Crossovers are a funny thing, capable of bringing together the best and worst that a franchise has to offer. Characters you have grown to love are thrust into the same universe, and suddenly a whole world of brand new possibilities are yours for the taking. What would happen when your favorite heroes teamed up to fight the darkest villains two universes are capable of conjuring up? How would they react? Who’d fight who? More importantly, who would win? Marvel Vs Capcom has managed to till the very rich soil of two classic franchises to spectacular effect over the years, most recently with the welcome appearance of Marvel Vs Capcom 3 less than a year ago. For some reason that’s beyond me, the Powers That Be have seen fit to release an updated version of the game to audiences. Is it worth the trouble?
First off, what does one get when they pick up Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom 3? They get the original game, albeit it tweaked in a few respects, but with a total of 12 brand new characters for fans to send into the ring. Marvel and Capcom get to add 6 new fighters to each of their sides, bringing the total roster of video-game and comic-book personalities to 48. That’s an unholy amount of variety when it comes to combat configurations, with new faces like Frank West, Ghost Rider, Doctor Strange and Phoenix Wright bringing their own styles to the fray. The original game is incredibly diverse and entertaining with its primary cast, but every one of these newcomers are well-enough designed and balanced to cause a significant change in the title’s fighting landscape. From Phoenix Wright’s courtroom and “Objection!” based combos to Rocket Racoon’s trap based shenanigans, each character (not to mention their insanely zany attacks) is beautifully rendered and executed.
Apparently, a few balance issues that plagued the original game have been addressed and attack levels tweaked in order to level out the playing field. The game is still incredibly gorgeous and handles extremely well with its intuitive “Normal” and “Simple” control schemes. According to some, button mashing is now encouraged in certain areas and the HUD has also seen an updated redesign. I couldn’t find any sort of tutorial mode, merely a practice arena where I could pummel unresponsive AI to death, something I found a tad frustrating. Also included are some new cinematics, artwork and other such associated bonus goodies to be unlocked the further you move along the ranks. This is basically Marvel Vs Capcom 3 with some new bells and whistles, a rock solid title with impeccable pedigree and an incredibly fun game to play if fighters are your thing. I’d definitely recommend this if you somehow missed out on the first iteration, but if you’re an uber fan of Marvel Vs Capcom 3 I can’t argue against getting your hand on these new upgrades and characters.
Can’t wait to play this game. I’ve been putting off buying the original hoping for the inclusion of Vergil.
Yup, he’s definitely in there. Haven’t had much time with him but he seems to handle nicely. Plus, he just looks incredibly cool. Looking forward to some Dante Vs Vergil action.