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Metareview: Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds
It's been a long time coming for fight fans, but Marvel vs Capcom 3 will finally arrive in households across the country this week. Now that you've already read our take on the game (we checked your browser history), it's time to check out what the rest of the critics have to say. Shall we take you for a ride? 1UP (91/100): "The possibilities are endless, and you'll experience something new in every match you play. Try to leave your preconceived notions about what this game should be at the door, pick it up, and just have fun because that's what this game is all about." GamesRadar (90/100): "With spectacular comic book presentation, some of the most chaotic action in any game ever and sufficient technical depth to keep even ultra hardcore fight fans happy, this is the impossible - a worthy successor to Marvel vs Capcom 2." OXM (90/100): "The magic of the game is in its approachability... For both hardcore fighting fans and genre newbies, Marvel vs. Capcom 3 offers a whole lotta bang for your buck." [Mar 2011, p.70] IGN (85/100): "The balance and depth in the game is astonishing, and even the odd characters have their distinct charms...What's really a shame here is that the developer didn't manage to find a way to supplement the core experience with extras that would extend the life of the game by adding some variety to the package." Eurogamer (80/100): "Far more welcoming to button-mashers than Street Fighter IV, this is a game in which you can tap stuff and watch sparkly miracles happen. But to begin to understand and master its systems will take just as much practice as it did in Ono's game – and quicker reactions to boot."
Marvel vs. Capcom 3 review: The premier in button-mashing mash-ups
Montague vs. Capulet. Death Row vs. Bad Boy. Sparta vs. Athens. Yankees vs. Red Sox. Hamilton vs. Burr. Sure, these guys have some bad blood. I'd even go so far as to say they've got beef. But do any of them have the ability to manipulate metal or flex a bionic arm? How about healing powers and adamantium claws? Are any of them gods of thunder? I thought not. Advantage Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds. The excuse for bringing all these characters into the same place basically boils down to this: Dr. Doom, of Marvel fame, and Wesker, from the Resident Evil games, try to meld their respective universes in order to take them both over at once. Unfortunately, by doing so, they made it easier for the rampaging planet eater Galactus to chow down on two worlds. It's all fairly inconsequential to the gameplay but, hey, there needs to be at least some reason for bringing all these folks together for a third time. And to be honest, when a game is as much fun as MvC3, I don't really care what that reason is.%Gallery-113997%
More Marvel vs. Capcom 3 alt costumes in the spotlight, including the Mango Sentinel
Marvel's Chris Baker has done his final lap through the various origins of Marvel vs. Capcom 3's alternate costumes for the superheroes in the game and, just like last time, things get geeky fast. Good to see Marvel got the Days of Future Now Deadpool in there, as well as Doom 2099 and the Secret Invasion Super Skrull. Most players who choose the variants might not know where they come from, but you comic book geeks will. Of course, this last round of backstory also reveals that Marvel and Capcom didn't always have a lot of choices for some of the more obscure characters. Sometimes, they just bent things around as much as possible (witness Thor's continuity-breaking "inspired by" costume variants) and sometimes they just look to the New York Knicks.That's right -- the Mango Sentinel is back.
Launch week deals on Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Test Drive Unlimited 2 at Kmart
Unless you lucked into one of those half-off coupons from Amazon, you're unlikely to find a better deal on Marvel vs. Capcom 3 at launch than the one Kmart's offering right now -- albeit a deal contingent upon your continued Kmart shopping. From Feb. 15 through 19, the retailer is offering its "Shop Your Way Rewards" members $25 worth of points for in-store purchases of the game. Kmart is also giving away an exclusive poster (above) with MvC3 purchases -- supplies are limited, of course. In addition, Kmart is throwing a pile of deals at people interested in Test Drive Unlimited 2. Through Feb. 12, the retailer is giving away a free code for a Ferrari 612 Sessanta. In-store purchases for 360 will come with free copies of the PC version of Test Drive Unlimited 1, and PS3 buyers get the first game on PSP thrown in. And if you're a member of that rewards program, you get $10 worth of points. With this kind of bribery, Kmart's making a pretty good argument for becoming a member and getting into a Kmart habit.
Take an elongated look at PDP's Marvel Versus Fighting Pad
If the upcoming Mad Catz Marvel vs. Capcom 3 Fight Sticks are a little too intimidating for you, Marvel and PDP have cooked up a much more diminutive option. The Marvel Edition Versus Fighting Pad comes packed with love-it-hate-it Marvel artwork, an arcade button layout and an elongated left ... erm ... prong(?) for more ergonomic digital pugilism. Furthermore, both the buttons and specially designed thumb pad operate using actual microswitch actuators -- the same kind you'd find in a real arcade cabinet. The Versus pad is available for pre-order for $40 and is expected to arrive on February 14, making it the perfect last minute Valentine's Day gift for the nerd in your life. Only the Xbox 360 version of the pad has been announced, though a PS3 version may be released if the 360 pad does well. Check out an in-depth video of the Versus in action after the break.
