Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 Review

Platform(s): Playstation 3, X-Box 360

Developer(s): Capcom

Publisher(s): Capcom

Genre: Fighting

Rating: T for Teen

Price: $39.99

9 months ago, we were gifted with the long-awaited sequel to one of the best fighting games in the past decade: Marvel vs. Capcom 3. And while we enjoyed it, we all could recognize that there were a few things missing that Capcom should have fixed. So, Capcom gave us Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 as a way to improve on a good foundation. But is it a good improvement or does it need to go back to the development team?

The Story:



Capcom's Firebrand goes at it against Marvel's cocky archer,
Hawkeye.

Doctor Doom has assembled the greatest villains of the Marvel Universe and has joined forces with Albert Wesker in order to unite their respective universes in an effort to conquer both. However, this course of action awakens a great and powerful threat that could potentially destroy both worlds. It is up to the heroes of the Marvel and Capcom universes to put a stop to this evil before it is too late.

The Pros:

Okay…before I get into the good and bad parts of the game, I’d like to clarify something for people who’re probably wondering why they made a 2nd version of Marvel 3. Originally, this game was supposed to be all DLC for the original Marvel vs. Capcom 3. However, production was delayed due to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. Once that was cleared up, the director and producer of Marvel vs. Capcom 3 decided to release the proposed DLC for MvC3 as a game with a lower cost with new concepts and re-balanced gameplay.

Now that we know that…onto the pros of the game.

The first pro that I have for this game lies with the online mode. Players that are in a room who are not participating in the match are now allowed to watch the match as it plays out. And honestly, you don’t know how glad I am that they’ve included this in there. Because honestly, sitting in the lobby watching nothing but the character’s bars diminish and wondering what is going on wasn’t a good idea, especially when you’re allowed to watch the fights in Super Street Fighter IV.


Ghost Rider performing his Level 3: Penance Stare.



Now, my next pro has to be the new characters added. One of the things that I enjoyed about Marvel 3 was that the character list was diverse. Well…the new addition still rings true about this game. The added characters still hold their own different fighting styles from the ground/air rushdown tactics of Firebrand and the keep-away style of Hawkeye to the long-ranged fighting of Ghost Rider and the pure power of Nemesis. Add in the fact that they’ve added in fan favorites like Vergil and Strider Hiryu and you have a great addition for this game…mostly.

Finally, the re-balancing of the game is a solid plus. Everything in this game got re-balanced, from basic combat to character specific stuff. Even the X-Factor has a much needed revamping, including the ability to do it in mid-air. And I’m thankful (so thankful for this) that they limited Phoenix’s ability to release as many fireballs in the air. Because honestly, you don’t need a high-level character like Phoenix to be able to spam fireballs.

The Cons:

Okay…so now we’re at the part of the review where I talk about what’s bad about the game. And I have a feeling that I’ll probably rant about a specific con.

The first con that comes to mind has to deal with some of the character re-balancing. Or, to be more specific, a certain character re-balancing in general. That character would be Albert Wesker. Now, Wesker’s a top-tier character who was easy enough to play with but had a few complex things. So instead of toning him down a bit, Capcom decided to barely balance him out and made his Teleport a lot simpler this time around. How? Simply do his gunshot move and press a button directly after it.

Why, Capcom? Why?

Phoenix Wright doing his most famed gesture on his
opponent.

My second and final con has to be one of the biggest issues that many people voiced when they seen this character released. And I’m pretty sure that by reading that sentence above, everyone knows who I’m talking about. He’s the Ace Attorney, Phoenix Wright and even I can say that he’s possibly the only character in the game that will make you want to turn the game off when you see him in action. Why, you ask? All of his attacks are more suited to prosecuting the defense (searching for and submitting evidence, walking forward and thrusting papers at you, pointing…) rather than fighting, his trademark maneuver – pointing at you and shouting OBJECTION!!! – activates a special mode that makes certain moves unstoppable, and his level three is dangerous. And that’s without being in X-Factor…

Granted he's actually a good character in the game, he has a large fan following in the Capcom universe, and they were trying to put him in Tatsunoko vs. Capcom but wow…you could have handed us Megaman X over him.

