Wonder no more, as after almost a decade of waiting, one of the most anticipated gaming mashups of all time is finally upon us. Marvel vs. Capcom 3 sees some of the greatest heroes and villains of the Marvel and Capcom universes battling it out in a heady extravaganza of fast-paced action, insane moves and beautiful effects.

 

Characters

One of the greatest things Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (MvC3) has going for it, is obviously the game's huge character list, incorporating some of the greatest characters from both comic book and video game history. The game includes some Marvel favourites such as Wolverine, Magneto, Spider Man, Iron Man, Hulk and Storm, as well as some more obscure characters from the universe such as the giant floating head M.O.D.O.K (mental organism developed only for killing), the god of thunder himself, Thor, and the always hilarious Deadpool, as well as many more.

On the Capcom side Street Fighter fans will delight to see the iconic Ryu doing battle alongside characters such as Chun-Li , Chris Redfield, Morrigan and Dante. Here also a number of yesteryear's greats and some more obscure characters join the fray such as the god hound Amaterasu, the comical Viewtiful Joe and the beefy Mayor Haggar.

All in all, 18 characters are available for each universe, meaning the game sports 36 characters in total, with more set to be added via DLC.

 

Story

Traditionally fighting games don't worry too much about storyline, instead focusing its attention on the actual fighting. MvC3 is no different, although it does sport a bit of a story.

This time around, it's the Marvel villain Dr. Doom working alongside Albert Wesker (of Resident Evil fame), trying to meld the two universes together in order to take over them both at once. However, their plan attracts the stare of the ravenous planet eater Galactus, who now attempts to sallow both worlds whole.

The story doesn't have much effect on gameplay, but it still makes for some excellent cinematics, and with such a star-studded cast the reason for their formation is hardly important.

Gameplay

MvC3 still contains the basic elements of the series, with three-on-three tag team battles taking place. Main attacks in the game have a different flavour than that of normal fighting games, with the traditional kicks and punches instead being replaced by light, medium, heavy and special attacks, tied to each of the PS3 controllers' main buttons. Character switching, air combos and the more specialised signature combos (like Ryu's famous Hadoken) are activated with help from the joysticks and shoulder buttons.

For most of us who aren't MvC experts though, the game will consist of a parade of incessant button-bashing as we try to make sense of the carnage taking place on screen. The game is actually very receptive to this style of casual play, with players able to execute some mouth watering combos quite by accident. This is especially easy when you play the game in Simple mode instead of Normal, in Simple mode combos can be executed by single button presses and joystick nudges, making it highly accessible to novices and casual players just looking for some on-screen mayhem.

 

 Even though we are by no means fighting game champions, we still preferred the Normal mode controls, making screen exploding combos a bit harder to pull off, and thus that much more satisfying.

Speaking of explosive combos, this isn't merely an exaggeration, MvC3 literally contains insane combos that will see Magneto devastate those around him with hyper gravity, Iron Man eclipsing your display with his Unibeam or M.O.D.O.K psychically frying enemies with his psyonic blaster. Each character has their own unique special moves, and players can activate even more powerful attacks by filling up a special meter to execute brutal team attacks, with all three characters (if you nail it perfectly) raining down attacks which will make the armageddon look like a little girl's tea party.

An interesting inclusion into the game is X-factor, a mode which can be entered by hitting all the attack buttons simultaneously. This temporary mode will instill a red aura around your characters, making their attacks more powerful as well as making them immune to chip damage. The X-factor mode becomes more powerful the fewer characters you have left, meaning it can be a match deciding factor if used at the right time.

 

Additional features

The core experience of MvC3 is the versus and arcade battle modes, with the arcade mode following the traditional fighting game recipe of defeating a number of AI-controlled enemies in a series of increasingly difficult levels. The final level sees you attempting to take down Galactus himself, to save both worlds from the terror of the intergalactic being.

An extensive training mode is also present, allowing players to hone their skills with the game to execute that K.O. inducing combo at just the right time. A License option is also available, tracking players’ stats and allowing them to create preset teams for quick use.

Online battles are of course also supported, with Capcom's servers already happily buzzing with thousands of fighters attempting to take each other down. The online functionalities includes the ability to play ranked and unranked matches as well as creating custom game lobbies. Players can also allow others to challenge them to an online battle while they're playing the Arcade mode solo. Unfortunately no Spectator mode is available, an unfortunate exclusion to an otherwise great multiplayer offering.

 

Conclusion

While MvC3's frantic combat and over-the-top visuals may be a bit overwhelming at first, the game's charms quickly draws you in, making it impossible to put the controller down before playing just that 'one last match', a term that will be repeated many times. With a roster of epic characters, devastating hyper combos, cinematics to die for and a frantic yet highly enjoyable combat experience, Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is looking like our favourite fighter for 2011.