Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3
by Nataniel Hohl
reviewed on X360
New Blood
Having spent a fair amount of time enjoying the original Marvel vs. Capcom 3, I was naturally excited when Capcom revealed that an Ultimate edition featuring new fighters, stages, and modes was in the works. I was even more excited when it was revealed that some of the new combatants were among my favorite in both the Marvel and Capcom worlds. While the original game has an excellent cast consisting of new and old favorites like Captain America, Ryu, Wolverine, Chris Redfield, Dante, and Morrigan, the Ultimate edition steps it up by bringing a total of 12 new fighters (6 for Marvel, 6 for Capcom) into the fray. These new characters range from the instantly recognizable, like Dante’s twin brother Vergil or Johnny Blaze a.k.a Ghostrider, to the oddly obscure such as Capcom’s Firebrand or Marvel’s Rocket Raccoon. Other fan favorites like Frank West, Phoenix Wright, Hawkeye, Iron Fist, and Doctor Strange help round out the cast and bring the total number of combatants to an impressive 48.
Admittedly I was a bit doubtful as to how the more oddball characters would fit into the plethora of available fighters, but after having played a couple rounds with them, I can now see that Capcom really went above and beyond when it came to giving each of these new characters his or her own unique charm. Marvel newcomer Nova feels like a more aggressive and dynamic version of Magneto while Frank West, with his various plungers, wrenches, and baseball bats, plays like a more modern (yet just as goofy) iteration of Arthur. Resident Evil favorite Nemesis is just the sort of destructive powerhouse players would expect him to be and Doctor Strange, while not quite as powerful as Jean Grey’s Phoenix, can still punish opponents in either close-quarters or ranged combat and is one of the easiest characters to pick up and master.
Lost Opportunities
Unfortunately, much to the dismay of fans, Capcom’s signature mascot Mega Man still has not made the cut. Supporters of the little blue guy can make due if they happened to get their hands on the Mega Man pre-order bonus skin for his pal Zero, but Capcom’s neglect of one of its most popular characters and instead shoe-horning him in as an alternate costume feels like the company is spitting in the faces of its fans rather than trying to make them happy.
Another issue fans might have with the roster is the lack of inclusion of the original game’s two DLC characters, Jill Valentine and Shuma Gorath. Both characters can still be purchased and used in the Ultimate edition but Capcom’s choice to exclude them from the new base roster is sure to make some of its more thrifty fans angry.
8.5
fun score
Pros
Solid fighting. Online spectator feature is fun.
Cons
Arguably doesn\'t bring enough new to the table to warrant the \'Ultimate\' tag.