Review - Dissidia 012 [Duodecim] Final Fantasy

The battle between Order and Chaos rages on in this portable prequel to 2009's RPG/Fighter/Brawler Dissidia Final Fantasy. With new characters, various improvements and an added story sequence, will this be worth another trip into the endless cycle of battle?

Dissidia 012 [Duodecim] Final Fantasy

Developer: Square Enix

Publisher: Square Enix

Platform: Sony PlayStation Portable

Rating: T for Teen

Release: 3/22/2011

When you hear Final Fantasy and fighting game, you usually don't put two and two together. Having said that, the thought of a fighting game having heavy RPG elements would not be possible. Square Enix has proved our little minds wrong with their Final Fantasy fighting game on the PSP.

Story: The goddess of order, Cosmos, and the god of discord, Chaos, are locked in conflict and both sides have summoned warriors from the Final Fantasy multiverse to fight as their champions. During the 12th cycle of this conflict, beings known as Manikins, who take the form of memories of the summoned warriors, have surfaced and are continiously growing in number putting the side of Cosmos at a disadvantage. A few of Cosmos' champions have banned together to find the source of these Manikins and put a stop to their seemingly infinite numbers.

The story may not be for everyone but is still very Final Fantasy and fans of the franchise will appreciate it as it still retains a lot of cinematic flare the series is known for. You might find some significant plot holes in the story but Reports (side missions and extra cutscenes) in the game try to fill those gaps in by showing events that lead up to the 13th cycle. The 13th cycle being the main story in the 1st Dissidia game.

Its not everyone's cup of tea but hey, its flashy and to me that makes up for it.

Gameplay: The action in this game is a mix of 3rd person brawling and heavy RPG development. Each character can level-up, learning new abilities and equip different items and accessories to boost stats.

There are two main types of attacks, the brave attack and the HP attack. Each character starts off with a base brave value, attacking your opponents brave will reduce theirs and add to your own. You brave value corresponds to how much HP damage you can deal to your opponent. Giving enough damage to reduce your opponent's brave to below zero puts them in a break state. Being in a break state make you the wimpiest character in terms of attack and defense, you basically have no attack power until your brave recovers to its base number. Putting your opponent in a break state awards you with their bravery and the stage bravery.

Sounds complicated but the basic gist of it is that you work to deal a lot of damage to build up your brave and use that brave to deal HP damage on your opponent. This unique fighting system makes a very intense back and forth between characters in battle and with the game having such a fast pace, you are always on your toes.

This game can ask a lot of precision, especially if you are facing strong opponents who have a higher level. What type of move to use, when to use it, when and where to dodge or block and landing that counter hit can be a thrilling experience. Summons are also present in the game and have various effects that can turn the tide of battle completely around.

This may all be very overwhelming at first but the game eases you in with a well explained tutorial when you first boot the game and picture tutorials that you can view multiple times in the options menu to a point where most of the motions you will be performing will be second nature.

Features: With the full roster of the 1st game and 9 new characters added in the second game, I'd say that's a pretty rich selection of characters. Every character feels unique and different enough to cater to any kind of style you like. From the straight forward power fighter to the trap setting magic user to a combination of both. Experimenting with different characters just adds to the fun.

A team battle system has been added to the game which lets you choose 5 characters to face off against another 5 in either a tournament style or a round-robin style. This is a great way to farm experience as each character in your party gains the experience of the character you are currently using.

Another new feature which I think will play a significant difference in the play style of the 1st game is the addition of a new assist system. You build up your assist bar by performing and chaining attacks. The assist bar consists of 2 segments, the use of 1 segment is for brave attacks and HP attacks cost 2. Depending on who you choose your assist character to be, where your opponent is on the battle field and what type of attack you wish to use can play a huge role in your strategy and can change up the game in a great amount. Aside from using your assist character to attack, you can also substitute your character with when you're in a bind. It may lock your assist bar for a set period of time but that's better than taking that huge 9999 brave damage right?

I can go into the other changes and additions but to notice and appreciate them, you'd have to have played the 1st game as much as I did.

Multiplayer: Multiplayer hasn't changed as much as in the 1st game, you can partake in 1 on 1 battles via adhoc, trade ghost data and friend cards. Still no online play but really, who plays online on their PSP?

