UPDATED ON: 1/28/2011
Capcom will soon be releasing their third entry in the MARVEL VS CAPCOM series to X-Box 360 and Playstation 3 home consoles. This is the first entry in the series that is exclusive to consoles and is not based on an arcade game. Fans of the MARVEL VS CAPCOM series have waited patiently for 10 years for this sequel to be born, and by the looks of it, it will have been well worth the wait.
MARVEL VS CAPCOM 3: FATE OF TWO WORLDS is the first in the series to utilize 3-D graphics but it will still maintain the 2-D gameplay we all know and love. The style of this game has been overhauled to compete with the plethora of 2-D and 3-D fighters in the market today. Gone are the sprite-based character models, and hand drawn backgrounds. Instead what we have is a fully stylized 3-D atmosphere that will hopefully bring new depth and variety to the combat arenas. The style is somewhat reminiscent of the new STREET FIGHTER IV engine but seems to have a more mature and comic book inspired tone. While I get the notion to start fresh and create a new style, I will admittedly miss the 2-D sprites and backgrounds of previous installments. I am however willing to give it a shot and it does look good, just different.
The battles appear to maintain that fast-paced frenzy that fans of the series adore. One of the great things that always set this series apart from other fighters is just how insane these battles get. Once again the battles are a 3 on 3 affair. This has always seemed crazy to me in a good way and only adds to the chaos happening all over the screen. Since you can call in your fellow teammates for assist moves, you will sometimes have up to six characters on screen at once kicking each others ass! Not to mention that pitting some of video games most iconic characters versus Marvels endless roster of iconic characters is a complete nerdgasm in itself.
The previous installment (MARVEL VS CAPCOM 2) boasted 56 playable characters in all, 28 for Capcom and 28 for Marvel. So far there have been a total of 30 characters announced for MARVEL VS CAPCOM 3 with plenty more announcements on the way soon. Marvel seems to be focused on their popular film characters this time around and Capcom has an updated roster featuring some of the coolest new characters they have created in the past 10 years. Here is a list of all the characters announced so far;
Marvel:
CAPTAIN AMERICA
DEADPOOL
DOCTOR DOOM
DORMAMMU (obscure Dr. Strange villain)
HULK
IRON MAN
MAGNETO
M.O.D.O.K
SHE-HULK
SHUMA-GORATH (obscure villain) download only
SPIDER-MAN
SUPER-SKRULL (Has all 4 of the Fantastic 4’s Powers)
THOR
WOLVERINE
X-23
STORM
PHOENIX
TASKMASTER (Avengers Villain, Deadpool Frequent)
SENTINEL (X-Men Series)
Capcom:
AMATERASU (Okami)
ARTHUR (Ghosts’N Goblins)
CHRIS REDFIELD (Resident Evil Series)
CHUN-LI (Street Fighter Series)
DANTE (Devil May Cry Series)
FELICIA (Darkstalkers Series)
JILL VALENTINE (Resident Evil Series) download only
MORRIGAN (Darkstalkers Series)
RYU (Street Fighter Series)
SPENCER RADD (Bionic Commando)
TRISH (Devil May Cry Series)
TRON BONNE (Mega Man Series)
VIEWTIFUL JOE
WESKER (Resident Evil Series)
ZERO (Mega Man Series)
CRIMSON VIPER (Street Fighter IV)
HAGGAR (Final Fight Series)
AKUMA (Street Fighter Series)
HSIEN-KO (Darkstalkers Series)
I have to admit that MARVEL VS CAPCOM 2: NEW AGE OF HEROES is by far my favorite fighter of all time. This sequel has a lot to live up too. I am also very loyal to some characters in the Marvel and Capcom universe. I am the biggest Cyclops (X-Men) fan you will ever encounter and if he is included in this game I will be in nerd heaven. My dream team in MARVEL VS CAPCOM 2 was always; Cyclops, Cable, and Mega Man. None of these landmark characters have yet to be announced for this sequel. While I’m sure Mega Man will surly show up, I have major doubts for Cyclops and Cable. My only hope is that they are included as inevitable downloadable characters. These days downloadable content is HUGE and I am sure we can anticipate a lot of character packs in the near future for this title. I will pray to my nerd gods to have Cyclops as a playable character for this game at some point. If not, I will be a cranky nerd for years to come.
It is always a blast to see updates for games like this. The roster is growing each day and I eagerly anticipate new character announcements. I will update this post as frequent as possible with new character announcements and details. I also recommend visiting Capcom’s official page for this game HERE. You will find updates, a great looking character roster, videos, screenshots, a look at the awesome special edition of the game, and much more. Below in just one of many gameplay videos out there to give you an idea of how this game plays.
MARVEL VS CAPCOM 3: FATE OF TWO WORLDS comes out on X-Box 360 and Playstation 3 exclusively on February 15th 2011.
