Marvel vs. Capcom 3 Review

I bought the game a few days ago, because, y'know, nostalgia and pretty artwork. Of course, as someone who loves 2D animation, I will always prefer any Capcom fighting game in 2D, but I guess I gotta go with the flow. ):

Let me start off by saying I usually suck at fighting games. I mean, as much as I could know I sucked when I sit at home and play by myself. I'm what they call a button-masher. Such a surprise, right. Lulno.

Now that it's out of the way, I can go on as to why Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is one of the most fun games out there for casual players. Now, some people will say $60 is too steep of a price for some casual fun, and hey, if you're like that, I'm not going to say stop being a money hog, but I will say $60 goes a long way in this game. Especially if you happen to be either Marvel or Capcom fans (they're so genius for getting them BOTH in a game - idk how they come up with this stuff).

Me, I'm an old-school Marvel fan. As in I hate the new, soap-opera, fifty-billion universe comics Marvel is selling now. Excuse me, but Spider-Man should always be with MJ, Captain America shouldn't be a giant dickhead who goes through time, and Scott Summers should be a dick, but not so much a dick to kiss the girl he cheated on his now-deceased wife on her grave. I liked it more when  I could pick up the next issue and know what's happening, because I didn't have to research what universe is which.

As for Capcom, I'm a huge RE fan. I kind of suck at the first three games (game-error, because I swear to god I'd survive more if the camera didn't make me run into zombies), but I loved 4 & 5. I also find Okami really pretty, same with Viewtiful Joe, and of course Street Fighter is just nostalgia in two words.

So seeing what I see in Marvel vs. Capcom 3, which is Captain America sounding very Captain America-y (Surrender isn't in my vocabulary, pal!) and Spider-Man sounding very Spider-Many (how do you like that?!), and Wesker being very...Weskery...I love the game based on characters alone. Hell no I'm not good at performing combos, but I like it when I accidentally do and Wesker does his little shadow-meld stuff and I feel like a boss. I like it when Captain America does his "SHIELD SLASH" and throws it behind his back in the coolest pose ever. I like when Marvel vs. Capcom 3 doesn't bog down with current-U so much as it lets you relive the core of their characters.

I like it because it's better than going out and buying Marvel's shitty new comics. $60 is definitely worth more in this game than it would on 60 issues of Marvel comics.

Okay, so you get it, I like the game because I like what it entails. Marvel and Capcom. So what about the actual game?

The game itself is very easy. I've heard some people say it's too easy, but I wouldn't know since I'm not planning on ever being good at it. But I try to be good at it, honest - I try not to resort to button mashing, and when I try and learn the combos, they're VERY easy. I remember having a hard time with combos in Street Fighter 4 - too many and too complicated. Marvel vs. Capcom 3 seems to read control input a lot smoother, so no longer do I have to precisely press 'down, diagonal right, right' to get the combo to go. It makes me happy. It makes me feel like a baller.

The meat and bones of Marvel vs. Capcom 3 are very well done and very kind to the casual gamer, which I love. The art is beautiful in the actual fight - cut scenes and intros only make you extremely aware they're cell-shaded and blocky, which is a style I dislike. Marvel vs. Capcom also has an option to change dialogue, from English to Japanese to 'original', which pretty much means Capcom characters get Japanese voices and Marvel gets English. It's a nice touch, since I'll always see S. Viper as Japanese and Captain America as English.

Now I know I say I suck at the game, but after playing SC2 for a while, I'm fairly interested in knowing a bit about any game I play, so here's some tips:

1. Choose your favorite characters. Yeah, you could go look up awesome team formations that work well together, but I'm guessing a lot of these 'perfect' formations will entail characters you don't even know, and you'll lose the great feeling when your favorite Captain America beats your hated Iron Man and ends his victory pose with "And that was for Civil War!"

2. Try the arcade first. You'll probably lose. Then go to train. Trying to train first will do the same thing as trying the 'right' team formation - you won't care about the team at all.

3. If all else fails, BUTTON MASH. Guys, it works. Really.