Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds (MvC 3) promises to reintroduce the team fighting game to a new generation of gamers. The game will launch at South African retail on Friday 18 February 2011 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
The last title in the franchise appeared over a decade ago in 2000 and was received positively thanks to its accessible gameplay which was as rewarding to button mashers as it was to fighting game pros. The visuals were also lauded as everything just looked so damn awesome (as is to be expected when superheroes and supervillains meet in battle).
Developed and published by Capcom, MvC 3 returns to a cross-universe mash up filled with favourites from the Marvel and Capcom stable of characters. Many classics return in this iteration, along with some newcomers. The full list of playable characters is below:
Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds character list
| Marvel characters | Capcom characters |
| Captain America | Akuma |
| Deadpool | Albert Wesker |
| Doctor Doom | Amaterasu |
| Dormammu | Arthur |
| Hulk | Chris Redfield |
| Iron Man | Chun-Li |
| Magneto | Crimson Viper |
| M.O.D.O.K. | Dante |
| Phoenix | Felicia |
| Sentinel | Hsien-Ko |
| She-Hulk | Jill Valentine* |
| Shuma-Gorath* | Mike Haggar |
| Spider-Man | Morrigan Aensland |
| Storm | Nathan Spencer |
| Super-Skrull | Ryu |
| Taskmaster | Trish |
| Thor | Tron Bonne |
| Wolverine | Viewtiful Joe |
| X-23 | Zero |
*DLC
The control scheme has been changed since MvC 2, with the four attack button system (high, low punch; high, low kick) dropped in favour of a three attack button system (light, medium, heavy attacks). Capcom believes this will remove the complicated fighting controls that have been prohibitive to newcomers to the genre. Capcom has also included a number of training modes to get newbies up to scratch, including downloadable training routines designed by the Capcom developers themselves and even some fighting game scene pros.
So, the game promises a lot, and has a legacy to uphold. Can it deliver? MyGaming is in the process of reviewing the title, but let’s have a look at what the average review score looks like so far. As usual, we’ve gathered scores from stalwart review aggregate website Metacritic and Gamerankings. Scores accurate at time of publication.
It’s interesting to note that the PS3 version is consistently scoring slightly higher than the Xbox 360 version. To expand on these reviews, below is abridged review comment from some well-respected websites.
Destructoid – 8.5
“The more I focus on its new characters and gameplay innovations, the more I enjoy it. It’s just too bad that there’s even a need to focus on that. Having so much of Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 left over in this new title really forces the player to make a comparison between the prequel and this sequel. Not only is that comparison not always in Marvel Vs. Capcom 3’s favor, thinking about the previous game often works to distract from all of the new things that make Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 so great. I hope that in time (via either DLC or a whole new title), more and more aspects of Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 will be make their way out of the series, to be replaced with even more of the innovative kinds of game mechanics, concepts, and fighting styles that we’re just now getting a glimpse of in Marvel Vs. Capcom 3.”
Game Informer – 9.25
“Small gripes aside, you shouldn’t miss Marvel vs. Capcom 3 if you have even a passing interest in Capcom, Marvel, the fighting genre, or good games. This pugilistic prize mimics the polished, accessible reinvention of Street Fighter IV, forming another strong leg for the resurrected fighting genre to stand on.”
Eurogamer – 8/10
“Ultimately, Marvel vs. Capcom 3’s appeal will depend on your own disposition. 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…and quicker reactions to boot.”
Joystiq – 5/5
“In a game full of huge, flashy attacks and tons of characters, it’s the little details that really give it the top-tier fighting game feeling that Capcom consistently pulls off. [I]t’s obvious that the developers have a lot of love and respect for the source material.”
“Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds is an example of a game made great by an enormous amount of love and attention to detail. It’s a worthy sequel to one of the most beloved fighting games of all time, brought to a current-gen level. Expect this one to be in heavy rotation among fans of fighting games for a long time coming.”
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