Marvel vs. Capcom 3 Review: A Ride Worth Taking

After ten long years of waiting, Capcom has released to the world Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Arguably the most anticipated fighting title of all time, Marvel vs. Capcom 3 allows fans to once again take up the reins of their favorite characters from the two franchises and beat the hell out of each other. The only question is, was it worth the wait?

If you’ve played Marvel vs. Capcom 2, you know exactly what to expect from the third title in the series. You choose three fighters to play as, and then beat up a team of three other fighters. The main difference between this and the previous games in the series is that the controls are completely changed. Similar to how Tatsunoko vs. Capcom on the Wii played, you have one set of attack buttons (light, medium, heavy) and a special button which is used as a knockback ability, throwing enemies into the air or, conversely, face first to the ground.

If you’re a fan to the series, this will mean that your first few hours will be spent trying to get over the learning curve of the game, which is surprisingly a pretty steep curve. I can’t tell you how much I attempted to play this game like it’s predecessor, screwing up combos or calling in teammates by accident simply because I forgot the game doesn’t have seperate buttons for punches and kicks. Fans of the SNK fighting games will actually have very little problems adjusting to the controls of this title.

The game itself is gorgeous, with scrolling background levels based on areas from the Marvel and Capcom universe (my personal favorite being Thor’s Asgard level). Character models are also fantastic to look at, though some are far superior to others. Where Amaterasu and Dormammu pop on the screen with vibrant visuals and colorful costume options, characters like Spiderman could have spent just a little more time being redrawn and tooled (Spidey’s face for some reason just sits horribly for me. His eyes on his mask are far too big, and his hands seem incredibly out of proportion.)

The new characters to the series are fantastic, but the big bummer is that some of the returning fan favorites have suffered from the control change. For instance, in MvC2, my main was always Spiderman because of his speed and agility. Spiderman’s abilities have been nerfed horribly in MvC3, to the point that I simply cannot stand to even play with him anymore. While it would have been nice for the game to continue the control style that the previous games had, it makes sense from a developer standpoint to streamline the controls for new users.

Online multiplayer is essentially the same as it was on Super Street Fighter 4. You can play ranked matches, turn on fight requests whilst playing through the Arcade mode, or compete against seven of your friends in a quarters-style party play. My one major gripe I’ve had with all of the recent Capcom fighting games is that they do not support multiple players playing online in a party from the same Xbox. I know that not many do that, but when I have friends over to play games, I’d prefer that I didn’t have to sit out a turn so we can both get to play.

I really didn’t like Marvel vs. Capcom 3 when I started playing it. The slower pace and controls made it really difficult for a seasoned veteran of the fighting genre like myself to get into it. The more I play it, the more I enjoy it. Marvel vs. Capcom 3 kinda reminds me the shlock movie The Room. It’s not very good, or very well polished, but it’s a hell of a lot of fun. I’m sure by now if you’re a fan of fighting games, you already picked this up, and know exactly what I’m talking about. If you’re sitting on the fence however, Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is a worthy entry into the venerable series. Just make sure you don’t play it with anything short of a fightpad or arcade stick.

Seriously, don’t. It’s nigh-on unplayable with a standard 360 controller.