Marvel Vs Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds review

Even with all the on-screen action, everything looks stunning; the visuals have been designed to emulate the appearance of a comic book, with vibrant colours and sharp outlines. Much like the latest edition of Street Fighter, Capcom rejected classic 2D sprites in favour of full 3D character models, although gameplay remains strictly two dimensional. Each stage is based on a location from either the Marvel universe or a previous Capcom game and the background is filled with incidental details that will appeal to fans. Highlights include the Demon village from Ghouls N Ghosts and the roof of the Daily Bugle, workplace of Spider-man’s alter ego Peter Parker.

There is a story-based arcade mode, loosely revolving around the collision of the Marvel and Capcom worlds, but it’s mostly an excuse for a series of progressively harder fights, culminating in a final showdown. It comes as no surprise that the final boss is none other than Marvel enemy Galactus, a demi-god with the power to devour planets.

Each character has their own unique ending, but MVC3 truly comes alive when you take it online to play against other players on Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network. Capcom has even added an option to the training mode that allows for internet lag, so you can practice your combos ready to take them online. If you really want to improve your game, a fight pad or arcade stick such as the official Mad Catz Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 stick is definitely the way to go, but the controls are easily remapped to any button combination to make it easier to play on a regular controller.

Purists and competitive players will more than likely stick to the more tactical Street Fighter IV, but Marvel Vs Capcom 3 is an absolute riot to play whether you take the time to understand the combo system or simply mash the buttons. The game is fan-service at its best, with plenty of content and an addictive multiplayer that will have players constantly coming back for one more fight.