Capcom’s history with 2D fighting games is not one to be ignored. Despite my overall dislike of that franchise, it’s pretty much solely responsible for creating the 2D Fighting Game genre in the first place, and has yet to lose any of its popularity, even after dozens of releases. Still, when X-Men Vs. Street Fighter first hit the arcades way back when, I finally found that I had a reason to be playing a 2D fighting game that didn’t have the words “Mortal” or “Kombat” in the title. Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 follows in the tradition of the other Versus titles before it with unrelenting action, plenty of fan service, and a more accessible combat system from its more serious older brother.

 

As a singleplayer offering, there isn’t a whole lot to this title. There is your standard Arcade Mode, where you play through a series of battles until squaring off against the game’s boss. There is also a Training Mode, where you can hone your skills before facing real opponents. Finally, there is a new Mission Mode that has players completing 10 different challenges for each character. These challenges generally take the form of different moves or combos that must be pulled off in the correct sequence. Honestly, this mode just felt tacked on, and really didn’t offer a whole lot of fun beyond what you might have just sitting in the training mode trying out different attacks.

 

The bulk of your time will be spent in the game’s Arcade Mode, which certainly offers its fair share of excitement. Most of the formula has remained unchanged from Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 (with a few subtle additions), and honestly that is hardly a bad thing. The battles are still 3-on-3 tag team matches, with players able to swap out characters at will or call on their partners for assistance at a moment’s notice. The control scheme has been simplified since we last saw this franchise, seemingly borrowing from the less complex, Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom. There are only Light, Medium, and Hard attacks, plus a new button for launching your opponent into the air and initiating an air combo. Calling in partners is easier than ever before, and super moves are no longer pulled off with infuriatingly difficult-to-pull-off-on-the-Xbox-controller double hadoukens.

I honestly liked all of these changes, and especially appreciate the overall simplicity of the game’s controls. This makes it more accessible than Street Fighter IV was -- though I suppose less hardcore as well -- as seasoned players can still get beaten by someone button-mashing and spamming moves. This increased simplicity extends to how you actually pull off moves in the game. Much like other Vs. titles before, there is not a whole lot of diversity in how different characters control. Instead, the variety in the roster comes from the nature of the actual moves themselves, something that I certainly appreciate as anything more than a Hadouken or a Hurricane Kick is pretty much beyond me.

 

 

Now, the overall simplicity of the game’s controls might turn off some of the more seasoned 2D Fighting Game veterans out there, but it really shouldn’t. There is still a fair amount of depth to be found in this game, and I’m sure that people will find themselves honing their skills for a good deal of time to come. Nevertheless, despite the fact that the game is already fairly streamlined, Capcom and the folks at 8ing for some reason saw fit to include a “Simple” control option by further simplifying everything. The result of this unfortunately, is that pretty much all measure of actual control is taken out of the players’ hands and instead you find yourself slamming a few buttons and winning. It’s really not that fun or that satisfying in any way. I do really applaud Capcom for giving this a try, as I am a huge Smash Bros. fan partially because of easy that game is to control. Ultimately, I don’t feel like this experiment really worked out, and if it does reappear in future games, I hope it is with plenty of tweaks.

Now, if you are like the vast majority of Marvel Vs. Capcom fans out there, none of this matters all that much. The real litmus test of a Versus game is the character roster. Now, maybe it’s just me, but I think Marvel Vs. Capcom 3’s is the best one yet seen in a Versus game. There are a whole lot of new additions, some notable exclusions, and some returning favorites. I’m mostly impressed with how much more representative of Capcom’s games the Capcom side turned out this time around. Sure, there are your standard Street Fighter, Darkstalkers, and Resident Evil characters, but there are also appearances from fan favorites like Dante (from Devil May Cry), Amaterasu (from Okami), Arthur (from Ghouls and Ghosts), and Viewtiful Joe (duh). Everyone added to the game plays in a fairly unique manner, and more than that complement every other fighter in interesting ways. You’re quickly going to find that your team of three from the last game might not cut it anymore and that you’ll need to experiment with new pairings until you find one that does work. On the Marvel side, things are just as interesting, with a lot of big-name characters removed (Cyclops, Cable), but some clever, more niche ones added (Deadpool, She-Hulk, X-23). The roster seems incredibly balanced, and might just stay that way unlike what happened with the last game (no more Cable around throwing things off).