OVERALL:

Overall, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is the game that the original version should have been. With the new characters added, fighting system re-balanced, and being able to watch online matches as you fight, you’ll enjoy this game a lot more than you did the first one. However, I can guarantee that if you were a fan of the first one, you’ll find something in the game that’ll tick you off. And, most likely, it’ll be something other than Phoenix Wright.

Final Score: 4 out of 5

Marvel VS Capcom 3 Achievement/Trophy Guide

Earn the Achievement/Trophies For Marvel VS Capcom 3: The Fate of Two Worlds

1. Passed the Field Test – Clear 160 missions in Mission mode.

2. A New Avenger – Clear 320 missions in Mission mode. — Each of the 36 characters in the retail game has 10 missions to complete. There are 36 characters in total, so you will need to complete almost 9 out of 10 missions for each.

3. Welcome to the Avengers Academy – Clear 80 missions in Mission mode.

4. Leading the Charge – Surpass the rank of Fighter.

5. Combat Specialist – In Ranked Match, surpass the “1st” class rank, or fight someone who has.

6. Comic Collector – Unlock all items in the Gallery.

7. Back at’Cha! – Perform 10 successful Crossover Counters. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only)

8. Excelsior! – Perform 10 Team Aerial Combos. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only)

9. Be Gone! – Perform 10 Snap Backs. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only) — A Snap Back is when you use quarter circle forward and the support/assist character button to force the opponent to tag in a different character.

10. Mega Buster – Use 1,000 Hyper Combo Gauge bars. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only)

11. Ultimate Nullifier – Perform 30 successful Advancing Guards. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only)

12. Playtime Is Over – Surpass the rank of Amateur.

13. Herculean Task – Beat Arcade mode on the hardest difficulty.

Set the game to the Very Hard difficulty, 30 second time limit, and damage on highest. Select Taskmaster with Aim Master Assist, Chris Redfield with Gunshot Assist, and Dr. Doom with Plasma Beam Assist. Keep using the projectiles from the corner to win every match. When you reach Galactus, activate X-Factor, and perform a Hyper Crossover Combo to take away a decent amount of health. He will hit you before you are done. Then, fight him as you normally would.

14. Saving My Quarters – Beat Arcade mode without using any continues.

15. Waiting For the Trade – View all endings in Arcade mode.

16. Master of Fate – Unlock all achievements.

17. I Buy the Issues – View one ending in Arcade mode.

18. World Warrior – Earn 5,000 Player Points (PP).

19. Brusin’ Bruce – Land an Incredible Combo. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only)

20. Charles In Charge – Land an Uncanny Combo. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only)

21. Average Joe - Land a Viewtiful Combo. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only) — Do a 30+ hits combo with Viewtiful Joe. Henshin A Go Go Baby!

Make a team with Iron Man, Deadpool, and M.O.D.O.K. Once you have three Hyper Combo bars,make all three characters do their Hyper Combos at once. Make sure the oppenent has almost a full bar of health so they do not die while doing it. You should get a 95-hit combo and get the "Average Joe", "Brusin' Bruce", and "Charles In Charge" achievements.

22. Champion Edition Hero – Earn 30,000 Player Points (PP).

23. Super Turbo Brawler – Earn 100,000 Player Points (PP).

24. Big Bang Theory – Perform 30 Hyper Combo Finishes. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only)

25. Brave New World – Participate in any mode on ONLINE only.

26. Steel Battalion – Block 100 times. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only)

27. Fate of the Satsui no Hadou – Decide who is the true master of the fist in an ONLINE only match. — Finish a fight between Akuma and Ryu.

28. Copy This! – Put an end to this game of spider and fly in an ONLINE match. — Finish a fight between Spider-Man and Taskmaster.

29. Raccoon City Incident – Settle things between former S.T.A.R.S. members in an ONLINE match. — Finish a fight between Chris Redfield and Wesker.

30. Passport to Beatdown Country – Fight in all of the stages.

31. Need A Healing Factor – Win a match without blocking. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only)

32. School for the Gifted – Get a 5 game win streak in Ranked ONLINE Match.

33. A Hero Stands Alone – Win a match without calling your partners or switching out. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only)

34. Full Roster – Battle against all characters in an ONLINE match.

35. Who Will Answer the Call? – Participate in an 8 player Lobby ONLINE .

36. Duty and Deus Ex Machina – Make a match ONLINE between a national hero and a killing machine a reality. — Finish a fight between Captain America and M.O.D.O.K. (Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing).