Bottom line is I think this game is still awesome despite having a somehow forced story and retains majority of the same mechanics as the 1st game. I loved the 1st game but the additions and changes made in the 2nd game are more than enough for me to acknowledge Duodecim as a worthy addition to my PSP library. Oh and did I mention, when you beat the 012 story you unlock the revamped story of the 1st game?

Score: 95 / 100

Pros: Very rich varied roster

Ridiculous amount of content

updates, changes and additions are for the better and add to the overall game

graphics are still top notch

you can still cheat the special day on the calendar

Cons: story can get very confusing

grinding is still required

Feral Chaos is an annoying bitch

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1irjosrI6g&w=560&h=349]

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTWNthnswWE&w=560&h=349]

DLC Review - Dragon Age II "All-Class Item Pack"

Yes, I caved in and bought it...

The Item Pack is the first Dragon Age 2 DLC to be released  since the ones that were released along with the game (The Exiled Prince, The Black Emporium, and the Signature Edition Rewards pack). It is available on all three platforms for the individual price of $2.99USD( 240BW or MS pts), or the combo price of $4.99USD( 400BW or MS pts). Each class-specific pack has both weapons and armor sets (no set bonus though) for Hawke, and a piece of jewelry for each your companions that share the same class as the pack you've bought (e.g. Merrill gets a ring with some sweet stats from the Mage Item Pack).

Mage Item Pack:

The MIP Comes with two sets of armor, one set for early game, and another for mid game, as well as a staff that scales with level (good enough till you get the Torch of Falon'Din or better). I'd love to have seen a second staff as opposed to a scaling staff, but I don't really have any gripes about the looks of this set. All "IP" items are good enough to last till you reach "champ level gear" (scaling items can potentially do better as your level rises). 

Warrior Item Pack:

The WIP comes with two sets of armor, two 2h swords , and a 1h axe and shield that scale to level. My only gripe is the fact that the early game helm looks a bit off, and that the shield doesn't match the mid game armor. The early game armor bears a striking resemblance to the "Legion of the Dead" armor.

Rogue Item Pack:

The RIP comes with two sets of armor, scaling dual daggers, and a scaling bow. The bow looks BADASS, and the daggers are okay (sort of look like wings on low res). I'm not exactly happy about the helm choices though.

Notes:

If you've played World of Warcraft, you'd most likely see these items as an offshoot to "Heirloom Items" or "BoA Items"; because they essentially replace gear you get from "drops" as you go on your adventure, only being replaced by the "top tier" equipment that you'll eventually get (although some pieces may be used in stead of the "champ armor" pieces for a slight boost in some stats; if runed properly) . It's basically the candy sprinkles on top of the whipped cream topping of a cupcake; nice cosmetic touch, but not really needed. Was it fun running around in my new digs? Yes. Was it worth my $5? Not really. It's something for die hard DA fans, RP nuts, and people who just have too much spare cash.

Grade: 50/100 

Review:Dragon Age II

Let me start off by saying that Dragon Age 2 works just fine as a stand-alone game; meaning  you don’t need to play Origins to understand any of the goings-on in Two… This is a bit of a disappointment to me. Being a huge fan of Origins, I was expecting an upgraded version of the original, with a new story that was closely related to the actions you took during the first game (assuming that you loaded your old save file). Instead we get a completely new game. Sure, there are certain elements that stay true to the original title (e.g. similar UI, same lore, etc…), but like I’ve said before, it’s a whole new creature on its own; think of it as switching your current car for a newer model from the same line. It’s essentially the same thing, only not.

Dragon Age II Developer: Bioware Publisher: Electronic Arts Platform: PC, Playstation 3, and Xbox 360

Visuals:

At first glance, the visuals of DA2 are stunning; even on the lowest possible visual settings, the game still manages to look miles ahead of its predecessor. From the character models, to environment details, up to the spell details, DA2 offers some of the best graphics compared to other games of the same genre. With all that said there is one major flaw; recycled environments. Sure the environments are nice, but one can only go so long till they get tired of the same old scenery, over and over again. In fact, if I wasn’t such a huge fan of the franchise, I would have thrown the game aside due to the sheer monotony. It’s a whole lot like the first time you saw something in 3D; the first couple of times is cool, but everything past that is just “meh”.

