| System: Xbox 360, PS3 |  |
| Dev: Capcom | |
| Pub: Capcom | |
| Release: November 15, 2011 | |
| Players: 1-2 | |
| Screen Resolution: 480p-1080p | Mild Language, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Violence |
Speaking of connection speed, the overall netcode has just gotten better. Button delay has been seriously reduced, and I find myself dropping combos due to lag far less often. Playing with people in my own area is very smooth, and even games against my buddies on the other side of America are playable. You now get put into tiny micro-lobbies before participating in a ranked or player match, which shows you your opponent's connection quality and location before you fight them. This way you can avoid any poor matchups that might cause you a loss due to lag.
The promise of DLC is another big selling point for this game. The much advertised Heroes and Heralds mode was not available at the time of this writing, but is something to look forward to nonetheless. This "casual only" mode allows you to equip your team with trading cards which you find by participating in online battles. These cards, which feature Marvel and Capcom characters that weren't added to the playable character roster, impart special abilities to your team such as strength or speed boosts, bursts, parrying, and projectile invincibility. Every week, gamers will choose which side to be on in an attempt to either save the world from Galactus or destroy it with the power cosmic.
Granted, the game isn't all sunshine and rainbows. The new levels strike me as a little bit lazy. They are mostly just slight tweaks or re-colors of levels that were already in the game. The new colors and costumes are actually pretty cool, but you still have to buy any costume that features a whole new character model via DLC. The new character themes are a treat to hear, but the announcer is starting to get annoying.
Oh, and there is one big gripe I have with the game that Capcom still refuses to address: There is no tutorial mode!
Capcom still expects newbies to jump into the game cold, and most likely get wailed on. But at least the mission mode has become slightly more useful. All the knowledge of vanilla MvC3 went into its creation, making many of the combos you have to perform more practical from a match perspective. Only the last few combos in a character's mission list are flashy "combo video" type pro-combos. Pretty much everything before is just fundamentals. In addition, you can now scroll through the entire combo without going into another menu. This is a great addition that alleviates a lot of the frustration people had with the original mission mode.
In the end, there are three types of people who might want to get this game. The hardcore gamer has probably already pre-ordered it, so that's a no-brainer. The newbie who didn't get vanilla MvC3 gets to have all that and more for twenty bucks cheaper, so that's also a no-brainer. Then there's the casual gamer who already has a copy of vanilla MvC3. Make no mistake, you are buying the exact same game again, just with a lot more stuff added to it. If that's worth 40 bucks to you, then pick it up.
By
Angelo M. D'Argenio
CCC Contributing Writer
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