MVC3
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Latest UMvC3 patch live, includes Heroes and Heralds mode and various fixes
Heroes and Heralds mode, one of Capcom's biggest power plays to convince Marvel vs. Capcom 3 veterans that Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 would be worth their time and dollars, has finally been delivered to patiently punching patrons the world over. In this new mode, players can either fight to save the Earth from Galactus and his cosmic crew of ne'er-do-wells, or join said group of miscreants and work towards the planet's inevitable chomping. The mode's big selling point, beyond the shiny silver costumes of course, is the new Ability Card mechanic, which allows players to equip their characters with cards that provide ridiculous and otherwise unobtainable power-ups, such as an X-Factor burst or projectile immunity. Ability Cards are limited to the online and offline versions of Heroes and Heralds, however, so purists need not worry about the numerous balance implications inherent to the system. The patch also fixes several game breaking bugs, including Wolverine's Spencer-assisted Swiss Cheese infinite combo and the Reverse World, as seen in the video above. Most importantly, the "tech throws whenever you want, don't even worry about it" glitch has been corrected, much to the dismay of Wesker haters everywhere.
How UMvC3's Vita touch controls work
Portable versions of fighting games have a long and storied history of using alternate control schemes, although it's primarily been more out of necessity than for the sake of innovation. These days, however, modern handheld systems (like Sony's upcoming Vita) offer just as much input dexterity as their shelf-based counterparts, if not more so, to the point where developers are able to expand and experiment with their control paradigms. The Vita port of Marvel vs. Capcom 3, for example, makes use of both the device's touch screen and its rear capacitive touch panel for movement and attacks. Moving your finger horizontally along the back panel moves your character left or right, moving it down makes them duck and moving it up makes them jump. Attacks are initiated by tapping the screen, and hyper-combos are triggered by tapping the hyper meter; assists are called in by tapping the respective character's icon. It sounds like an awful lot of furious tapping and awkwardly loving strokes along the back of the device, and considering that all of your characters' meters could be on the left or right side of the screen, a bit of ambidextrousness may be required as well. Fear not, however: Conventional control methods will be included at no extra charge.
Watch the 2011 Canada Cup finals, right here on Joystiq!
Sure, StarCraft 2 and League of Legends make for some excellent spectator e-sporting events, but there's a specific brand of excitement, tension and hype that can only be found at world-class competitive fighting-game tournaments like the Canada Cup. Competitors from the U.S., Canada, the U.K., France, Germany, Sweden, Japan and Korea will compete in Street Fighter III: Third Strike, Super Street Fighter 4: Arcade Edition, and Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (among other titles). The festivities run all day, however the main event (Top 32 for SSF4:AE) starts at 4PM Eastern. Just past the break for the full schedule. Who will emerge victorious?! Fight!
Cross-examining Phoenix Wright in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3
I'm not the world's biggest Marvel vs. Capcom fan -- I prefer Street Fighter's comparatively slow-and-steady pace to what I often describe as "a bunch of insane stuff flying all over the screen for the entire match" -- but one particular addition to Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3's roster has me excited. The character in question: None other than ace attorney Phoenix Wright, who's made the jump from his own niche Nintendo DS courtroom adventure series to one of Capcom's biggest fighting game franchises.%Gallery-137983%
Meet Frank West and Rocket Raccoon, UMvC3's latest fighters
No doubt, most (if not all) of you are intimately familiar with Frank West and his impressive photojournalist/zombie murderer resume. Not only has he fought for his very life against imesurable odds, but he's also fought for Capcom against Japan's historic anime alumni in Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars. His survival instinct is apparently up to snuff, and as such he'll be fighting alongside Ryu and the others in next month's Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. You may not, however, be as familiar with the latest addition to Marvel's cast of characters: Rocket Raccoon. As an anthropomorphic space-jet fighter pilot and military strategist, Rocket predates similar ilk by 17 years, originating in the mid 70s and eventually becoming a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Ironically enough, both characters feel reminiscent of MvC2's Jill Valentine; namely, Frank's ability to summon zombies and Rocket's zoning traps. Check out Frank's introduction trailer above and Rocket's after the break, followed by two enlightening match videos featuring the new fighters.%Gallery-137983%
Prelude to punches: 11 gameplay videos for Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3
First Soulcalibur 5, and now Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3? We don't know what the French have done to get into such good graces with Japan's fighting game developers, but we're going to start taking notes. We want in on some of this pre-release expo-match lovin'. While we're out buying cigarettes and complicated foods to up our Frenchness, take a long gander at these 11 UMvC3 videos from a recent expo-match event at Paris' Manga Cafe, lovingly captured and uploaded by YouTube user Pharaon92i (with permission from Capcom France). Most of the new characters are represented, including the very best new character, so head on through for a look at the many punches you'll be receiving come November 15.
Capcom releases Ultimate MvC3 change log for Marvel characters
Capcom's time-honored tradition of updating its existing fighters proudly marches on, as Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3's November 15 release draws ever closer, filling the super meters in our hearts with a palpable anticipation for punches. As with any Capcom fighter update, the changes being made to existing characters are just as important as the new characters being introduced, and any fighter worth their salt knows how imperative it is to be prepared for those changes ahead of time. Lucky for you, we've posted UMvC3's massive Marvel characters change log after the break, so you can start making adjustments to your match-up strategies accordingly.
