Marvel Vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds
It has all the Capcom fighter basics, but with a few streamlined aspects casual players like me, who aren’t obsessed with keeping the genre “pure” in its decade-old, frame-counting glory, will appreciate. There are four attack buttons, three light/medium/heavy attacks and a special launcher attack, and everything in the game can be done with a combination of those buttons and the standard fighting came stick motions (quarter-circle, dragon punch, mash buttons). Honestly, for non-veterans, it’s pretty much the same mechanics as Street Fighter 4, Capcom Vs. Tastunoko, and well, basically everything Capcom since the hyper combo was first invented.
That’s not the draw of Marvel Vs. Capcom 3. The big deal here is the roster, the orgy of Capcom and Marvel characters in the 2D ring. There are fewer characters here, but it also feels like there are more, thanks to much, much more diverse character gameplay. There’s no Wolverine/Bone Claw Wolverine or Iron Man/War Machine. Every single character (with the exception of Akuma, who still basically plays like Ryu on PCP) is unique, with their own patterns, timing, strengths, and feels. Were you worried X-23 was just going to be a female Wolverine? Nope, she’s a much more springy, slashy scrapper than Wolvie, with Cammy-like kicks. Were you worried She-Hulk or Mike Haggar would just be Hulk rip-offs? Nope, She-Hulk is a much more spry fighter, while Haggar is a brutal, street combat version of Zangief (who whips out a lead pipe during fights!).
The newcomers are particularly fun. Dante’s scattershot, but with some devastating anti-air attacks. Trish has a massive sword paired with lots of magic attacks. Arthur is a walking arsenal of daggers, lances, axes, and every other weapon he’s wielded. Super-Skrull is a great amalgam of the Fantastic Four, taking advantage of all of their strengths without taking up four squares on the character select menu. And, of course, there’s Deadpool. He’s my personal favorite, and only partly because I’ve loved Deadpool since Joe Kelly wrote his book in the 90s. He has guns, he has swords, and he has both teleporting and dash attacks that makes him useful against tons of different fighters.
Even the four unlockables (again, with the exception of Akuma), are wildly varied fighters who don’t play at all like any of the other characters on the field. Taskmaster in particular is a surprising treat, considering he has a sword, a shield, and a gun, but doesn’t play at all like Arthur, Captain America, or Deadpool; the most rip-offy move he has is a clever Spidey Swing grappling hook move that gives him some much-needed maneuvering, considering his slow pace compared to the others.
Unfortunately, Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 is lacking in some areas. The story is paper-thin, with little voice acting outside of fights, and only static comic book pages for the endings. Multiplayer is also pretty spare, with only basic match and lobby formats. The game could have really used the Super Street Fighter 4 treatment for multiplayer modes. Still, there’s plenty of meat to the game, and even with basic matches you’ll have fun brawling with every one of the game’s 36 fighters. Plus, landing the last hit on the final boss with your favorite fighter unlocks bonuses like character art, 3D models, and other great things. And there are plenty of titles to earn to use when battling online.
This isn’t a once-in-a-decade game that redefines the genre, but it is a massive brawl of Capcom and Marvel characters using the time-tested fighting formula we’ve all come to love. And, most importantly, it’s a worthy sequel to Marvel Vs. Capcom 2. Now, let’s hope we’ll get a new chapter before 2021.
