Marvel Vs Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds

Marvel Vs Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds

PS3 / XBox 360

"I am no longer amused by your amateurish display of mediocrity" Dr Doom.

Its 1996, I’m 12 years old and my addiction to comic books has begun. The Sega Mega Drive (the console I was playing at the time) was dead. It was time to move on. That summer I saw X-Men: Children of the Atom at an arcade. A 2D beat ‘em up from Capcom starring my (then) favourite superheroes.

Christmas 1996, I’m the average kid and I beg my parents for a video games console from the new generation. The fact that X-Men:COTA is only out on the Sega Saturn (it was later released on the Sony Playstation), swings my vote.

Jump to the year 2000. The Sega Saturn is dead and I’m looking for a new console. Marvel Vs Capcom and Marvel Vs Capcom 2(then a Dreamcast exclusive, later out on X-Box and PS2/PS3) are both out for the Sega Dreamcast. Guess which console I went for?

Its 2011, this time I’m on the PS3 and Capcom have released Marvel vs Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds. Of course, Fate of Two Worlds abbreviates to FTW (For The Win!) but has Capcom scored again or has the likes of Super Street Fighter 4 and Blaz Blue kept MvsC3 for the top?

MvsC3 has 36 (down from MvsC2’s 50+) characters to play from, Capcom have tried to stop “character duplication” by limiting how many characters of the same type appear. For example, no War Machine as he is just a palette change of Iron Man. No Ken, as he is a palette change of Ryu. However, it does feel that the game is missing out on characters that can dominate the screen (i.e. Thanos, Juggernaut). At first 36 characters seems like a good amount, however the player chooses 3 players for their team and combinations quickly whittle down.

Some of the character choices also seem a little…strange (She-Hulk in particular, as she plays a lot like Rogue). Maybe it is just me however I miss Cammy, Psylocke, Colossus, and Zangief. Capcom could correct this in future with downloadable content, as they have already announced Jill Valentine and Shuma Gorath will be available soon.

The character animations are top notch, and I don’t think I’ve seen the Darkstalker ladies looking so good. Hypercombos can light up the whole screen, with flashing graphics showing off the full potential of a characters power. The backgrounds also look fantastic, whether it’s the NYC parade or Asgard. The lack of variety though (8 stages in total) is very poor.

Gameplay style, the major changes come in with the “simple” control method options. Fighting games generally have complex controls with multiple buttons/directions needing to be inputted for a character to pull of a move/special move. This can be a little daunting for new players. Capcom have removed the majority of this barrier with a control method called “simple, which allows players to pull combos with one button, it does however limit the players move set.

The single player mode of MvsC3 is short and very limited. Unlike MvsC2, there are only 4 unlockable characters and the character endings are very poor (a few screen pictures and some text). If you are looking at this as single player game, forget it. The single player mode can be completed in 20/30 minutes.

The online mode is currently having a few *issues*, where it is unable to find hosts and disconnects players back to the main menu.

Multiplayer is definitely where it is at in MvsC3. The control methods bring experts and beginners to a closer level. There is lots of fun in unleashing a full team hyper combo and watching your opponent go flying across the screen. The confusion and enjoyment of a 3 vs 3 team is something that other fighters (e.g. Street Fighter 4) are unable to replicate. Trying to learn another players fighting style, whilst alternating characters brings some strategy into the game.

With 10 years between Marvel vs Capcom 2 and Marvel vs Capcom 3, I may have built up my expectations. I do feel let down by the limited character roster/scene choices, the poor character endings and the constant “updating player card” delays that occur when moving between modes. I think Capcom could have added more rewards for players other than the art that has been shown online for months. MvsC3 is brilliant for multiplayer madness, and I’d recommend its multiplayer experience over any other fighting game. But for single players….skip it.

Activision Says Good Bye To Guitar Hero

“God gave Rock n’ Roll to you” KISS

During this week, Activision declared that they were disbanding any further development of the Guitar Hero franchise. The same Activision once claimed that Guitar Hero was the 3rd largest game franchise ever, and that Guitar Hero 3 (Legends of Rock) was the 1st single video game to exceed $1 billion in sales. That’s quite a feat.

My first experience with Guitar Hero (GH) was with GH3: Legends of Rock, a game I still own today, back in 2007. In fact, I still play guitar based games with the guitar that came with GH3, personalised with stickers in a way only rock or gaming geeks could appreciate. I admit I’m not a musically talented person. I enjoy listening to rock music; however I’m useless with a real guitar. GH allowed me to play a video game, listen to rock music and let me feel a (very little) bit of the guitar playing experience.