37. One Step Ahead – Land 50 First Attacks in a match. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only)

38. Avengers Assemble! – Make a team composed of the Big 3 and win a match. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only) — The team is Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor.

39. Turn the Tables – Land a Team Aerial Counter in a match. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only)

40. Galactic Smasher – Perform 30 Crossover Combination Finishes. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only)

41. Wreak “Havok” – Use X-Factor in a match. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only) — When you lose one or two of your teammates, you can press the two assist buttons to trigger this damage boost. It cancels out your opponents moves, even hypers, allowing you a one-time comeback.

42. Badds to the Bone – Make a team of three who have altered their bodies, and win a match. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only) — The team is M.O.D.O.K., Iron Man, and Spencer.

43. Whose Side Are You On? – Bring about an end to the Civil War in an ONLINE match. — Finish a fight between Captain America and Iron Man. I’m not sure, but you might also want to try including Spider-Man & Wolverine against She-Hulk & Deadpool.

44. Fate of Two Worlds – Make a match ONLINE between the marquee characters for this game a reality. — Finish a fight between a team of any 3 Marvel universe and a team of any 3 Capcom universe characters.

45. Female Flyers – Make a team composed of women who can fly, and win a match. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only) — The team is Storm, Phoenix, and Morrigan.

46. Darkstalkers – Make a team composed of those who dwell in the darkness, and win a match. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only) — The team is Morrigan, Felicia, and Hsien-Ko.

47. Weapon X – Make a team composed of Weapon-X test subjects, and win a match. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only) — The team is X-23, Wolverine, and Deadpool.

Courtesy of gamingbolt.com, videogamesblogger.com, and cheatcc.com

Marvel vs. Capcom 3 Review

Platform(s): Playstation 3, X-Box 360
Developer(s): Capcom
Publisher(s): Capcom
Genre: Fighting
Rating: T for Teen
Price: $59.99 (Standard Edition), $69.99 (Limited Edition)

If you’re a fighting game fan, then you have been waiting 10 years for this moment. Ten long years for Capcom to release a sequel to its smash title “Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes”. And now…you’ve finally gotten your wish. Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two World is finally here. The question is: does it live up to the legend that Marvel vs. Capcom 2 was or does it fall short?

The Story:

Doctor Doom has assembled the greatest villains of the Marvel Universe and has joined forces with Albert Wesker in order to unite their respective universes in an effort to conquer both. However, this course of action awakens a great and powerful threat that could potentially destroy both worlds. It is up to the heroes of the Marvel and Capcom universes to put a stop to this evil before it is too late.

The Pros:

So for a game that the fighting game world has been waiting for since the last installment, which was a decade ago, you ask yourself “Where do I start with what’s good with this game?” I guess that the first pro I’ll highlight about this game is the combat. MvC3 still holds the same chaotic, frenzied and wild combat that made its predecessors famous in the fighting game circuit. This time, it’s a bit simpler for the user, thanks to the 3-button control scheme, which is more like Tatsunoko vs. Capcom’s controls. And, for the true beginners, they’ve introduced Simple mode, where the attacks and specials are all mapped to their own respective button.

The fighting in this game gets heated. Although the speed isn’t as mind-boggling fast as MvC2, it’s still to the point that you can get lost if you don’t pay attention. Combos are still a must in this game, meaning that if it ain’t over 10 hits, it ain’t doing much damage. Two new moves are introduced to this installment: team aerial combos where the player can switch out in a mid-air combo with one (or both) of their partners and X-Factor, a move that reminiscent to Tatsunoko’s Baroque system. X-Factor is a one-time only boost mode that lasts longer if you don’t have any more of your partners left. If used right, it can be the catalyst for your epic comeback in any match.

Another pro for the game is the character roster. Now, not a lot of people liked the character roster for MvC3 since a lot of the MvC2 greats or their favorite characters were in there (I even remember seeing someone ask for Sonic to be in this game on the MvC3 fan page…), but I can say that they have the most unique and diverse roster for this installment and it works for them. From fan favorites like Dante, Chris Redfield, Thor and Deadpool, to the more obscure characters like Arthur, M.O.D.O.K., and Dormammu, the 36 characters in this game - just 4 shy of MvC2’s opening roster - are nothing to sleep on.