Fight against developer AI in Marvel vs. Capcom 3's DLC 'Shadow Mode'
Did you ever want the chance to take on a fighting game's developers at, like, 2AM? Capcom is giving you the chance to approximate that experience with some upcoming DLC for Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds. "Shadow Mode" comprises downloadable AI characters designed to play in the style of real people. The first pack will include teams imitating the play styles of producer Ryota Niitsuma, assistant producer Akihito Kadowaki, and "a QA team leader." Capcom teases that future DLC "may feature some personalities you already know." We're holding out for an AI Daigo to destroy us. This idea of AI versions of real people is also being implemented in another upcoming fighter. Dead or Alive Dimensions builds an AI profile of the player, then beams that out via the 3DS's "StreetPass" communication to other players nearby, allowing them to fight against a robot version of you.
Get a giant eyeful of Marvel vs. Capcom 3's Shuma-Gorath and Jill Valentine
These new Marvel vs. Capcom 3 screens are our first clear look at the two known DLC characters, Resident Evil's Jill Valentine and Doctor Strange enemy Shuma-Gorath. Get a good look now, because you won't see them in the game until four weeks after the Feb. 15 launch.
Breakfast Topic: Who would be playable in Blizzard vs. Capcom?
As I pointed out in The Queue on Sunday, I'm super excited for Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Getting hyped up over the slow trickle of character reveals is almost as fun as getting the game itself, and the latest set of reveals got me thinking -- what if Capcom teamed up with Blizzard to make a Blizzard vs. Capcom fighting game? Most Blizzard characters are ripe for a fighting game setting, either from being part of a martial universe already or just looking the part. From the StarCraft universe, we could probably expect to see Raynor and Tychus repping the Terran side of things, Tychus with his marine armor and Jim walking around unarmored (because he looks cooler that way). Kerrigan is the best (and possibly only) choice for a Zerg representative, and Zeratul is the obvious Protoss challenger. Diablo is full of perfect fits, too -- Diablo 3's monk, for example, is already based off of fighting game characters. Going back even further into Blizzard's history, Blackthorne and the Lost Vikings could make an appearance too. But what about Warcraft? There's limited roster space and a whole lot of playable character possibilities. Would you want faction leaders? Big bads? Classic heroes? What races would make the cut? Who would best represent the expansive Warcraft universe? And most importantly, what kind of awesome special moves would they have?
Marvel vs. Capcom 3 FightSticks shipping in time for the game
Chances are, a lot of people will be looking to buy an arcade stick with Marvel vs. Capcom 3 next week. Mad Catz, anticipating this obvious interest, is producing one just for such an occasion. The "Marvel vs. Capcom 3 Arcade FightStick Tournament Edition" keeps the hardware design and Sanwa Denshi brand arcade components from previous Street Fighter IV Tournament Edition FightSticks and adds new, surprisingly restrained Marvel vs. Capcom 3 artwork to the top panel of the stick. Like the most recent iterations of the FightStick, it also includes a locking mechanism to prevent accidental use of the turbo switches. 5,000 MvC3 FightSticks are being produced and will be available from Mad Catz's online store. No price has been named, but previous Tournament Edition sticks have retailed for around $150.%Gallery-115490%
Marvel vs Capcom 3's complete intro captured
The intro cutscene for Marvel vs Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds is quite the whopper, weighing in at four minutes and featuring quite a large volume of crossover calamity. Check it out in its entirety past the break!
Spoiler: See Marvel vs. Capcom 3 boss in action [update: Video replaced]
Spoiler warning: If you don't want to see the final boss (and the associated character reveal) in Marvel vs. Capcom 3, don't go any further.
Hsien-Ko and Sentinel confirmed for Marvel vs. Capcom 3, first videos
You might have heard that the Sentinel -- mango or otherwise -- would not be making a return appearance in Marvel vs. Capcom 3. You may also have heard that no more members of the Darkstalkers cast would be joining the roster. You might be inclined to believe these statements because they came from the mouth of Capcom's Ryota Niitsuma himself. Either Niitsuma was misinformed or someone was fibbing. Regardless, here are some videos of Hsien-Ko and Sentinel in Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Hsien-Ko, incidentally, was among the characters mentioned on a purportedly leaked list we posted last year. Sentinel was not, though the this isn't the first time we've seen an unlisted character pop up. [Thanks, Catalyst]
Marvel vs. Capcom 3 nixed Frank West late in development
Remember all those fancy combos you learned with Frank West last year in Tatsunoko vs. Capcom? Well, you can forget about redirecting them to Chris Redfield's face when Marvel vs. Capcom 3 ships this February. Plans for Dead Rising 1's main man being playable in MvC3 were in place -- his silhouette appears in the game's debut trailer , and he showed up in our leaked list of characters earlier this year -- but he was cut due to "some extra work involved, just from the nature of his moves." West was reportedly "quite deep" into the process before getting axed. Capcom producer Ryota Niitsuma explained the loss to VideoGamer.com, saying, "We felt we could direct our resources to better use, so we've taken Frank out." We're hoping that "better use" of resources is directed at the development of a Chuck Greene character to round out a Dead Rising character DLC pack. They've murdered thousands of zombies, you know. [Thanks, Lau]
Marvel vs. Capcom 3's alternate costumes' comic book origins explored
Apparently, a little bit more thought went into the alternate costumes of Marvel vs. Capcom 3 than just "hey, this outfit would probably look cool in red and black." IGN recently explored the canonical comic book origins of a handful of Marvel fighters' extra duds, including Storm's crimson X-Treme X-Men get-up, Dormammu's Strange Tales green-and-yellow armor, and Captain America's Red Guardian costume, which, as you probably sussed out, is pretty red. It looks like Capcom (with a lot of help from Marvel, of course) is taking these character skins pretty seriously. We're happy to see that so much consideration went into these outfits -- but we can't wait to see how they explain all the different additional costumes for Capcom's fighters. "Oh, you don't remember that time that Haggar wore a bright purple chest-belt? That was a real thing that happened, we promise."
