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I wasn't a big fan of Marvel vs Capcom 2. My favorite in the series was Marvel Super Heroes vs Street Fighter and I was saddened as each following version weakened characters and upped the speed, which made matches seem to go on forever. Even as MvC2 grew in the competitive scene, I just could not get myself interested in the game. I played it quite a bit too. Still, when Marvel vs Capcom 3 was announced, I was excited. And the game does not disappoint.
To be fair, I want to start with the flaws. First off, there are not a lot of extras. There is a training mode, a pseudo-tutorial mode, a gallery, online modes, the short but fun shadow battle mode, and an arcade mode, but that is it. There are only 4 characters to unlock and then the roster is complete (until more characters are added as DLC). I think anyone new to the game would have liked a deeper tutorial, time trial modes, more non-gameplay things to unlock (like extra colors, win quotes, and taunts), and maybe a shop to spend all of those player points that are collected through gameplay. It would not have to be much, but it would have really extended the single player mode a long way. If Capcom really wanted to go above and beyond, they could have put in a comic book inspired story mode with fun challenges. That would have made the game an instant buy for anyone looking for some single player fun.
Outside of the above, the game is amazing and has to be the most fun fighter ever created. When friends come over, I pop this game in and we go crazy for a couple hours just picking random characters. This is something Capcom got right: anyone can have a good time with this game. They also made it so that every character is powerful in his or her own way and fun to use. This makes the 36 character roster feel small, since it is so engaging to just try new characters and see what happens. There is a lot of variety in the game, but more would be even better.
The graphics in this game are amazing when still or in motion. There is no slowdown or stuttering, backgrounds are beautifully rendered, and the characters move with a lot of personality and charm. Spider-Man moves and hits just like a spider should and the Hulk looks, moves, and hits like the big bruiser that you imagined in the comics. Capcom did a great job of nailing the characters personality through apperance. Also, the voices and the small quips that characters throw out to each other help to really make this game a Marvel or Capcom fan's dream. For all of the missing modes and other complaints about the game, there was a lot of effort put into making the actual characters and gameplay experiences with them unique.
The music and sound in this game are pretty good. Sound effects are hard hitting and I think that people are going to have their favorite themes and character voices, but there is nothing that I would stick on my MP3 player. And, as an added surprise there are a few remixes of "Take you for a ride", the theme of MvC2. Still, I was even more excited to find an option for a second announcer, who runs her mouth at the same time as the default announcer. I love it when games talk for no reason and tell me what is clearly happening visually. I am not joking at all. Honestly, turn her on and it gives the game a real Ridge Racer 6 vibe. I cannot express enough love for the announcer.
Online modes are pretty much what you would expect with ranked, player matches, arcade request, and lobbies. The only downside is that lobbies have no spectator mode and no way to record matches. The spectator mode is a pretty serious loss; hopefully it will be patched in the future. Adding online modes is something that Capcom did for bothStreet Fighter IV and Super Street Fighter IV, so there is hope. Actual online matches are pretty smooth if the other person has a good connection. I have had some decent luck, except for the time I played my brother who thought it was a good idea to use his cellphone as a hotspot for his Xbox (he actually asked me if I had experience with people dropping out on me after the match started…). There are a few neat features here too, like the license card which seems to track everything you do and create a score card with information about your play style and reserve teams.
Overall, for any fighting game fan, this is a must buy. The game engine will allow you to do almost any combo you can imagine and it is fun. For casual players, your mileage may vary if you only want to play single player. There are a lot of random things to unlock, but they don't add up too much. Still, if you have any friends or fond memories of Marvel vs Capcom 2, you could easily get lost in this game for a few weeks. Marvel vs Capcom 3 just might end up being too good of a party game to pass up. Besides, you don't want to be known as the tool who refused to save the earth.