8-year-old MvC3 prodigy Noah Solis lands fighting sponsorship and clothing line
You may remember the story of Noah Solis, the 8-year-old Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 prodigy that captured the minds and hearts of the gaming community by placing in the top 48 at EVO 2011, destroying dozens of grown men in the process. Noah is more than a media darling, however, and his natural aptitude for shaming players with years of experience fighting games hasn't gone unnoticed by the pro set. Pro-gaming sponsorship consortium/clothing line/hip-hop label The Travelling Circus has signed Noah on to contribute to two of those three ventures, sponsoring his future fighting endeavors as well as launching a clothing line designed by the prodigy himself. Who knows, if Noah's fashion sense is anything like his fighting style, this kid may end up more Gucci than Gouken. At the moment, no information is available as to when his clothing line will be available, or when his first sponsored match is set to take place, but we have a feeling we'll be hearing about Noah long before next year's EVO.
Relive all the punches with these EVO 2011 finals videos
EVO Championship Series, the largest fighting-game tournament in America and one of the largest world-wide, is like most other professional sporting events: watching it live is a big part of what makes it so entertaining. Unlike other pro-sports however, fighting-game tournaments take a heck of a lot of time, and not everyone has a whole weekend to spend watching dudes punch dudes. For those of you that missed the epic, surprising finals at this year's competition, IGN has made catching up incredibly easy. Hit the source link for videos of each Super Street Fighter 4 Arcade Edition and Marvel vs. Capcom 3 battle in the Grand Finals; we recommend Justin Wong vs. PR Balrog and Daigo vs. Latif for being the two most wager-destroying fights of the tournament. If you listen closely, you can hear someone losing the deed to their house as PR Balrog perfects Justin Wong.
EVO 2011 Results Roundup
This year's EVO Championship Series was bonkers, you guys. Not only did MVC legend Justin Wong get perfected into third place during the Marvel vs Capcom 3 grand finals, but The Beast took a bewildering fourth place in Super Street Fighter 4: Arcade Edition, ending two consecutive years of first-place victories. This was also the first EVO ever to feature a Mortal Kombat game, which is a major victory for both NetherRealm Studios and the MK kommunity. Historically, Mortal Kombat titles have never been considered balanced or polished enough to participate in high-level tournaments, and EVO's seal of approval goes a long way in legitimizing Mortal Kombat in the eyes of the fighting community. Check out the highlights reel above for some incredible displays of skill, dedication, and heart, and be sure to peep the full list of winners and finalists after the break.
Marvel vs. Capcom 3 producer hosting panel at Comic-Con
Capcom veteran and Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 Producer/Director Ryota Niitsuma will be hosting a pannel at this year's Comic-Con, where conventionistas will be the first to take a sneak peek at ... something. The schedule teases a new reveal of some kind, urging fighting fans to come to the pannel to hear "the fantastic news" about the series. What that news may be remains shrouded in mystery for the moment, but true believers can at least look forward to a Q&A session with Niitsuma. Attendees will also have the chance to fight on stage for "fantastic prizes" (in the game, probably). We expect at least one person will be kicked hundreds and hundreds of times.
Marvel vs. Capcom 3 lineup joined by X-23
Capcom's over-the-top comic book crossover has picked up another combatant at Tokyo Game Show. Ripped from the pages of X-Men, "X-23" enters Marvel vs. Capcom 3 as a nimble counterpart to Wolverine. As our exasperated comic expert points out, "She's a female clone of Wolverine and possesses all of his regenerative and feral abilities. She also has adamantium-coated blades protruding from her hands and feet -- so she probably doesn't spend a ton of money on gloves or galoshes." You can get a snikt peek at X-23 in action (along with Tron Bonne) in the video clips after the break. %Gallery-102431%
Marvel vs. Capcom 3 nearing development 'climax'
In a recent update on the Marvel vs. Capcom 3 developer blog, assistant producer Akihito Kadowaki wrote, "Development is approaching a climax" (as translated by Andriasang). While Kadowaki didn't elaborate on the exact meaning of that statement, it could suggest that the game's groundwork is almost complete, leaving plenty of time for the team to focus on character balancing before the game's expected release in spring 2011. Other, completely unlikely scenarios include: (1) Development is about to be handed off to British indie studio Climax Group for the finishing touches; or (2) an agreement has been reached with Sega to add Bayonetta to the roster. Kadowaki also hinted that MvC3 would soon appear at an event -- hmm, what's coming up? If the core development phase, which reportedly began almost two years ago, is nearing completion, perhaps we could soon see a gameplay demonstration. Dare we even hope for a playable E3 demo?
Marvel vs. Capcom 3 in development since summer 2008
For those of you thinking that Capcom's recently revealed Marvel vs. Capcom 3 was born from the strong sales of last year's Marvel vs. Capcom 2 downloadable release, well, Capcom's Ryota Niitsuma has some learnin' for you. "We really started working in development in summer 2008. But all the contract and legal negotiations -- that came way before that, as well. So ... we started to produce this game before the success of Marvel vs. Capcom 2 as a downloadable title," Niitsuma told GameTrailers, speaking through a translator during an interview at Captivate 2010 (found after the break). Notably, Niitsuma's timeline contradicts statements made by Capcom last May. At that time, Capcom's Seth Killian told us, "What we're hoping is that if people get really juiced about [the MvC2 downloadable release], and we can show Marvel that there's a lot of heat behind this, then they'll open up the door for us to do something with '3,' which is something we'd love to do." Boy, the things a company representative will say to guard an early-in-production title. [Via VG247]
