Marvel vs Capcom 3

Have not had this game very long but immediately on starting it up you are impressed by the flashy visuals and over the top characters. It's a very appealing game visually and the music and sound effects are just as good. There is a simple control option for people who are new to the game, like me. Which makes pulling off special moves very easy with one button press. There is no real story as in Mortal Kombat, so the game can seem a bit bare bones. This game shines and was made to be played with other people. There is offline and online modes for multiplayer. Online I found myself losing to very good players which is to be expected so you might want to practice quite a lot before challenging people online.

Just a heads up, Capcom are releasing a new version of this game in Novemeber called Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom 3, which includes 12 new characters and 8 new stages and a few other things and it's releasing at a lower price than this game did at launch, and this new version is only going to be available to buy on disk, you can't download the characters, so you might want to wait for that instead of buying this version. But this is good if you want to get in some practice before that game comes out.

I'll cut to the chase - fans of the Marvel Vs. Capcom series are unlikely to be disappointed by this offering. The action is as over the top as it has ever been, the roster is varied and characters once again have their own individual theme songs and endings. Galactus also acts as an impressive final boss - seemingly daunting, challenging, yet satisfying all in equal measure.

When an early version of Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 was shown for the first time last year, many fans were worried that the game wasn't looking as good as they'd hoped - at least graphically. It's safe to say these fears can be put to rest upon playing the final product. Both the characters themselves and the stages you fight in have been brought to life spectacularly - with vivid colours, slick animation and fantastic screen-filling special effects.

The problem is that in many ways the game does it's best to alienate newcomers. The training option is limited (to say the least) and provides no true introduction to the basic fighting mechanics. This seems a particular shame because it'd be great to have the series open up to a whole legion of new fans. I sincerly hope new players are not instantly put off through sheer bewilderment.

To make matters worse, it took a couple of fights before I realised that to tag your partners, you need to hold down the assist button instead of simply tapping it (a tap brings your partner in for an assist momentarily). It would have been nice if Capcom had actually explained this basic aspect of the game - at least in the manual.

There's another grating issue that reviews have already commented on - the issue of downloadable content. Capcom already have Shuma Gorath and Jill Valentine lying in wait to rinse some extra cash from us, but it seems this is the tip of the iceberg. The lack of game modes and somewhat reduced roster (in relation to Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 at least) suggests that for the full MvC3 experience, we'll be expected to cough up cash later down the line.

Having said this, it's hard to complain about the roster too much - considering it's already larger and more varied than almost every other fighting game available. The game really does provide a dream line up of characters from both the Marvel and Capcom worlds, it's just a shame they felt the need to withold some of the line-up for monetary reasons.

As a huge fan of the series I've been very impressed by this long overdue effort from Capcom. The basic formula hasn't changed much, but that's largely the point. It's great to see the series get a glorious HD overhaul and even better to see Capcom try to please the fans on so many different levels. However, in doing this, it's almost as if Capcom forgot to include newcomers. I can only hope that new players will be willing to take this for a ride.

Brilliant game. Very much enjoyed this newest installment in the marvel vs capcom series. Missed out on a star due to limited features however