Marvel vs Capcom 3 Preview

Joining forces to hurt each other again!

Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is the quintessential gimme. For fighting game enthusiasts, it’s like a bottle of absinthe in Wolverine-shredded giftwrap tied together by Ryu’s headband. Just say the title slowly and you can hear a congregation, a swelling whisper from a robot planet made only for nerds.

But though Marvel vs. Capcom 3 has all the makings of a sure-fire winner, there’s not much to say about it that you can’t learn by watching a gameplay video and being mesmerized by the brilliance of the cel-shaded graphics. The art style builds on top of the already solid foundation of Tatsunoko vs. Capcom by choosing a text font that matches bold comic book exclamations and filling out the cel-shaded character models with fantastic animations and special effects that pop off the screen. Special moves begin with a stylish close-up with waves of energy flowing over the character and end in a flourishing burst of light.

Otherwise, the fighting mirrors the over-the-top 3-on-3 tag-team crossover madness in Marvel vs. Capcom 2. Veterans of the series will have no trouble translating their skills with air dashing, air combos, tag team assists, and special combo interrupt chains. Add in all the super jumping, partner swapping, exaggerated sound effects, and hyperactive colors, and it’s a wonder how anyone can keep up.

If that weren’t enough, you can throw in a few Advancing Guard techniques and maintain pressure against the opponent while on the defense. Another important change is that players can’t float in the air by firing repeated energy blasts (Hadoukens, Sonic Beams, etc.), so the action stays fast-paced.

The E3 demo stations introduced the Madcatz Marvel vs. Capcom 3 Tournament Edition Fighting Sticks, which were as responsive and well-built as the Street Fighter IV Tournament Edition sticks. They’re nearly identical in shape and on features, so you don’t have to put down more cash unless you just can’t live without the official Marvel vs. Capcom 3 decal.

That said, the most useful information this preview can provide is speculation on the roster, of which ten characters have been revealed: Felicia, Captain America, Wolverine, Ryu, Morrigan, Iron Man, Hulk, Deadpool, Dante, and Chris Redfield. The last three are new to the cast, and peculiarly, all have deadly gun skills. Deadpool has the most flexible directional gunplay and can teleport, Dante has a launcher with a wide range thanks to his sword, and Chris packs a more straightforward approach with combination punches and shotgun blasts. Conjecturing on some screenshots showing character silhouettes, we will likely get Dr. Doom, Chun-Li, Sheva, Frank West, and perhaps Trish, Dormammu, and Super Skrull.

In fact, it’s surprising to see Marvel vs. Capcom 3 slated for Spring 2011 given the level of polish that the game already had at E3. If the roster reaches the projected number of 30+ characters, it’s at least twenty-five percent done. Of course, we should let Capcom take as long it needs to make this game perfect, because well, I’m going to play it. Over and over again. Because the universe wants me to. And I do too.