Audio:

Nothing breathtaking in this department, what I really like about it is the fact that it doesn’t get in the way of anything. It’s there to set the mood, nothing more, nothing less. What I did find funny was the fact that they decided to change the accents around (The Dalish now have Irish accents)… The Dwarves still have an American accent though (I always found that odd).

Game play:

Oh god, where do I begin? Remember that thing I said about DA2 and DA:O being like trading in your old car for a new model of the same line? Well, let’s add a change from an analog dash to a digital one, and changing from stick to automatic. Yeah… That’s about right. Bioware managed to keep the old layout of the UI, making a few changes to “revamp” the system. Players familiar to the old UI should be able to pick the game up with little to no effort at all, but the similarities end there.

Apart from the sudden disappearance and emergence of new spells and abilities, the new skill system features revamped tech-trees that are reminiscent of the Civilization V tech tree, albeit much smaller. Each school has its own separate tree (as opposed to the old “spell book” layout DA:O had) that would branch out into two to three separate veins, some of which may converge at some point. Some spells now gain “upgrades” which can be accessed just as if you were learning a new spell (e.g.  Fireball can be upgraded to increase its blast radius, Horror can be upgraded to inflict spirit damage, and Chain Lightning can be upgraded to bounce off more targets).

A new combo system has also been introduced. The new “cross class” combo system creates a deeper synergy between party members. For example, a Warrior can “Stagger” a target, leaving it vulnerable to certain Mage spells or Rogue abilities. Rogues can “Disorient” enemies, garnering the same effects as “stagger”, and Mages get “Brittle”. They’re essentially the same de-buff, but caused and used by different classes.  The CCC will make players think twice with regards to both their party lineup and tactics.

DA2’s difficulty across classes is insane. On my first run-through, I chose to make a mage, playing on normal difficulty. It was hard. Mages are no longer the “glass cannons” that they used to be. They now require “stagger” and or “disorient” effects to deal decent damage to elites and bosses. Sure, Cone of Cold was buffed and can kill normal enemies in one shot, but without the help of other characters, mages simply “gimped”. For my second run-through, I decided to run with a Warrior on Hard/Nightmare difficulty, and it was a cakewalk. The 2h Berserker-Vanguard build (plus party tactics) pretty much blows everything out of the water. I steamrolled right through the last two bosses in nightmare with little to no difficulty at all (I had to kite at one point, but that was it…).  I’ve yet to finish my Rogue run-through (hard), but even so, it’s easy to see that the classes are not on equal footing.  Another concern would be the Zerg-fest. Depending on the class you choose, Crow Control only becomes important on either Hard (mage) or Nightmare. This gives the game a “hack and slash” feel that I just can’t get used to. I can’t help but think that Bioware just got greedy and wanted to get more casual players to come in and buy their game by “dumbing it down” a notch.

Story:

Don’t take “spans a decade” seriously, it really isn’t any more longer than DA:O…

Since this game and Origins are technically different games, it really wouldn’t be fair for me to say that Origins had a better story… But it does. The story of DA2 lacks the cultural diversity found in Origins; if any at all, it would have been left to a bare minimum, and not as intriguing as the situations in Origins. The story of DA 2 follows the exploits of Hawke (I’ll be referring to Hawke as a man to make things easy) and his companions as they go about doing odd jobs, fixing both social and political problems, all while looking out for his family. It would have been great, only if the choices you made throughout the game actually meant something, and changed the outcome of the game…which it doesn’t (not in a major sense anyway). But my biggest problem would be the fact that the old save file that you’ve loaded during character creation does little to influence the game as a whole. People could argue that it is held in a different continent, but I’d like to see more than just a few cameos happen. Don’t get me wrong, the story of DA2 is pretty good, I just wish that there was more to it. All in all, the game just feels like it was rushed, not really polished all the way, and released just to make the pre determined release date.

Score: 75/100 - Good game, just not up to par with its predecessor.

Pros and Cons (for all you impatient nug-humpers)

+ Improved graphics

+ Better character models

+ Paced faster than it's predecessor

+ Tidy UI (HUD, character sheets, inventory, options menu)

+ Good musical score

+ Lots of easter eggs

+ Introduction of the "Cross-Class-Combo" system

- Recycled areas

- Can't play around with the preset "Hawke" faces

- You practically never miss

- God-aweful voice acting (besides Varric)

- Mages are TOO dependent on "CCC"

- Limited to being a Human

- VERY linear compared to it's predecessor

- Inability to "gear" your companions

Review: Killzone 3

Killzone was never an interesting game for me. Even back in the PlayStation 2 I just thought the enemies looked cool. Then Killzone 2 came ,and it was one of those games that showed people the PS3 power. It was a good game for some but the shooting mechanics especially the cover system felt odd to me. Now Killzone 3 is here with a better gameplay, amazing graphics, addicting online, but with a single player that can disappoint any gamer.