GH started out back in 2005, when Red Octane and Harmonix came together (and made sweet sweet music). GH2 quickly followed in 2006, and that same year Activision purchased Red Octane (and the GH franchise). Harmonix would join with MTV Games to produce Rock Band. Activision and Red Octane would produce GH3: Legends of Rock, GH4: World Tour and several spin off dedicated themed games (Aerosmith and Metallica).

Then in 2009 they decided to “expand” (or flood) the market. Guitar Hero 5 featured “less rock” and more generalised music, along with a slightly amended logo. The same year Activision released Band Hero, Guitar Hero: Smash Hits, Guitar Hero: Van Halen and DJ Hero. It was an edgy move in the hope to get more music fans to become gamers. 

Sadly, none of the games sold as well as expected. Activision continued to show support for the genre and in 2010 released a “back to its roots” Guitar Hero 6: Warriors of Rock and DJ Hero 2.  Again, both games did not reach their respected levels of sales. In fact, both fell very short. 

Are the sales the effect of the global recession? Competition from Rock Band? A general decline in interest in the genre?

It’s a little hard to say, however how many gamers want to be buy the same game on a yearly basis with little content change? And how much music is suited to the GH genre? The online store for GH will still exist, however after February 2011 no new tracks will be added. 

I still enjoy putting GH on and enjoying a quick jam session every now and then, there is nothing like venting on “Devil Goes To Georgia” (GH3). Every so often I’ll try and see if I’ll ever be able to 100% “Spirit of the Radio” (Rush, GH5). That feeling as my fingers move in a blur across several buttons, straining to react fast enough will never fade…but I don’t think I’ll mope or be upset about the end of GH.

It is just a shame the series has not gone out on a rock inspired ending, with flames shooting from the ground and a gothic looking rock chick riding a motorbike whilst smashing a guitar across a devil’s face. Instead the end of GH comes about via a corporate press release, but then again maybe that symbolises all that became wrong with GH….

X-Men

X-Men

PS3 / X-Box 360 – via the appropriate consoles store…or go retro and find the arcade cabinet

“The time for subtlety is passing. Now is the time for change” – Magneto (New Mutants Vol.1 Issue 38)

Originally launched as an arcade game in 1992 by Konami, X-Men has been re-released on the current generation of home consoles. I remember spending quite a bit of my summer time and money playing the 4-player cabinet version of X-Men in an arcade in Bispham, near Blackpool.

The arcade cabinet for X-Men had a 4-player and a 6-player version, allowing up to 6 players to gather round and play as an X-Man (or X-Woman). Thankfully the re-release of X-Men includes options to play with up to 6 players, so those early 90’s button bashing mad mutant moments can be recaptured / experienced. The re-release also includes both the U.S. and the Japanese versions of the game.

Before I continue, I think some historical information is needed. Launched in the 1960’s, and telling the story of mutants (people born with powers), X-Men originally did not sell too well. During the 1980’s the X-Men (thanks to a re-launch with a new team of mutants) rose to become comic superstars, becoming so popular that Marvel had several comic titles revolving around mutants. In 1989, an animation was produced as a pilot in an effort to launch an X-Men animated series. This episode was called “X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men”, and saw Kitty Pryde meeting the X-Men. Konami based the X-Men arcade game on this animation (not directly on the comics).

Around the launch of the X-Men arcade game, Marvel Comics would launch more X-Men related titles and the X-Men eventually received a successful animated series.

Back to the game, players can choose from 6 X-Men characters (Colossus, Cyclops, Dazzler, Nightcrawler, Storm and Wolverine), all with their own unique power and dressed in their 1980’s costumes. X-Men plays like a 90’s side scrolling beat’em up, as that is exactly what it is. Imagine Golden Axe or Streets of Rage, but with eye beams, tornados and Sentinels filling the screen. Players have energy to use for their mutant power, which expires after a few shots and is replenished after dying.

However, unlike the original arcade version (where lives equalled credits, and credits cost money), this version of X-Men has unlimited continues. This means players can die on purpose to restock their mutant powers. I’m unsure if that’s a good or a bad thing, I’m guessing it comes down to an individuals gaming style.

The game does feel rather short, and can be played through in less than 25 minutes, however I feel X-Men isn’t about gaming length but about fun. Multiplayer sessions yield so much potential and fun.

Graphically, X-Men is showing its age. Backbone Entertainment may have ported the game across to 1080p HD but the sprites definitely show their age. Don’t get me wrong though, the game still looks good, but good in a 90’s way.

Amusingly the games voice script has been maintained, including its infamous lines, such as “I am Magneto, master of magnet” and “Welcome to die”. There is nothing like broken English in a 90’s video game.

All in all, X-Men is still a great game and well worth the £6 (or so) that it costs from the store. The graphics may have aged but the fun antics and mutant mayhem are still there, now with added trophy/achievements support.