 

Probably the most notable difference between this and the last entry in the series is the graphical overhaul. The game no longer uses sprites and instead went the Street Fighter IV and Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom route by having cel-shaded 3D models instead. Though I really do like the game’s look (especially when compared to the eyesore that is SFIV), it’s strange that it looks like less of a comic book than either of the two aforementioned titles. The cel-shading is really subtle, and everything looks fairly realistic as a result. Still, this is hardly a complaint, more of something that caught my attention after I started playing.

 

Overall, Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 is an adequate sequel to the last decade old title. I say adequate because there is a distinct lack of extra modes and settings to add diversity to your experience. If you are planning to play this game all on your lonesome, things might get tiresome fairly quickly. The satisfaction of taking down three relatively easy computer controlled characters just doesn’t match up to the feeling you get from besting an actual real-world opponent. Though I really liked most of the changes they implemented in this game, I definitely expected Capcom to come up with some more inventive twists on the formula to keep me playing by myself for hours on end before ever deciding to go toe-to-toe with an actual opponent. As it stands, I’m not sure I could push myself to hop in the ring anymore if it weren’t for the fact that my friends want to show me their moves.

 

So, there isn’t that much fun to be had when playing this game by yourself. Sure, it does help train you in the ways of the Berserker Barrage, but the real game doesn’t quite start until you plug in a second controller. Squaring off against another opponent is how you’ll put your skills to the test, and where you will find yourself playing late into the night trying to determine the fate of the world once and for all.

As most Fighting games, Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 is really all about its multiplayer offering. What’s the point in mastering your 99 hit combo, if you don’t have anyone who’s face you can bash in with it? As such, it’s kind of surprising that there aren’t more options for the offline component. Choose your teams, line them up, and fight to the death. Wash, rinse, repeat. Not sure why Capcom didn’t at least try to come up with some new ideas for this mode, but regardless of that omission, playing Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 against another live opponent is as incredibly thrillling as one might expect. The fast paced action, incredible eye candy, massive combos, and a ridiculous amount of cleavage make this game entertaining for even the most jaded gamers out there.

 

It is only when you start to square off against other human opponents that the true depth of this game bubbles to the surface. The characters are so vastly different from one another (for the most part) that the different match-ups can bring widely varying results, regardless of how many matches you may have played against a particular opponent. Sure, the roster itself is significantly smaller than M Vs. C 2, but it feels like each character is slightly more distinct, with even more reason to spend a good chunk of time developing your skills with each and every one.

Beyond the offline modes, Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 follows in the footsteps of Street Fighter IV and places a huge emphasis on playing online. There are a smattering of options here that should satisfy some players, but some other omissions that are a bit puzzling. First of all, why aren’t players able to watch other matches in progress? You can join or create player lobbies, but all you can do while sitting in the lobby waiting for your turn at bat is read other players’ Gamercards or twiddle your thumbs. It’s kind of odd that there is so little to do outside of straight up fighting, but I suppose Capcom didn’t want to muddle the mixture. I must note here that there are some glaring bugs with regards to the game’s online mode. In fact, the mode was so buggy for me that I have been dropped from every match I have been lucky enough to enter. For the most part, I just get booted before I even get into a game, making evaluating the online modes a little tricky.

 

Despite the fact that there are still some issues with the game’s online, I’m going to give it the benefit of the doubt and assume that Capcom will get things working soon enough. Even without being able to take down opponents from all over the world, I still found Marvel Vs. Capcom 3’s multiplayer offering to provide some of the most interesting 2D Fighting matches I have experienced in a long time. The streamlined controls, awesome roster of characters, and flashy visuals make this a game worthy of any fan’s attention. As long as you’ve got some friends around, you might as well take them for this ride.