Game Info
Game Name: Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3
Developer(s): Capcom/Eighting
Publisher(s): Capcom
Platform(s): PS3/PS4/Xbox 360/Xbox One/PS Vita/PC
Genre(s): Fighting
Release Date(s): November 15, 2011 (PS3/Xbox 360)/February 22, 2012 (PS Vita)/December 3, 2016 (PS4)/March 7, 2017 (Xbox One/PC)
ESRB Rating: T
That time Dante got beaten up by a raccoon…
The world is in danger. A darkness is spreading over the planet, and only the heroes of the world can stop it. With Galactus looming, heroes must arise and fight for the protection of the planet. The battle rages on and only the strong will succeed…and Galactus’ hunger knows no bounds!
Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is a fighting game released on multiple platforms. The game is a updated version of Marvel vs. Capcom 3: The Fate of Two Worlds also released in 2011 with new characters and other addition. It received positive reviews.
Fighting games are kind of an odd creature. You can have a specific fighter in a game you really enjoy or a game where you generally like the controls and fight it fun or easy to play. I always enjoyed Street Fighter II more than Mortal Kombat when the games went head-to-head in the 1990s, but the “ease” of Street Fighter II also began to disappear as more and more sequels were released with more difficult moves. Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom has a lot of what made Street Fighter II a fun game in a great package but also has a difficulty level which is sometimes frustrating.
The game has multiple modes. It has a story mode (which I generally play), one-on-one fighting, and online battles (though like with most online games, you’d be hard pressed to find anyone to play with after a year or so). The gameplay is fast and furious and the battles are timed relatively quickly so it isn’t a commitment to play (which is always nice).
Pick your fighter!
What is the big draw for Marvel vs. Capcom is the characters of the game. There are 38 characters from Marvel and Capcom and most have their own moves in addition to rather generic punching, kicking, etc. You have the Capcom characters Akuma (Street Fighter), Albert Wesker (Resident Evil), Amaterasu (Ōkami), Arthur (Ghosts and Goblins), Chris Redfield (Resident Evil), Chun-Li (Street Fighter), Crimson Viper (Street Fighter), Dante (Devil May Cry), Felicia (Darkstalkers), Firebrand (Ghosts and Goblins), Frank West (Dead Rising), Hsien-Ko (Darkstalkers), Mike Haggar (Final Fight), Morgan Aenslad (Darkstalkers), Nathan Spencer (Bionic Commando), Nemesis (Resident Evil), Phoenix Wright (Ace Attorney), Ryu (Street Fighter), Strider Hiryu (Strider), Trish (Devil May Cry), Tron Bonne (Mega Man), Vergil (Devil May Cry), Viewtiful Joe (Viewtiful Joe), and Zero (Mega Man). On the Marvel side you have Captain America, Deadpool, Doctor Doom, Doctor Strange, Dormammu, Galactus, Ghost Rider, Hawkeye, Hulk, Iron Fist, Iron Man, Magneto, M.O.D.O.K., Nova, Phoenix, Rocket Raccoon, Sentinel, She-Hulk, Spider-Man, Storm, Super-Skrull, Taskmaster, Thor, Wolverine, and X-23. Jill Valentine (Resident Evil) and Shuma-Gorath were made downloadable on early editions of the game.
I love you Spider-Man, but this isn’t going to end well…
The problem I do have with Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and other games is that they have lost a lot of the fun due to the complexity of the controls. Gone are the days of simple clockwise moves plus a punch button to get a great move and now the controls are often more in line with other fighting games with more complex button patterns. You can pound on the other characters and often accidentally get a big move with button mashing, but it isn’t as fun as skillfully taking down a character with moves you are controlling…it just ends up being a great big cluster of punching, hitting, and superpowers…it is sometimes fun, but not entirely satisfying.
Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is a slick, fun package. It also is what it is. It is a modern fighting game that is flashy and quick. You will have people who excel at the controls and people who just get by (aka me). It is all a matter of how long and entailed you want to get into the game. The game was followed by the downloadable Marvel vs. Capcom Origins in 2012 and Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite in 2017.
