Good fighting games have become a rarity in this seventh generation of gaming. There is no doubt that the quality of fighting games has reduced in the last few years, save for Blazblue and Tekken, but those are far and few between and this is precisely why Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds is a pretty important title in my opinion. Fortunately for fighting fans the game does not disappoint at all and to be fair, it is one of the most satisfying experiences I have had in the fighting genre since the days of Tekken 3 on the PlayStation One. Well, stories normally don’t have any significance in fighting games but I think it is a worth a mention. Doctor Doom and the antagonist of the Resident Evil franchise, Albert Wesker have joined forces and assembled the greatest villains of the Marvel and Capcom Universe in an attempt to conquer both. And now it is up to the heroes of this Universe to save us from this mess.

Marvel Versus Capcom 3 features the tag based fighting system from the previous games and is basically centred on two players fighting it out. So when you first boot up the game you will be given a number of options and as usual the Arcade mode is the best place to experience a fighting game. The arcade mode is nothing but the story mode of the characters you will select. Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is a 3 versus 3 character fight and as such you will have to select three characters. The developers have also provided reserve units wherein you can pre define your own team of three so that you can avoid the hassle of selecting your favourite super heroes. This is not a huge thing but goes a long way for players who have different tastes about their fighting style and as such you can maintain multiple reserve units. You can also change the costume of your characters by pressing the Y button which in no way affects the gameplay but does present the player the option to customize them.

Deadpool is easily one of the best characters in the game

After selecting each of the characters, you will need to decide the type of assist mode you want. Every character has three types of assist moves, labeled alpha, beta and gamma. For example if you select Thor as one of your characters you will be given the option to select Mighty Smash, Mighty Strike and Mighty Spark as your Beta, Gamma and Alpha assists. Assist is a pretty important feature in the game as a character with a better assist move can turn a match on its own since some players like Chris Redfield has an assist move which fires bullets from a distance and hence making his move independent of whether your foe is near or away from your primary character. My personal favourite assist move is the Wire Grapple by Spencer as he can grab your enemies Scorpion style and hence making them vulnerable to attacks from the primary character. Another really good assist move belongs to The Hulk, called Gamma Wave where he will lift the ground, hence making your enemies unstable.

So when you are all done with the character and stage selection the real fun begins. Just like any technical fighter, MVC3 requires precision in timing before you land your shots. Marvel versus Capcom 3 employs a simple three button approach including light, medium and hard attacks, unlike Marvel versus Capcom 2 which had employed a four button approach. The game is also the first in the franchise to employ three dimensional models but the gameplay and moves still remain strictly two dimensional. As you inflict damage on your opponents you will be able to fill an HP bar, placed at the bottom of the screen. The bar also comes with a level indicator and by the press of an appropriate button you will be able to perform a special move. Now the good thing about this is that the HP will also increase if the opponent inflicts damage on you, albeit a bit slowly, hence making the battles more balanced and fair. The HP can go up to a maximum of level 5 and you can either use the HP to one character or get all of your three characters to use their super powers for maximum damage.

Some of the special moves are truly insane. For example a move by Hulk will see him jump on his opponent with a giant meteor or Dead Pool taking the life bar from the display and using that as weapon to lay the smackdown on you or your opponent. Then there are combos that you can stack up against your enemy or even better do group combos. In group combos the primary character will give an upper cut to opposing character and then your two remaining secondary characters will smash him/her one by one. This is pretty satisfying and should be used if you are running low on HP. In the Arcade mode there a total of six stages that you need to clear before you take on the boss. As you may have already known the main boss of the game is Galactus but first of all you have to take down Albert Wesker and Doctor Doom. After dealing with them you will face the gigantic Galactus who wishes to annihilate Earth. Now Galactus from Fantastic Four is a pretty mean boss as he will try to smash you with his fingers or use his cosmic powers to rid you of your misery.

Power moves are insane

The Arcade mode serves as nice practice, although there is actually a practice mode where you can get warmed up to the controls and moves, but the real fun lies in the online modes. This is where you will face the best of the world’s fighters and will find yourself playing for hours and hours at length, fighting against your favourite super heroes and foes. The online mode is not revolutionary because it does not need to be. You can enter Ranked matches wherein you will be given two options: Quick and Custom match. Capcom has given the player the option to customize their online matches by region and language. I think this is nice feature as it adds more urge for the players to top in their respective regions instead of topping the world. You also have the Player Match mode where you can fight anyone from anywhere. You can also search and create your own lobbies which are a great idea for buddies to join and fight amongst themselves. The online is pretty simple but satisfying at the same time, however I witnessed lag at a few occasions. For example I was playing as Ryu and while executing his super power the frame rate dropped beyond acceptable margins. Outside of the Arcade and Online modes you have the Versus, Gallery and Missions Mode. Gallery lets you check out character bios, endings, 3D models, sound and movies. The character bio gives you pretty important details about character attributes like intelligence, strength and fighting ability. Taking these factors in to consideration can go a long way if you face a tougher opponent. In Missions mode you will have to complete a set of challenges. These challenges are nothing but moves you have to master for each character essentially preparing you for the Arcade and the online modes. There is also a license card included which basically tracks your data like level, reserve units, fighting style and your score.

The presentation matches the theme of the game pretty well, though the menu could have done a bit better. The story lines of each of the characters are represented via pretty cool comics. They are pretty short in length but they add value to the game. The game employs cel shaded visuals and the characters/environments look gorgeous. The animations of their special moves and sound the player makes while executing them are oh so near to their comic counterparts. The game employs flashy lights and animations which surprisingly look amazing considering the fact that the game is already pretty colourful given the character line up, fortunate for the players that Capcom did not over-do it.

Combos are a great way to take down your opponents

Marvel Versus Capcom 3 is a fantastic game and in a market that is deprived of good fighting games- fighting genre fans should not have second thoughts about picking MvC 3 up. It does not revolutionize the fighting genre and employs a simple and a sweet strategy. With 33 of your favourite characters from the boot and more to come from future DLCs, this is a game that should be in your gaming library.

Second opinion by Bojeeva:

It makes no difference whether it’s the schoolyard or a bar, lively debates have raged for years about which comic book character would come out on top were they to face off. Would Captain America or the Hulk emerge victorious? Could Spiderman outwit Wolverine? And what about Iron Man versus Doctor Doom?

Well, thanks once again to Capcom, the answer to those questions is only a few button presses away. And what’s more there are plenty more matchups to be had.

Marvel vs Capcom 3 brings 36 (with additional DLC on the way) of your favourite characters together on this occasion. Even though 20 more were available for the series’ previous outing when it first appeared on the Dreamcast in 2000, it doesn’t mean this release packs any less of a punch.

The “plot” is simple; Doctor Doom has rounded up some of his evil peers from the Marvel universe and joined forces with Capcom’s very own Resident Evil antagonist Albert Wesker (and his cronies) in a dastardly bid to take over the world. Your mission is to stop them in their tracks and give them a sound beating.

As you may have gathered, it’s not just the comic books that have leant some of their greatest heroes to the title; the likes of Dante (Devil May Cry), Arthur (Ghosts N Goblins), Zero (Mega Man) and Morrigan (Darkstalkers) help to fill the fighter’s roster.

First and foremost, you have to pick your three-strong team of fighters who then act as a tag team in your bouts. During a fight, you can call upon another character to assist you or switch completely should you be taking a beating.
2D fighting games are all the rage nowadays and there are plenty to choose from. But MvC3 offers something altogether different from the likes of the acclaimed Street Fighter IV and BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger. It’s big and brash, with every single pixel on the screen awash with colour and activity. The cel-shading effects look fantastic and the characters really have retained their comic-book identities.

But where the game really excels is by managing to appeal to both fighting novices and the more hardcore beat-em-up fans. The controls are far less convoluted than some of its rivals – with far less complex stick manipulation and button pushing required, which makes MvC3 a welcome introduction to the genre as well as a decent challenge. The option to select a simple or advanced control method is certainly welcome and will no doubt encourage more players to come back for more.

As a result, the game is immediately rewarding and accessible. Within minutes, newbies will be able to pull off some devastating, eye-catching combos. But this doesn’t, in any way, detract from the game and still provides plenty of depth. Fortunately, button mashers will not always emerge victorious! Dedicate some serious hours to this game and within no time you’ll improve your skills, ready to take on all comers.

As soon as you leave the menu screen, the action is fast and frenetic. Capcom has balanced the characters fairly well and provided a multitude of different fighting styles and special moves. Personal favourites are Trish, X-23 and Wolverine – all blessed with devastating long-range special moves and some decent combo strikes. The taunts and music for each fighter really add to the proceedings too.

Beyond the arcade, training and mission modes, the online options will probably dominate your time. Matchups are painless and lag or lost host connections are rare. What’s more, each time you finish a fight you’ll most likely be rewarded with all kinds of unlockable content popping up on your screen – everything from new costumes, movies and characters, which will help to keep you hooked.

Without a doubt, MvC3 freshens up the series and is a fantastic title, with plenty in the replayability stakes. Within a few bouts you’ll have decided upon your favourite characters and fathomed many of their special moves. As mentioned above, it literally has something for everyone – novices and diehard fighting fans alike.