Another pro of mine falls in a few of the things that they’ve added in the game. The Liscence Cards being my first bit on here for the online players. Liscence Cards are pretty much your stats card on how you play online, showing you and other players the general strengths and weaknesses of your playing style. It’s a good addition to the online warfare because now you have somewhat of an idea of what kind of player you’ll be fighting against before you battle. Also, the fact that they allow you to store three set teams (Reserve List) keeps things a bit personal. This way, when you go up against that friend who says they can top your best squad (or squads), it’s an easy 2 buttons just to pull them out.


The Cons:

Unfortunately, we get to the real gritty part of this review. And for a game of this magnitude, I hate to go here, but here are the cons of the game. The first one is the damage factor. The damage that most characters do on here is too high at times. What do I mean? Do a combo with certain characters (Wesker, Dormammu, Super Skrull, Sentinel to name a few), end it with a super and see how their health drops to below half quickly. And that’s just giving damage; characters like Storm/Akuma/Phoenix…well, one good combo can be the end of them.

Or in Phoenix’s case, one combo will be the end of her.

Secondly, the controls are a con that’s been talked about for a while. The controls make the game easy to pick up for the common fighting game fan, but it makes it simpler for the more advanced fighting game player. Personally, I’m impartial to it but I will say that it drops the learning curve for the game, making the more complex combos easier to figure out.

The third con falls in the online modes. Now in Super Street Fighter 4 (and there’s a reason why I’m bringing this up), if you were in a lobby and you weren’t fighting, you could watch the current match happen. In Marvel 3…you can’t do that. You can’t watch the other matches go down, you can’t save replays of online matches, you just fight and wait. I mean, really Capcom? I’m hoping for a patch that allows you to do that in the near future, but until then, that’s a major strike in my book.

Overall:

Here’s what I’ll say about this game. It’s fun! The combat is still the MvC-style playing that I’ve grown to love ever since I’ve stepped into the arcade in my city and seen how Marvel 2 is truly played. Despite the slight drop in complexity that the game has, people can’t deny that it’s still Marvel. On the flip side, some of the things that they did in this installment (damage factor, no watching matches online, Sentinel) brings the game down from greatness to great. It’s still a good game and I recommend you to get it for yourself, but compared to Marvel 2…I think that the predecessor will win that battle.

Final Score: 4.0/5

Spider-man Shattered Dimensions

Platform(s): Playstation 3, X-BOX 360, Nintendo DS, Nintendo WII
Developer(s): Beenox (PS3, 360, WII), Griptonite Games (NDS)
Genre(s): Action-Adventure/Platformer
Rating: E for Everyone

Spider-man. He’s the amazing web-slinger with the never-ending witty comments and the spider-like abilities that makes him an icon in the Marvel universe. So will the wall-crawler leave a legendary mark in Beenox’s “Spider-man Shattered Dimensions” or not?

Story:

Spider-man Shattered Dimensions revolves around an artifact known as the "Tablet of Order and Chaos". When it is shattered into pieces during a skirmish between Spider-Man and Mysterio it causes problems with multiple Marvel Universe realities. Madame Web calls on four versions of Spider-Man from four realities to assist her in bringing the realities back into balance: the Amazing Spider-Man; Spider-Man Noir, a 1930s version of Spider-Man; Spider-Man 2099, the Spider-Man of a possible future; and Ultimate Spider-Man, the younger Spider-Man of an alternate present who is currently bonded with a symbiote.

Pros:

From the start, I’ll say that this is a fun game to play. The game play is reminiscent of the older Spider-man games (not including Web of Shadows), where it’s more linear with very little free-roaming. It’s a hit-or-miss factor but it fits this game. Combat is still simple button-combo commands and you get more when purchasing them in the Web of Destiny menu. The combat, however, is a good point to focus on because it differs with each dimension. While the commands stay the same, the attack styles are different with each Spider-man. Amazing Spider-man will use more web-based attacks while Ultimate Spider-man’s attacks are just the symbiote striking. Noir suit are more physical and 2099 is more aerial-based.


