Platforms: Xbox 360 / PlayStation 3
Developers: Capcom
Players: Single Player / Two Player / Online Multiplayer
Genre: Fighting
Price: €49.99*
Possibly one of the most anticipated games of 2011, Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds has finally arrived and we’re actually in love. Three years in development and it’s time to get to grips with the one of the most manic fighting games ever concocted and published in the world of gaming. Forget what you know about the world of Marvel and Capcom as they are pulled together by chaotic forces and the fate of two worlds now hangs in the balance.
Dr. Victor Von Doom is up to his old tricks again but this time he is closer to succeeding than any other time before. Uniting with the most diabolical villain in the Capcom universe, Doom and Albert Wesker have combined their malevolent intellect and powers to pull their two worlds together but in the process they have awakened an ancient and destructive force, one that neither of them could hope to take down. It is up to the heroes of the Marvel and Capcom universes to unite and take down their arch rivals and bring balance and harmony back to their worlds.
So we’ve been playing the game now for almost thirteen hours (pretty much straight, but who actually needs sleep these days!) and we are more than impressed by it! Visually the game is a pure unadulterated feast for gamer eyes. The first of the Marvel vs. Capcom franchise to use 3D models in gameplay the game is still played in 2dimension mean players can only move up, left or right across the screen. Has this impacted on the actual gameplay when a lot of fighting games have opted for 3D battle arenas (Mortal Kombat, Tekken)?
Not in the slightest, much like Super Street Fighter IV the movement of the character is almost fluid and with a wide enough area for characters to spar in there is no hindrance of gameplay at all although we have to admit we can get distracted by how just damn amazing this game actually looks. The backdrops for each fight will take place across well known terrains from the towering metropolis of New York with Peter Parker snapping your fight from dizzying heights to the dank terrifying laboratories of Tri Cell.
Serious kudos must be given to the animators and artists for this game because a huge part of our love for MvC3 is in just how smart and beautiful the game looks.
You need to watch the full trailer – prepare to squeal with glee though!
Marvel vs. Capcom 3 not only looks different but is also handled differently to previous games in the series. The same basic principle of the game is in place, three man teams go head to head to do battle with the winner being crowned after the challenger loses all his/her health or the player with most hit points after a time limit runs out wins. The system of play has been altered to make things even simpler, one that will allow veterans to adapt to almost instantly but at the same time allow newcomers to the franchise to get to grips just as quickly. Using a combination of low medium and heavy attacks, the player will have to rack up high hitting combos and perform amazing attacks and abilities unique to each character to whittle their opponent down into a bloody pulp. The game features several modes of play, offline and online multiplayer, arcade, training and mission mode. Arcade is the standard mode of play pitting you against random teams until you make your way to the final boss and find the fate of the worlds in your hands. Training mode allows you to learn the moves of your favourite characters and plan your deadly combos and mission mode is a series of challenges specific to characters.
Our new favourite feature in the series is in the ‘license card’, a record with detailed information on your fighting style, player points as well as your wins and losses. This license card will also highlight the strengths and weaknesses in the way in which you fight your games allowing you to adapt and better your performance each time.
It is also now known that a truck load of downloadable content is on its way for the game, including new characters Jill Valentine and Shuma-Gorath and heaps more. Capcom have also opened up the character selection process to players allowing them to vote for who they would like to step into the fighting game.
With over 32 playable characters, countless fighting stages, hundreds of unique moves and deadly combos, Marvel vs. Capcom 3 has serious staying power in our books. After 13 hours we’ve only begun to get our heads and hands round the game, training them into the perfect sequence for our preferred characters. The game is nothing short of a feast of amazing graphics, a pumping soundtrack and hard kicking, hard punching fights with more than enough for a master or a novice. If you’ve never played the series before then this is where your training can begin and if you are like us here at the @rcade and you’ve been indoctrinated into the madness of Marvel vs. Capcom now for a long time then you can be safe in the knowledge that this is a more than worthy sequel to the prolific Marvel vs. Capcom 2!
What are you waiting for? Go out and buy it now!
Good Points
Everything about this game is amazing!
Bad Points
The level of difficulty (even in medium) is too random with some fights at the start being near impossible and others toward the end a pinch. The final boss battle is worth the challenge though!
Rating
9.5/10
*Price may vary depending on the retailer
