Marvel vs. Capcom 3 Review

Ah, Marvel vs. Capcom 3. This is the third in that series, and one of the most awaited games in the last decade. These games are known for their super addictive gameplay and their outrageous combos and finishers. This is where the hardcore gamers come in for some hours of brawling. This game had some pretty big hype, with a monthly countdown of the characters, this was meant to be the big all-out fighting game of the century. Does it succeed? Continue reading to find out.

I rented this game for a weekend a few months ago, (as of September 7th, I now own it) and it was some of the most fun I've ever had. The gameplay is just so wild and fun, that it's just hard to put the controller down. I tell myself that this battle would be the last battle, but I find myself wanting to do another one right after. Indeed, this game is probably the most fun and addictive fighting game I've ever played.

But it's not perfect.

Read this quote I took from an interview about the game's plot. ".....when we really started, the only thing we had in mind was that particular style of American comic, and the fact we put more weight behind the story came afterwards."

Really? REALLY?!

In another interview, they actually had the audacity to call the game's story "deep." Alright, before it came out, that was a major factor for me. I was expecting a big cutscene-driven story mode, and what did we get? Arcade. That's what we got. Simple arcade mode, with no story behind it. Just battles after battles.

The whole plot is basically told through these short "movies" you unlock. They are pretty spectacular, boasting some awesome graphics and great action. These videos were the ones they released during the months, so it gave you the illusion of a big story mode. Major fail there. Sure, you'll probably tell me that you don't buy a fighting game for its story mode, you buy it for fighting. True.....but this is not just an arcade game where you pop in a few quarters and use a joystick for a few rounds. This is a 60$ next gen game, I'm going to need more than a little arcade mode. Nintendo's Super Smash Bros. Brawl set the standards for a story within a fighting game, why couldn't this game follow it? This game is NOT story driven at all, despite what you might have heard.

The game boasts a great amount of characters.....um, excuse me, I meant an unacceptable amount. The previous game had 56, but this game is downgraded to 36. The excuse here is that the previous game had lots of "clones" for characters. (For non-video game people, clones are characters that use the same moveset as another character.) Fine, but that's still no excuse. Fighting games are supposed to have more characters as they go along. Super Smash Bros. Brawl had 35, nine more than its previous entry. Heck, Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 3 has over 100! You're going to tell me that you couldn't have surpassed 36? Nonsense.

Regarding the characters, they picked decently. However, you have to wonder why they would pick Taskmaster over Venom. I mean really? Yes, I was hugely disappointed that Spidey's nemesis didn't make the cut. Not even Carnage or Anti-Venom! Instead, we get MODOK. Who wants to play as a giant head? Not me. Capcom left out their own mascot, Megaman. The excuse? "He doesn't have enough powers." That.....that's just sad. I think Capcom wants to distance itself from Megaman completely. (Sorry Legends 3.)

I've been mocking this game a lot, haven't I? Don't get me wrong, it's still one of the most fun games you'll ever play. I never got the first two Marvel vs. Capcoms, (played those bad boys in the arcade a few times on vacation) so this whole thing was relatively new for me. Thanks to my old PS1 game Marvel Super Heroes, I learned pretty quickly. This game is one of those games where it's so easy to get completely annihilated if you don't get into the combos and really know the controls. The game features this beginner mode where the controls are simple for the rookie. I'd say skip that and just get to know the controls from a bunch of vs. rounds.

I played a few online matches in the game, and I would have to say that it has the greatest online mode I've ever played. Opponents come in fast, and there is no lag whatsoever. It's almost as if you were playing a local match! Nintendo could take a few pointers from this, their online really is bad sometimes. (I'm looking at you TMNT Smashup.)

In the battles, it's all about finding out what your best team is. It's good to play around with several different characters, each is very different. I use Spider-Man, Zero, and Iron Man. Spidey, cause he's my all-time favorite character, Zero, cause his sword skills I put to great use, and Iron Man for his uni-beam and finisher. A lot of times in fighting games, there seems to be a certain "unbalance." Like, if you are a pro with Sentinel, chances are that you would be very, very hard to beat. Like with Smash Bros, I notice that a lot of the pros use Meta Knight, cause he is definitely the most unbalanced of the roster, making him a superior character. MVC3 does a pretty good job with that, if you play your cards right, Sentinel won't be a problem. (Key: Iron Man's missiles and Zero's sword.)

I like how Marvel made sure to include nice references for the fans. If Cap beats Iron Man in a battle, he would say, "Just like Civil War!" It's those little moments that make this game shine. (Not to mention that it puts a smile on your face.) At the end of arcade mode, you have (you probably know this already) Galactus as the final boss. I'll give arcade mode props to that, the final boss is EPIC. Each character has their own ending, which was nice. (It doesn't make up for no story mode.)

Overall, Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is lacking in two severe categories: story and characters. They said that it would be story driven. Nope. I could forgive characters if Venom was included. (Fine, call me biased.) However, it still is probably the greatest fighting game to come out in the last ten years, good luck trying to put down the controller. It's also a lot more fun when you have someone to play with, trust me on that. Fast-paced, great characters, and a good amount of stages makes this game worth the money.

I give Marvel vs. Capcom 3 an 8/10.