Marvel vs. Capcom 3 joined by Akuma and Taskmaster
Video reveals of Street Fighter's Akuma and Marvel Comics' Taskmaster as playable characters in Marvel vs. Capcom 3 have popped up exclusively on IGN. Fans of the series will no doubt have spotted Akuma in a British retailer listing for February's big fighting game, and Taskmaster made an appearance in panels from what was rumored to be a Marvel vs. Capcom 3 tie-in comic book. Rather than being unlocked out of the gate, players must earn 2000 PP for Akuma and 8000 PP for Taskmaster -- Eurogamer describes earning 2000 PP as "roughly equivalent to a single playthrough of Arcade Mode," adding that Capcom believes "most players" will unlock all secret characters "within a couple of hours." It is believed that two more characters will be revealed before MvC3 arrives on February 15 -- for now, you can see videos of Taskmaster and Akuma just after the break.
Capcom Store offers free shirt with Marvel vs. Capcom 3 pre-order
Are you looking for a fashion statement which will inform passersby that you could air juggle their pathetic frame for entire days with little to no effort? Good news: The Capcom Store is offering just such a shirt with pre-orders for Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds Special Edition.
Marvel vs. Capcom 3 retail listing shows Akuma
The Marvel vs. Capcom 3 listing on British retailer ShopTo's site give the indication that Akuma will be featured among the Capcom roster in the game. As far as early accidental reveals go, this one's pretty clear, with very official character art (and even a helpful "Akuma" label). We know: huge surprise that Akuma would appear in a Capcom fighting game. As we always do when a new MvC3 character is discovered, we checked the rumored "leaked" roster we posted in November. Akuma's not there! Given the authentic look of that character art, consider this a mark against the veracity of that list -- or at least evidence that said list is not final. [Thanks, revengez]
Marvel vs. Capcom 3 European pre-order bonus: T-shirts!
Capcom has revealed the pre-order bonuses for Marvel vs Capcom 3 in Europe. ShopTo and GameStation pre-orderers will snag a comic or a SteelBook edition of the game, respectively, both of which are already part of the North American collector's edition. Most retailers, however, will be offering some sweet T-shirts. There are seven different shirts, each unique to a different retailer. We're a bit partial to Blockbuster's tee, pictured above. Check out the other shirts in the gallery below.%Gallery-113997%
Report: Marvel vs Capcom 3 cheekily punishes rage quitters
According to GamesRadar, Marvel vs Capcom 3 has a relatively unique solution to the problem of habitual online quitters. That is to say: People who quit online matches before they are over. That is to say: Rage quitters. Marvel vs Capcom 3 reportedly tracks players' quitting habits and can detect those who quit frequently. Said players will then be placed in a new matchmaking bracket -- one populated solely by other rage quitters. In other words, quit all the time and you'll be paired with other players that quit all the time. Shoryuken notes that a similar system was implemented in Tatsunoko vs Capcom. We've contacted Capcom to confirm if such a system is indeed in place for MvC3. Assuming it's true, it's certainly a novel concept, though perhaps a terrifying one for those with unstable internet connections.
Leaked Marvel vs. Capcom 3 trailers show Haggar and (X-Men's) Phoenix
A new trailer posted by VicioJuegos reveals that wrestler/mayor/shirt refuser Mike Haggar is joining the inter-universe battle in Marvel vs. Capcom 3 -- the last of the three Final Fight protagonists to appear in a major Capcom fighter. His moves include a lot of stuff that should be familiar to Final Fighters, including a big swing of a pipe and a super combo made entirely of a single, repeated punch. Haggar appeared on the leaked roster we had, offering some support for the authenticity of that list. Another trailer reveals the inclusion of Phoenix -- not the lawyer, before you get too excited -- the unstable version of telekinetic X-men character, Jean Grey. She wasn't on our leaked roster. See both trailers after the break.
