For years one of the most requested sequels was Marvel vs Capcom 3. To everyone’s surprise, earlier this year the game finally came out. After so much waiting, it was only natural people were disappointed over something. This prompted Capcom to try and fix some things. Unfortunately certain event’s changed their plan, causing them to release another version. This version called Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3, is set to include several new fighters, plus many requested fixes. Naturally a revision several months later leaves a bad taste in your mouth, but does this mean the game is lazy or do the changes really make that much of a difference? Find out in this Hot or Not!
Hot
Unique Elements
When certain characters were announced, many gamers were unsure how they would work out. Someone like Phoenix Wright (Lawyer), doesn’t really lend their self to traditional fighting gameplay. In an effort to bridge this gap, Capcom created several unique elements for characters. These include Phoenix’s styles, which I will explain below and Frank West’s leveling system. I am proud to say that, not only are the additions fun, but they’re a much needed change of pace.
Frank’s leveling system adds depth to the character. Before you even start, there are three basic playstyles for him. You can either stay at level 1, where he is still a great fighter. Sneak in as many pictures as possible to level or you can double the rate with liquor. Naturally like Dead Rising, you might randomly throw up. This is the price you pay for the double experience. If you dare to level Frank; he actually upgrades into an amazingly fun character. Most of his weapons slowly evolve from low tier stuff, to paddlesaws and other crazy stuff. This not only boosts damage, but range. Regardless of how you play as him, he works all around.
Phoenix Wright
I am sure this is the part most people are interested in, the ‘how is Phoenix as a fighter’ segment. Well to put it bluntly, he is by a wide margin my favorite fighter in Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3. This is due to him not actually being a fighter persay. To play as Phoenix Wright, you must first understand he has three battle modes. His default is Investigation mode, where you look for clues. This mode virtually has no point, but finding evidence. This is achieved by pushing Atk + S at the same time. Each item will have one of two different colors. Yellow is a useful item and the dark yellow is a reference (Weskers shades, Servbot, Virgils mask, etc) to another fighter.
When you collect three items or just want to do damage, you can shift into Trial mode. Here you gain several more attacks. They include throwing papers, breaking the witness and other staples of the character. You can present the evidence to do an additional attack, plus a few other neat things. Perhaps the most enjoyable, is the addition of the ‘Take That!’ word bubble attack. This changes if you have three items, instead you’re given an ‘Objection’ and connecting a hit will lead into the next mode.
His final mode is Turnabout, where Phoenix finally becomes a “fighter”. This mode is similar to trial mode, but you gain a golden glow plus you do more hits. With a moderately skilled user, you shouldn’t have an issue turning the fight around. There are other fun elements to this mode too. Things like the dramatic point have increased range and most importantly you have the Ace Attorney hyper attack. Not only is the move amusing, but I don’t think it’s actually blockable. In all and all they really thought of everything with this character. Please note I mean everything, changing his language to Japanese will also change his word bubbles to kanji characters.
Other New Fighters
Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 offers many surprises when it comes to the new roster. As you can tell Phoenix Wright and Frank West are both welcomed additions to the list. With the exception of Nemesis (Very slow), I found all the fighters to be welcomed additions. Some characters like Rocket Raccoon are just a blast to play with. A few of them like Strider I found to be very accessible. Really looking back, none of them felt tacked on either.
Galactus Mode
One of the many fighting game staples, is the unstoppable godly boss. Most games will either block them out or offer you a more balanced version. Galactus mode however, let’s you take control of the big guy in full form. There isn’t much you can do with him, though all of his moves (including the one hit kill) work. You’re not looking at a long mode with a lot of replayablity, but it’s fun for a few goes.
Not
Déjà vu
A lot of the game is a rehash of the original. Many of the ending/titles remain unchanged, but not everything is exactly the same. Some characters like Ryu get a new ending and others such as Zero do not. To make matters more confusing another group has retooled images. Things like Deadpool’s ending are the same with different people in the background. I can’t speak for how many are different, though from my random sampling it’s not many. This definitely will not be a favored choice among gamers. The rebalancing patch helps this point a little bit, although some characters need some more work. Most notable being Jean Grey/Phoenix (Marvel) who is shockingly easy to defeat.
Fans of titles will be glad to know that another category was added. Every character gets another title for playing with them 100 times. Also for anyone interested in challenges, every advance challenge (3 or higher) I looked at was new or slightly different. There is a fair bit of differences, but not as many as you’re most likely looking for.
Jill and Shuma
From the second people saw the Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 trailer, the accurate term “DLC Character” haunted them. So many people were speculating if they would be included or remain paid DLC. For the official record, they’re not included. Personally I am all for DLC holding a value, but I can also see many people disappointed over this.
Verdict
Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 is exactly what many people were looking for. A lot of the changes like the new menu, enhance the comic book feel of the game. Not every choice is naturally welcomed, but seeing some of the most requested fighters, more than make up for it. I had an extremely good time playing and strongly suggest it for a fan of 3 or holding out for the updated version.
[Editor’s Note: Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 was reviewed on the Xbox 360. The game was provided to us by the publisher for review purposes.]
