Seeing as there haven't been any reviews up on the main page in a while, I've decided to fill the gap and write one on Marvel Vs. Capcom 3. Once again, feedback is appreciated, as are your own opinions on the game. Next review will be on an anime. Promise.

INTRODUCTION
When the original X-Men Vs. Street Fighter was released for arcades in the late 90’s, it was the start of something wonderful, a 2D fighter featuring fan favourites in quick tag-team battles was something fresh for the 2D fighting genre, and it’s legacy has since expanded to Marvel Vs. Street Fighter and the infamous Marvel Vs. Capcom series, with the 2nd game still posing as one of the popular fighting games ever, with tournaments held some eleven years after its original console release on the Dreamcast.

But even with its fame and subsequent re-releases on Xbox Live and the Playstation Network, fans were crying-out for the series to finally break into the realm of HD gaming. Last year’s Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom was proof that the concept still had its place in today’s marketplace, and following the games positive reception, Capcom got to work on what many call one of the most demanded sequels in the industry. But after over a decade of waiting, can it live up to its mammoth expectations, or will its predecessor outlive its 3D successor?

STORY
Apparently unrelated to the official Marvel canon (as well as Capcom’s several game-related continuity’s), MvC3 sees both worlds merge together when Marvel’s Doctor Doom teams-up with Capcom’s Albert Wesker (of Resident Evil fame) in a bid to conquer them both. However, with the worlds combined comes a new force in the form of Galactus, a being the size of a galaxy intent on devouring worlds to enhance his own power. From there, both sides decide to team-up in a bid to take him down.

And that’s basically it. Whilst the games early trailers showed signs of a proper storyline, the plot ultimately acts as more of an excuse then any kind of worthwhile narrative (Even the game’s instruction booklet only dedicates 1/8th of a page to it). This is evident in the games single-player mode, as there are no story sequences to speak-of, and character endings have little-to-no meaning other then the occasional in-joke or cameo, and even then, they usually consist of two static images with on-screen text, which feels cheap compared to the video endings of other fighters.

It’s a shame, as there could have been potential to add to what could have been a silly, but entertaining premise. But still, it’s clear that both companies were more concerned about getting the gameplay down rather than wasting their time with filler, and in such a case, we can definitely accept that.



GRAPHICS
Following the trend started by Street Fighter IV, Capcom has moved another fighting franchise into the third dimension, and the result is very pleasing; Everything is given a cel-shaded look to give-off more of a retro comic-book effect, whilst backgrounds feature familiar territory from both sides, including the Umbrella Labs from Resident Evil, The Daily Bugle from Spider-Man and even a wireframe training stage for the more distracted among you.

Characters also look and move like they should, displaying a high level of detail as well as a ton of smooth move animations. Visual effects also add to the chaos, and the interface uses comic fonts to enhance the vibe. The game is also one of the most colourful I’ve seen in a while, which makes a sweet change from many of the muted colour schemes utilized in other current-gen titles. Add to this a super-solid frame rate, and you’re looking at one hell of a beautiful game.

SOUND
Whilst the previous game featured probably the most hilariously ill-fitting soundtrack to a game ever, MvC3 takes the safer route, with the bulk of the games original pieces consisting of dynamic orchestrations, whilst the rest consists of popular franchise tunes: Dante uses the Devil May Cry 3 theme, Arthur has his original Ghouls & Ghosts stage 1 theme and Ryu uses his Street Fighter theme as standard. The Marvel characters are given more generic themes, but some of them are pretty good.

Voice acting is also solid, with many characters VA’s returning to reprise their roles, including Steven Jay Blum as Wolverine, which adds a nice layer of authenticity. The game also features Japanese and English VA’s for the Capcom cast, whilst the Marvel cast is English-only. Sound effects are also pretty good, and there’s even an option to change back to the original MvC2 sounds, as well as retro mixes of the games original themes.

And just for the record, “Take You For a Ride” does return for this sequel, although you will only hear it during the character select screen in practice mode, which is a strange choice.



GAMEPLAY
This is where things start to get a bit messy, so let’s start with the positives quickly: The fighting itself is excellent, utilizing the same 3-on-3 system that the previous game was known for but with a few new additions: The ability to change characters during air combos, advanced guards that negate any damage an attack would have otherwise caused and the X-Factor, a poorly-named mechanic that makes your team more powerful dependent on how many members are left. With three members, it doesn’t do much, but with a lone character remaining, the results can be game-changing. It’s a simple mechanic that works to change the tide of battle, although the effects can sometimes be too overpowering for the opposition. Many of the games returning roster has also been rebalanced for the better, although some issues still remain (characters like Akuma can chain infinite combos, leaving the opponent with zero change of recovery).

Then there’s the roster itself. Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 was well-known for its gigantic roster of 56 characters, which is why it’s sequels roster of 36 comes off as a bit of a downgrade by comparison. Some of the choices are also puzzling: Megaman’s Zero makes an appearance instead of Megaman himself, Crimson Viper from Street Fighter IV was apparently more suitable then even the franchises villain M. Bison and the inclusion of Marvel’s She-Hulk and M.O.D.O.K range from pointless to baffling. Some characters that made their debut in Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom are also absent here (Dead Rising’s Frank West was apparently removed due to time). Capcom already have additional character and costume DLC lined-up, so if you want your favourite character is be playable in the future, you’d better hope for the best and open your wallets, because they’re not going to come cheap.

MvC3 also suffers from a lack of mode variety. Whilst Arc’s BlazBlue: Continuum Shift and Capcom’s very own Super Street Fighter IV have MANY modes of play, this one is stripped to its bare essentials: A generic arcade mode, versus mode, a training mode and a “mission” mode which acts as a half-baked tutorial. Genre staples such as survival, time and score attack modes are bizarrely absent.

The online mode features your standard ranked and player matches, but present connection issues make ranked matches a hassle to get into, and player lobbies are a bore due to a lack of spectator mode, meaning you’ll be forced to watch nothing but health bars until it’s your go. Considering that this game is considered as fun to watch as it is to play, the lack of even a basic spectator mode is ridiculous and INCREDIBLY lazy on Capcom’s part. Apparently it’s being patched into the game at a later date, but that’s absolutely no excuse; and that includes the rest, too.

It should also be noted that there’s virtually no difference between the 360 and PS3 versions of the game, although the PS3 version does feature ever-so-slightly longer loading times.

VERDICT
Despite its severe lack of modes and incompetence on Capcom’s part, it’s still a satisfying game to play, and that’s the most important part. Hopefully the roster DLC and extra modes will add some much-needed value to what still feels like a somewhat-disappointing, but generally well-polished product. If you want to make it more worthwhile, find some friends to play with locally and you’ll see yourself playing together for months. Will it last as long as the previous game? Find out in ten years.

FINAL SCORE: 8/10