Snikt vs. Shoryuken: ‘Marvel vs. Capcom 3’ Review

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Marvel vs. Capcom 3
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Systems it’s available on: PS3, Xbox 360
ESRB rating: Teen
System reviewed on: Xbox 360

Marvel Vs. Capcom 3’s biggest achievement doesn’t come in the graphics department, though the visuals are stunning. Nor is it in gameplay, despite the fact that it sports a sharp and well-tuned fighting engine.

No, the most impressive thing MvC3 does is make me like Deadpool. Once, many moons ago, I sorta kinda liked the Merc with a Mouth as a supporting character. But, nowadays, he’s arguably the most over-serviced lead in the Marvel Comics stable. He’s wacky and lethal; he’s Bugs Bunny in a ninja mask. Various creators have run this joke into the ground. Over and over again. We get it.

But the developers at Capcom have hit an interpretative sweet spot in how Wade Wilson gets implemented in the game. Deadpool knows he’s a fictional character in the comics and here in the third installment of the crossover fighting franchise, it’s played to great effect. While most of the other characters grunt out determined clauses with their moves, he blurts out nonsense like “Pineapple surprise!” for a grenade attack moves or goofily mimics Ryu’s signature uppercut. Best of all, one of his Super Moves nukes the fourth wall by having him pick up the super meter and bash the opponent with it. Not ashamed to say I guffawed at that the first time I saw the attack in action, and that it reminded me of why I liked Deadpool in the first place. So, the key component to this long-awaited three-quel comes down to recontextualization. Whether on the Marvel side or the Capcom side, characters that you’ve known for decades feel fresh, with sly asides and fan service galore that lets players think about the assembled warriors from different angles.

(More on TIME.com: Emanata: What Superhero Comics Look Like)

Fighting games usually don’t offer much in the way of plot and MvC3 is no different in that regard. There’s an inconsequential sliver of story that involves Wesker teaming up with Doctor Doom to open up dimensional portals between their two worlds. Heroes from each meet and fight. Of course. Meanwhile, the vile megalomaniacal schemer from the Resident Evil games and the Fantastic Four archfoe need a power source to fuel their cross-reality conquest and decide to siphon juice off of Galactus’s ship. Needless, to say the Devourer of Worlds isn’t happy about that and threatens to eat the planet in retaliation. Mostly, the plot’s there to justify the cosmic, helmeted force of nature showing up as the game’s final boss.

(More on TIME.com: Captivate 2010: Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 Pits Resident Evil’s Chris against the Hulk)

But, story’s never been the meat of a good fighting game. Rather, it’s how the characters are balanced, the fighting engine and how it lets you tease moves out. As far as fighting games go, Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 appeals more to neophytes more than, say, Super Street Fighter IV or Tekken 6. The special moves come out a bit easier and it’s far more fast-paced. In terms of balance, it’s a mixed bag. Characters like Devil May Cry‘s Dante feel like a nicely weighted mix of quickness, range and power where the Sentinel robot’s overpowering strength or X-23’s incredible speed make them useful in other ways.

MvC3 offers tons to chew on in terms of strategic considerations. A lot of thought will go into how you’ll plot out your team of three characters, what techniques you focus on. (You’ll also get Achievements and trophies for doing things like winning with a team of Captain America, Thor and Iron Man.) But, all these decisions won’t all go down easy. The game’s a fair sight more inviting than other top-tier fighting releases and sometimes moves too fast. The fact that moves are accessible to new players is great but it all unfolds so quickly that a neophyte may not have a chance to absorb what they did to make a shiny thing happen. There’s also a Simple Mode to get those more powerful attacks out without any quarter-circle turns but it expedites combat so much that it feels like cheating. Longtime players will no doubt feel like their years of study have been sold short in the hopes of commercial success.

(More on TIME.com: Does Whatever Four Spideys Can: Shattered Dimensions Review)

Furthermore, certain characters feel way underpowered. Phoenix wields great distance attacks but always seemed to suffer a lot of damage very quickly. And the opposite is true, too, for other characters. For a guy who was always a second-tier villain, Super-Skrull sure does smack fools around pretty easily. Again, players who dedicate themselves practicing with certain characters will probably find ways to win with them. But the reality is that not everyone will do so and that means that lots of folks will be glomming onto the overpowered bruisers. Anyone hopping online for competitive play should be prepared to see lots of Dantes, Zeros and, yes, Deadpools.

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Still, the spectacle of it all will hypnotize you. The Capcom devs promised a game that looked like a moving comic-book and they delivered. Graphically, the figures in the game look slathered in thick outlines of india ink with animations that feel pitch-perfect. She-Hulk, for example, moves with the confidence of a sassy female wrestler, just like you’d imagine her to. The catchphrases are sometimes contextual, too, so when Thor faces up against sun goddess Amaterasu from Okami, he’ll say something like “‘Tis fitting that two gods should meet on the field of battle.” These little touches add much to the proceedings and the visual presentation tends to be well-done, too. The backgrounds feel lively but not distracting and the forced-perspective cutaways during the Super Moves really show off the power of the MT Framework engine. Also, the online experience for the Xbox Live matches I played were smooth and lag-free. We’ll see if this holds up when the game actually goes live.

Playing MvC3 feels like watching a fireworks show. It’s bright and loud and you generally don’t know what shape the explosions are going to take. You’ll find yourself ooh-ing and ah-ing even as the idea that it’s not terribly deep orbits in the back of your brain. However, it doesn’t need to be. It more than satisfies the requirement of any good fighting game, which is that it’ll keep you and your crew of sparring partners coming back for more. And for those who’ve wanted to know who’d win in a Captain America vs. Chris Redfield showdown, the answer is you, True Believer.

Official Techland Score: 8.9 out of 10

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