Marvel vs Capcom 3 review

Well, it's been out for over a week now, but as always with my reviews, I give them at least a good several hours worth of play before giving my thoughts.

Marvel vs Capcom 3 is the latest installment of Capcom's flashy fighting series. Pitting 3 person teams made up from characters from the vast canon of the Marvel comics and Capcom games, you battle your way through a series of colossal battles until you meet the obligatory end boss, who is hell bent in ripping you a new one.

So what's it like? Does it stand up to the two previous games, or is it simply a button masher that isn't worth bothering with? Let's have a peek!

The Story:

Well, it's quite simple. Everyone is fighting until some huge big disaster occurs....some big flaming mass appears in the sky and everyone wants to find out what it is. There is probably a bit more to it than that, but to be honest it doesn't make itself known!

What I liked:

First of all, it's a new Marvel vs Capcom game. Being a huge fan of both comics and Capcom games, the game dishes out fan service from every pore. Some of the new character additions to the series are brilliant. Dante, Chris Redfield, Deadpool, Arthur the Knight, Wesker, Phoenix....they are all animated brilliantly and play fantastically. Characters such as Deadpool really excel with how they have been handled, from their animations to moves, which in one case with Deadpool sees him literally jump up, rip the energy bar from the top of the screen and whack your opponent into oblivion! Amazing. The fighting stages are also brilliant, ranging from a float parade held at the Daily Bugle, to fights within the labs from Resident Evil and a run-through stage from Super Ghouls 'n' Ghosts. The controls are fairly straight forward, with buttons for weak, medium and heavy attacks, and a new dedicated "launch" button, where, funnily enough, you launch your opponent into the air where you can follow it up with an ariel battering of your choosing! Another new addition is the "X-factor". No no....nothing to do with the entertainment choice of the brain dead, in this mode your simply hit all four face buttons and it supercharges you up to do extra damage for a set amount of time, which when hit at the right time can turn the tide of battle into your favour. Online modes are set up well. You can jump into a lobby for up to eight people and play a kind of winner stays on type mode, which is nice, even though it's a bit boring watching energy bars go down in other peoples fights while you wait to get in on the action. There is a great practice mode, where you can cripple your fingers to death practicing the button combinations and learning combo attacks. With fantastic, if a little zingy at times graphics, and a great soundtrack, I've had a great deal of fun playing it. However....

What I loathed:

AAARRRRGGGHHH!!! I know it's the staple of fighting games. From the early days of the various SNK fighting games, the last boss has always been a complete bastard. From Geese Howard to Omega Rugal, from Streetfighter's Seth to Dead or Alive's Tengu....it's a tradition that the end boss should be hard. But prepare yourself for frustration like you have never had before....ladies and gents....I give you Galactus in MVC3. He's a fucking joke. Seriously. Almost game breaking. Even before you get to fight him he chucks out two characters he's summoned that you have to deal with. These guys, who like Dural from The Virtua fighter games are silver, give you a good shoeing until you get rid of them, and then the devourer of worlds himself turns up to finish you off. you can pull off super after super, bring out your biggest moves, and he doesn't even flinch. He just sits there soaking up your moves and with one punch kills your character. Whatever you do doesn't seem to effect him.....it's the equivalent of a human trying to knock out the statue of Liberty! Totally ridiculous. It's just so frustrating. Why Capcom....why? Why did you have to make the last boss cheaper than a Lidl carrier bag? It literally makes me want to throw my controller out of the window....and I hate to admit (and I don't give a flying bag of balls if you laugh) I have yet to beat him. 30+ attempts and nothing.

The verdict?

Marvel vs Capcom 3 if a fun game. Fans of both series will love the fan service, the easy to get in to but quite deep if you want it gameplay, and the flashy moves and over the top gameplay never fails to raise a smile. Some of the new characters are welcome additions, and online is working well as of this time. But the end of level boss literally takes all the enjoyment you had up until when you meet with him and the game takes that enjoyment, buts it in a blender and mixes it with shit! And then makes you eat it!

Rating: 7/10





(Xbox 360 version reviewed. Also available on PS3)