The dimensions are another favorite point in my book. It’s obvious to say that no two dimensions are alike, but I give credit to how Beenox approached it. Despite the slight repetitiveness in the games, you’ll be taking a slightly different approach in each world. Especially in the Noir world, where stealth is your primary objective. The Noir world gives it that Arkham Asylum style to it (and there’s a reason why I’m bringing up a DC game in a Marvel game review) because the bulk of your actions in that stage is taking down opponents under the cover of darkness. Meaning that you can’t just go in and wail on the opponents because you’ll end up looking at the death screen.

The audio in the game is something worthwhile to mention. We all know that Spider-man has a witty remark for almost anything that happens, but this game makes him run his mouth. And when you consider that there’s 4 Spider-men that you play with in the entire game, you get a lot of funny/sarcastic comments and remarks. Add to it that they put Deadpool in the game as a boss and you have a stage that’s rife with crazy commentary, even when you keep the game on pause for a while.

Cons:

Unfortunately, there are some major downsides in the game. First off, the game is short. How short, you ask? You get about 13 stages that can be completed in about 30 minutes on average, 15 if you do a speed run. So you don’t get much of the game to play. There’s also very little replay value to this game. After the first 4 stages, you get how to handle the game and well, you’ll probably get bored quick. So unless you’re doing an online walkthrough or you’re an achievement/trophy hunter, there’ll be no reason to play this game a second time.

Also, this game gets very glitchy at times. From enemy markers still on your screen when there are none there to parts of a mission where you’ve defeated the baddies and there’s no cut-scene or objective to do, you will encounter glitches even if you install the game to the hard drive. Thankfully, there are no major camera angle flaws. However, if you’re crawling on a wall and there happens to be a ledge…yeah, it’s like doing a DUI trying to crawl forward.

Overall:

Spider-man Shattered Dimensions is an alright game. It’s not worth its $60 for the purchase, but if you have a GameFly account, then it’s something to check out. And if you’re a fan of witty comments, then pause the game on Deadpool’s stage and count to 60.

Final Rating: 3 out of 5

Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars Review

Game: Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars
Genre: Fighting Game
Developer(s): Eighting
Publisher(s): Capcom
Release Date: December 11, 2008 (JPN) January 26, 2010 (USA)
Rating: T (Teen)
System(s): Wii


Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars is a 2.5D fighting game developed only for the Nintendo Wii, in which players face each other with a team of two in a one-on-one fight to defeat each other in a Crossover Battle.



Tatsunoko vs. Capcom features characters from the Japanese animation studio Tatsunoko Production and video game company Capcom. Like traditional fighting games, TVC's gameplay consists of attempting to knockout the opponent on a 2D plane. This plane creates a 2.5D environment in conjunction with character models and backgrounds rendered in 3D—a first for the Vs. series, another game that is similar is Street Fighter IV using 2.5D enviroment which Capcom might be using once again in the future. Another unique feature towards gameplay of Tatsunoko vs. Capcom is a simplified three-button attack system which revolves around Light, Medium, and Heavy attacks plus an 1 additional button for tagging in your assist character.




The game's two large characters, Tatsunoko's Gold Lightan and Capcom's PTX-40A, fight on their own without a partner resulting in the inability to do universal techniques that require a partner. To regenerate health, each player may switch out their characters at any time. A team can perform two special moves at the same time (which however uses up three special bars). The match is over once one of the teams have no remaining fighters.




Tatsunoko vs. Capcom's main features are Arcade mode, which involves the player battling against computer controlled opponents in multiple stages until he or she reaches the boss character. Time attack and Survival mode requires the player to defeat every character in the game. Survival limits health regeneration while Time attack is solely about completing it in the shortest time possible. There is a shop feature where you can buy unlockable characters, alternate character costumes, character profiles, movies, illustrations, background music for use in the gallery and minigames can be purchased with money obtained throughout the game. There are also modes exclusively for multiple players. Vs. Mode is the where two players can compete simultaneously via right beside you or Online.





There are also minigames which can be played between 1 to 4 players to entend your TVC entertainment. Overall, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom is a very fun fast-pased fighting game for the Wii which is not bad at all to have in your collection.

Rating: 4 out of 5


Gameplay Videos: