Marvel Vs Capcom 3 Fate of Two Worlds Xbox 360

Released on 29/06/2011

• Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds

  Mighty and Marvel-ous

  
  

  It's been three years since Street Fighter IV revolutionised the world of fighting games with Capcom's startling, distinguished take on the 2D fighter. In its considered execution, taking the flat sprites of the genre's heyday in the early 1990s and turning them into eye-popping 3D models that move with just as much grace and efficiency, a fighting revolution was reborn.

  
  

  Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds arrives in the wake of Street Fighter IV's glory, updating another venerable Capcom classic with a similar style and approach to its more austere cousin.

  
  

  Fighting Fantasy

  
  

  The game brings 19 characters from the world of Capcom - from stalwarts such as Ryu and Chun-Li to more unlikely opponents such as Amaterasu, the wolf Goddess from Okami and Viewtiful Joe - to face up against 19 classic Marvel comic book heroes. These include the obvious entrants such as Wolverine and Spiderman as well as more leftfield choices, such as M.O.D.O.K and She-Hulk.

  
  

  A three-vs.-three fighting game, you must choose three combatants to take into the ring, and are generally free to tag each team member in and out freely during the course of a match.

  
  

  Characters incur two damage types as they fight: normal damage and red damage. Tag a character out of the play area and, while they are 'on the bench' their red damage will replenish, making the flow of when you bring characters into the arena and when you send them out again a key tactical consideration.

  
  

  *Kapow*

  
  

  In contrast to Street Fighter's 6-button configuration, Marvels vs. Capcom 3 simplifies things a little. Here are just three attack buttons: light, medium and heavy, and a special 'launch' button, that will whack your opponent up into the air if it lands.

  
  

  Basic combos are triggered by hitting light>medium>hard then launch in quick sequence and, if you jump into the air after a launch opponent, you can continue the battle while airborne.

  
  

  Hit the launch button again while in the air and you'll smack your opponent back down to the ground, while pressing a direction while doing do will bring in one of your teammates to continue to the attack in a seamless string. The action is fast, kinetic and spellbinding, and the quicker pace to Street Fighter IV will initially dazzle. But to compensate for the hyperactivity of the on-screen action, the inputs have been made a lot simpler, and providing you can execute a fireball motion (quarter circle towards your opponent followed by an attack) and a zig-zag shoryuken, most of the game's screen-filling special attacks will be available to you.

  Death From Above

  
  

  Visually, the game is a tour de force, with no slowdown even as the screen fills with explosions of pixels and fire. The modes on offer mirror those seen in Street Fighter IV. There's a basic single player 'campaign' to play through, a string of fights leading up to a final dramatic encounter with the giant Galacticus as he swipes at planet earth. Then there's a mission mode, which offers a series of combo challenges to be cleared for each character.

  
  

  In terms of the all-important online modes, there are ranked and player matches to get stuck into, with every win and loss being recorded to your profile. Then there are lobbies, in which up to eight players can play winner-stays-on round robin matches against one another.

  
  

  Sadly, unlike in Super Street Fighter IV, you cannot spectate other players' matches, and this oversight will make it harder to pick up tips from experts in the game. Nevertheless, the netcode is slick and fast, and playing online is a joy.

  
  

  There is a slight lac of unlockables on offer here - particularly for a game that so obviously trades on fan service. But each character is stunningly realised, with a host of unique moves. The result is a game that may lack the weighty grace and considered character of Street Fighter IV, but that, in its dazzling light displays, provides a sugar rush alternative, that is just as worthy of attention.

   

  Our Rating: 8

  Marvel

  + Fast-paced, exciting bouts

  
  

  + A visual treat.

  
  

  + Lavish character design.

  Shovel

  - Lack of unlockables

  
  

  - At times hard to see what's happening

  
  

  - No spectating in online lobbies

• Capcom Digital Collection coming in March 2012

  Capcom has announced that its forthcoming Xbox 360 compilation release Capcom Digital Collection will be hitting stores in March 2012.

  The new release will include a total of eight hit games that have previously only been available as downloadable titles, all bundled on to one disc for a reduced price.

  Many of Capcom's most famous franchises are represented as part of the collection, which includes classic fighter Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix and its spinoff Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, as well as Final Fight: Double Impact and Bionic Commando Rearmed 2.

  Other titles included in the pack are Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3, Flock!, 1942: Joint Strike and Rocketmen: Axis of Evil, which comes complete with the Rocketmen: It Came From Uranus expansion pack.

  Each game retains all of the features, Achievements and online functions of their downloadable counterparts, adding up to an enticing offer for Capcom fans.

  Published: 24/01/2012

• Marvel vs Capcom 3 Fate of Two Worlds - Review

  

  Mighty and Marvel-ous

  It's been three years since Street Fighter IV revolutionised the world of fighting games with Capcom's startling, distinguished take on the 2D fighter. In its considered execution, taking the flat sprites of the genre's heyday in the early 1990s and turning them into eye-popping 3D models that move with just as much grace and efficiency, a fighting revolution was reborn.

  Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds arrives in the wake of Street Fighter IV's glory, updating another venerable Capcom classic with a similar style and approach to its more austere cousin.

  Fighting Fantasy

  The game brings 19 characters from the world of Capcom - from stalwarts such as Ryu and Chun-Li to more unlikely opponents such as Amaterasu, the wolf Goddess from Okami and Viewtiful Joe - to face up against 19 classic Marvel comic book heroes. These include the obvious entrants such as Wolverine and Spiderman as well as more leftfield choices, such as M.O.D.O.K and She-Hulk.

  A three-vs.-three fighting game, you must choose three combatants to take into the ring, and are generally free to tag each team member in and out freely during the course of a match.

  Characters incur two damage types as they fight: normal damage and red damage. Tag a character out of the play area and, while they are 'on the bench' their red damage will replenish, making the flow of when you bring characters into the arena and when you send them out again a key tactical consideration.

  

  *Kapow*

  In contrast to Street Fighter's 6-button configuration, Marvels vs. Capcom 3 simplifies things a little. Here are just three attack buttons: light, medium and heavy, and a special 'launch' button, that will whack your opponent up into the air if it lands.

  Basic combos are triggered by hitting light>medium>hard then launch in quick sequence and, if you jump into the air after a launch opponent, you can continue the battle while airborne.

  Hit the launch button again while in the air and you'll smack your opponent back down to the ground, while pressing a direction while doing do will bring in one of your teammates to continue to the attack in a seamless string. The action is fast, kinetic and spellbinding, and the quicker pace to Street Fighter IV will initially dazzle. But to compensate for the hyperactivity of the on-screen action, the inputs have been made a lot simpler, and providing you can execute a fireball motion (quarter circle towards your opponent followed by an attack) and a zig-zag shoryuken, most of the game's screen-filling special attacks will be available to you.

  Death From Above

  Visually, the game is a tour de force, with no slowdown even as the screen fills with explosions of pixels and fire. The modes on offer mirror those seen in Street Fighter IV. There's a basic single player 'campaign' to play through, a string of fights leading up to a final dramatic encounter with the giant Galacticus as he swipes at planet earth. Then there's a mission mode, which offers a series of combo challenges to be cleared for each character.

  

  In terms of the all-important online modes, there are ranked and player matches to get stuck into, with every win and loss being recorded to your profile. Then there are lobbies, in which up to eight players can play winner-stays-on round robin matches against one another.

  Sadly, unlike in Super Street Fighter IV, you cannot spectate other players' matches, and this oversight will make it harder to pick up tips from experts in the game. Nevertheless, the netcode is slick and fast, and playing online is a joy.

  There is a slight lac of unlockables on offer here - particularly for a game that so obviously trades on fan service. But each character is stunningly realised, with a host of unique moves. The result is a game that may lack the weighty grace and considered character of Street Fighter IV, but that, in its dazzling light displays, provides a sugar rush alternative, that is just as worthy of attention.

  GAME's Verdict

  What's Good?

  • Fast-paced, exciting bouts
  • A visual treat.
  • Lavish character design.

  What's Bad?

  • Lack of unlockables
  • At times hard to see what's happening
  • No spectating in online lobbies

  Published: 16/02/2011

• The Beat 'Em Up Resurgence

  
  

  

  Round 1 - Storied Reputation

  Fighting games like Tekken and SoulCalibur have enjoyed an unprecedented resurgence over the last two years. But before Mitsurugi's katana skills and Paul Phoenix's extreme hairstyle came into style, old-school gamers were playing The Way of the Exploding Fist and Yie Ar Kung-Fu on their humble ZX Spectrums and Commodore 64s. These early fighters - which were inspired by martial-arts films - then paved the way for the most important fighting game of all time.

  Street Fighter II: The World Warrior kick-started the golden era of fighting games in the early nineties. It achieved this with a cast of eight international fighters and an epic (and allegedly accidental) combo system. Street Fighter then matured into a globally adored series and inspired everything from Mortal Kombat and Killer Instinct to Virtua Fighter and Dead or Alive. But when the genre fell into decline in the years following the turn of the millennium, it seemed like the honeymoon period was finally over.

  

  Round 2 - Re-enter the Dragon Punch

  This all changed when Capcom pulled the pin on a grenade labelled Street Fighter IV in 2008 - because not only did the ensuing explosion revive the genre in spectacular style, it made it the strongest it's ever been. SFIV kept all the iconic characters and special moves from Street Fighter II, and by reworking the classic 2D controls with the new Focus and Ultra systems, it offered accessibility and depth in equal measure. But while Street Fighter IV set the benchmark, its 2010 follow-up, Super Street Fighter IV, smoothed out the kinks and offered unrivalled diversity.

  SSFIV could have been a lazy update. Instead it offered ten new faces and a choice of two Ultra Combos. This allowed each fighter to be played in two distinct styles. But Super isn't the end of the story, as it was ported onto Nintendo 3DS as Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition, and on June 7th, Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition will be released. The inclusion of Yun, Yang, Evil Ryu and Oni will bring the roster up to 39, making Arcade Edition the definitive Street Fighter.

  

  Round 3 - The New (and Old) Challengers

  Street Fighter IV was the game that led the charge, and in its wake, other fighting games followed. A particular highlight was BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger in 2009. This beautiful 2D fighter was the spiritual successor to the intense Guilty Gear series, and much like its eccentric forbearer, BlazBlue was brimming with innovation. It featured a rapid tempo and an ingenuous Drive system which made each fighter unique. Then, when BlazBlue: Continuum Shift tightened up the gameplay in 2010, BlazBlue established itself as the hardcore fighter of choice. An accomplished port of Calamity Trigger is also available for the PSP.

  But the award for “most accessible fighting game” goes to the long running Vs. Series. This Capcom-developed series began in 1996 with X-Men vs. Street Fighter. After a long hiatus, it returned to Europe last year with Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars on the Wii. But while Tatsunoko is massively popular in Japan, it only has a niche following in the West. So when Marvel vs. Capcom 3 launched earlier this year with its familiar cast of celestial wolves, bionic commandos, thunder gods and less-than-jolly green giants, it stole the show in style. Its rabid tag-team combat and X-Factor system also allowed for many astonishing combos.

  

  Round 4 - Fatal Fantasy

  Another classic that made a comeback this year is Mortal Kombat. This brutal fighter was on a slippery slope after switching haphazardly to 3D, but with a series reboot having just been released on the 360 and PS3, Mortal Kombat is back in the realm of 2D gameplay where it belongs. We get the classic Raiden torpedo dive and Liu Kang bicycle kick, as well as a new super gauge that allows for gory X-Ray attacks. But Mortal Kombat's crowning achievement is the variety of content it offers, because even after finishing the seven-hour Story Mode, a Tower of 300 challenges awaits.

  If a fully fledged narrative isn't surreal enough, how about a PSP fighting game based on Final Fantasy? Dissidia Final Fantasy is a 3D fighter that brought together the heroes and villains from Final Fantasy I through to Final Fantasy X. This allowed RPG fans to fight battles between Sephiroth and Squall using a unique combat system that centred on HP and Bravery attacks. The recent sequel, Dissidia 012 Duodecim Final Fantasy, included more characters - including Tifa and Yuna from Final Fantasy VII and X - as well as a significantly expanded single-player mode.

  

  Round 5 - Fight for the Future

  When you add all these excellent games to the likes of Tekken 6, The King of Fighters XII, Super Smash Bros. Brawl and SoulCalibur: Broken Destiny, it's clear that fighting game fans are being spoilt for choice. But what's next for the genre?

  In the coming months we'll see the release of Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus on the Wii and PSP (May 6th), the manga-inspired Arcana Heart 3 on the PS3 and 360 (June 24th) and Dead or Alive Dimensions joining Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition on the new Nintendo 3DS (May 20th).

  After that, we have the Capcom-developed Street Fighter X Tekken to look forward to next year, as well as the long awaited Tekken Tag Tournament 2 and the Namco Bandai-developed Tekken X Street Fighter. All in all, there's never been a better time to own an arcade stick!

  Published: 01/04/2012

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