If there’s two things my geeky little heart loves, it’s Capcom games and Marvel comics. It would seem that the Marvel vs. Capcom series would be right up my alley. Unfortunately, my ambition and my abilities are not in par with each other, resulting in my MvC skills being somewhere in-between “miserable” and “the equivalent of tossing marshmallows at a controller from across the room”.
But sidling up to Marvel vs. Capcom 3, something amazing happened: for the first time, I won an MvC match against a real human! And who do I thank? My editor for sending me to PAX? My family for their undying support? The Taphouse Grill for leaving me hung-over and numb to the world?
Actually, I thank whoever it was on the development team that decided to remap the controls. Gone are punch and kick buttons--the control scheme has been simplified to four attacks, one for each face button--Light Attack, Medium Attack, Heavy Attack, and Aerial Attack. And God bless them for it.
Combos flow freely, special moves come out of nowhere, and powerful game saving ultimate attacks are always a heartbeat away. The action is quick and relentless, and the thrill of escaping from an opponent’s offense and mounting a comeback is some of the most exhilarating gameplay I’ve experienced in a long time.
The graphics, as I’m sure many screenshots and videos have shown you by now, are beautiful and crisp. When things get heated, the screen can get a bit crowded with special effects and partner characters coming in for assists, but the distractions are never unbearable, and if I understand the tournament crowd correctly, learning to focus past them are part of the game.
All-in-all a good showing, and I’m excited to see the final product. As a fighting game fan who tends to suck at fighting games, I’m looking forward to this evolution of an industry classic.
Overall Demo Hawtness:
8/10 - Marvel, Capcom, bright flashy lights. How could you go wrong?
