalizes on the roster and continuously adds DLC characters, turning this 60 dollar title into a game that will easily cost fans over a hundred dollars to “collect them all”.
Overall, Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is a lot of fun to pick up and play either by yourself, online, or with a group of friends. It is highly suggested that the game is played with an arcade stick or fight pad, though not necessary, especially if you want to save the money for upcoming DLC. It is nice that you can switch between the three button control method or “simple” controls, but longtime fans, particularly me would appreciate a third option, classic controls. I will see you all online and be sure to watch out for my ultra Marvel team comprised of X-23, Captain America, and Phoenix or the Capcom trio of Zero, Felicia, and Haggar.
Mashbuttons.com gives Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds an 8 out of 10.
Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds is available now for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.
