The year of the crossover kicks off with a bang with the return of the king!
User Rating: 9.5 | Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds X360
Crossovers are one of the ultimate nerd fantasies. Seeing your favorite characters from different worlds fighting side by side is often a little strange, but always exciting, and nobody has done crossovers better than Capcom. They've joined forces with long time rival fighting game developer SNK on many occasions, and have another crossover with fellow veterans of the gaming industry Namco in the works. However, Capcom's parternship with Marvel Comics has yielded some of the most intense, frenetic, over the top action in the fighting genre. The original Marvel vs Capcom gained a whole new following for crossover fighters, and Marvel vs Capcom 2 has been the standard for the last decade, and has been rereleased numerous times, most recently on the Playstation Netork and Xbox Live Arcade. The highly anticipated third installment, Fate of Two Worlds, kept fans tantalized for months as they hung on Capcom's every word in hopes of more information. In spite of some unusual roster choices, a revamped control scheme, and a somewhat bare bones presentation, Marvel vs Capcom 3 still delivers magnificently. The overhauled gameplay is tight as a drum, and the new control set up makes it accessible for newbies and veterans alike. The traditional four/six button set up (depending on which versions of MvC2 you played) have been eschewed for a three button set up, with the fourth button being used for a special attack that has many uses. On top of this, you can choose between Simple control mode and Normal mode, which are fairly self explanatory. The graphics have also received a current gen facelift, and look beautiful both technically and artistically. MvC2 is infamous for its annoying soundtrack, but MvC3's music, especially the character themes, is fantastic and adds wonderfully to the frenetic on-screen action. Now we come to the roster. Character rosters in established fighting games are very hotly contested and are often crucial in determining the success of a fighter. The roster for Fate of Two Worlds has inspired mostly mixed reactions and for good reason. Returning characters include series favorites such as Ryu, Chun-Li, Akuma, Morrigan, Iron Man, Captain America, Spider-Man and Storm. However, some of the new characters raised a lot of eyebrows. Three of the new characters (Deadpool, Dante and Wesker) became instant favorites. Deadpool's affinity for swan diving through the 4th Wall and a solid keep away game added to his already massive fan base, Dante is quite simply one of the most ridiculously strong characters in any fighting game, and Wesker has a teleportation game that would make Yoshimitsu jealous. Some of the new characters, particularly M.O.D.O.K. and Dormammu as well as others, were received with a great deal of trepidation. Dormammu is slow and has a relatively simple to counter keep away game and M.O.D.O.K. is quite weak and relies on speed and tricky moves to get edge on his opponent. These are strategies that seem to be ill fitting of a series which is all about speed and split second timing. Another major point of contention where the roster was concerned is the inclusion of Zero in place of Mega Man. Zero is speedy and aggressive, and was included for having more variety to his moves than the Blue Bomber. Many fans didn't like this move, but Zero fits really well with the rest of the roster. The last character related point of interest is the DLC. Those who pre-ordered the game got free access to Shuma Gorath and a revamped Jill Valentine. Shuma is as strong as ever, and Jill has been overhauled to the point where she plays similarly to Sheik from Super Smash Brothers. The two characters are quite good, and there are at least two more coming. Finally, the actual content is a bit bare bones. The online matchmaking is quite robust this time around and the arcade and Mission modes will keep you occupied for a while, but as a whole the content is a bit lacking. Still, in spite of the new controls, debatable roster decisions and content issues, this is one of the best crossover fighting games ever made and will certainly be up for fighter of the year.
