Two groups of
super-heroes clash yet again in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, a cross-over
between the famous Capcom and Marvel franchises. It’s a great fighting game
and players will probably be most impressed initially by its large roster of
characters. From the Marvel universe, players will be able to choose from
well-known stars such as Spider-man, Captain
America,
Thor and new characters like Dr. Strange, Iron Fist, Ghost Rider and Nova to
name just a few. Capcom fans will also see old favorites including Ryu,
Chun-Li and Morrigan along with new characters including Frank West from
Dead Rising, and the battling lawyer himself, Phoenix Wright. This selection
provides plenty of variety in terms of fig hting styles, moves and attacks.
Each character brings a different set of abilities to the match, and there
are endless combinations and strategies you can use. While many moves can be
performed simply in the new game, there’s plenty of variables between the
characters, so you have to balance them out. This approach means you have
endless options when it comes to your fighting styles before the matches
even begin. This gives you plenty to think about when you’re choosing you’re
3-character teams. Once you begin combat, you’ll find the controls and
interface work exactly as they should, with the fuild, intuitive controls
players have come to expect from Capcom.
Players have the basic moves such as punches and kicks right away with some
trademark attacks for each character as well. You can also call in another
character to aid you in battle briefly, which is one of the more appealing
aspects of these cross-over games. The gameplay mechanics are fairly
traditional by Capcom standards, and the game definitely has that familiar
feeling. The attacks you use are effective if you know when and where to use
them. Knowing your opponents’ vulnerabilities is a good way to keep yourself
ahead of them. The standard attacks are fun to use and intuitive. While
these can do some damage, the real key to the game is knowing when to
unleash the series’ trademark combos and super attacks. These build up
gradually as you battle your opponent, and can then be used to inflict
massive attacks on your opponents. Each character has their own super-gauge
and the higher it goes, the more devastating the attack is going to be. When
you use these, your opponent can try and block them, but they’re usually
unstoppable, and you’re more than likely to make contact, though
occasionally you might burst at the wrong moment and fail to make contact.
When you’re character runs low on energy, you can call-in one of your
team-mates to take their place, though once they’ve been knocked out of the
round, they can’t be called back to the match.
One
of the more accessible fighting games on the market, UMC3 doesn’t drown in
complexity like many of its contemporaries. You can unleash combo moves with
simple button presses, call in reinforcements and perform super combos quite
easily. This makes for deliriously overwrought battles where the majority of
time is spent trading mega-attacks, with only a few traditional punches and
kicks thrown in. Moving the characters into position is easy using either
the traditional d-pad or analog stick while the face buttons are used to
perform standard attacks. Making things simpler is the command structure,
which relies on timing more than combinations. You can still perform some
massive attacks with elaborate moves, but the effort is mostly in the timing
and shaping of each battle’s super-moves. The PS Vita’s design is nicely
suited to this type of fighter, but the developers have added an interesting
new feature that allows players to use the touch screen to control the
fighters. Tapping the screen allows you to move the characters on-screen,
while swiping the screen in the general direction of opponents allows you to
perform the super moves. It’s a fairly intuitive system and easy to use,
though your thumbs might get in the way of the action at points. UMC 3’s
touch-screen controls are fun to use, though they don’t allow you to perform
some of the more advanced super moves, which is a little bit annoying for
those veteran players. However, it is fun to use and should help beginners
get into the gameplay mechanics a bit quicker. It definitely has that
classic Capcom feel throughout, and players looking for energetic, deep
gameplay won’t be disappointed.
Those who expected a watered-down edition of the game on a handheld will be
surprised to learn that this edition includes an impressive array of
features. Standard modes such as arcade, versus and training are here as
you’d expect, but the game also includes numerous extra modes. Some of these
are Vita exclusives, such as the new Heralds mode, where you attack with
teams and other modes that allow you to challenge opponents online, see your
ranking in leaderboards and set up matches with friends. Playing through the
game a few times will give you access to
unlockabled content and other modes of play as well. You can also
download extra content through the PSN that includes extra costumes, colors
and characters. All of this makes for a deep and extensive game that offers
plenty of replay value and gives players the flexibility to play for a short
time, or go deeper into the game and put their skills to more challenges.
Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is no slouch in the visual department either,
with a solid frame-rate throughout that keeps the action flowing smoothly.
An impressive graphics engine means the characters, while richly-detailed
animate fluidly throughout and make the game feel quite frenetic. As you’d
expect, the design is bright and colorful throughout and the army of
characters means you rarely find battles that repeat themselves. Its one of
the best looking Vita titles to date and its strong port means it feels
almost arcade-perfect. The smaller screen does feel a little scrunched, this
particularly affects the on-screen text in some areas, which can be hard to
read. However, these are only minor problems that don’t detract from
gameplay materially. Capcom has done an excellent job porting Ultimate
Marvel vs. Capcom 3 to the Vita. It’s quick burst, frenetic play,
over-the-top combos and dazzling 2.5D graphics make it perfectly suited to
Sony’s new hand-held. It’s robust online mode allows players to compete
online with little lag, while adding new modes that allow you to watch other
wild matches while building your own position on the leaderboards. It’s
slick presentation and graphics look fantastic on the system’s screen. The
typically intuitive controls of cross-over fighters are here, offering both
button mashing, (or screen-tapping) accessible fun for casual players along
with plenty of depth for hardcore gamers. It’s a great fighting game
overall, and UMC 3 packs quite a punch in its small package.
– Michael Palisano