Killzone 3 Developer: Guerrilla Games Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment Platform: Playstation 3

Story

This has always been Killzone’s problem. It never had a good story, well for me at least. It’s pretty much a war between the ISA and the Helghast. ISA being the good guys from earth and the Helghast( their human, messed up from something but now with cool outfits) from another planet called Helgan and have been at war for the longest time. Among the three Killzone games, the first might have the most interesting. When I say most interesting, doesn’t mean it was great, just better than the rest. Comparing Killzone 2 and Killzone 3’s story, Killzone 3 was more exciting. But I think that was the problem since the story felt like it was lined up for these intense fire fights and chases.

Killzone 3 starts off minutes after the end of the Killzone 2. You control Tomas "Sev" Sevchenko, the Helghast leader Visari was killed by your partner Rico Velasquez and now the whole planet wants the ISA invasion force found and killed. That’s pretty much it in a nutshell. Shit happens as they evacuate and a lot of battles break out.

Character’s in Killzone 3 is just as forgettable as the previous games. They have those lame lines that make you cringe to death. Stick to the game play and the action given to you in the single player and you should be fine when you play Killzone 3.

Gameplay

The shooting mechanics is much better now in Killzone 3. Aiming down your iron sights feels great. The cover system now is more fluid and it’s not in your way during a fight. For me, that was my biggest complaint in Killzone 2 , the cover system, but thankfully they tweaked it to be more useful and feeling more like an option compared to before.

Killzone 3 keeps changing the game play by dumping you into different scenarios. One part you’re manning a gatling gun in a transport ship the next you’re controlling a mech, walking around shooting rockets and machine guns then you’re placed on a tank shooting its mounted gun. They tried to keep the game from being repetitive but if you think about it, it’s all the same and for me I’d rather fight a handful of helghast on foot and take cover. The Shooting gameplay is satisfying enough that it felt like they didn’t need mechs and such to be added. Good attempt but I’d prefer it was lessened a bit.

The jetpacks, which was talked about a lot before the game’s release was a good addition. It’s easy to control and great tool to flank enemies. It was only used in one part of the game which was sad and disappointing with it's hype. I wish it was used more in the single player campaign but you will see more of it in multiplayer.

Everybody was requesting a co-op feature for Killzone 3 since it wasn’t added in Killzone 2. They added it but I don’t think Guerilla quite understood what the gamers want. Split screen co-op was added, but a lot (including myself) preferred online co-op, or at least the option. It felt like an afterthought, a feature placed to please some gamers.The two player split screen was nothing great and the second player seemed to be just added into the Single Player campaign with no purpose of being there. The second player isn’t even added into the cut scenes. When I was playing the single player, Rico follows you and helps you out, I thought during co-op the other player would be him but I was proved wrong when i finally tried it.

Brutal melee is great. Goodbye to those instant melee kills that don’t make any sense in other FPS games. This is how melee should be. Breaking people’s neck, puncturing Helghast eye’s with your thumbs or knifing someone’s throat when they’re not looking.  No more, swing the knife at an enemy a couple of times…..dead. Adding this makes the feel of the game a bit more real. Killzone’s style of camera movement feeling real with every jump, every slide, how you reload, giving you a more realistic feeling was one of it's unique features. Adding these brutal melee kills makes it even better.

AI in this game is actually pretty impressive. This is one of the main reasons why the FPS gameplay works well. The Helghast respond properly to any situation. Killing them with grenades is a huge challenge, they run when they see a grenade close by which is a good trick since their always covered well from gunfire. They also have the tendancy to flank the player if they get the chance and they engage you in melee if you are too close for comfort.

Graphics and sound

Graphics is no doubt amazing in this game. Not only do they change the pace of the gameplay, you’re constantly moving to different environments as you progress. At the start of the game you’re placed on a ruined city nuked by the Helghast government, the next you’re in the snowy part of Helgan. There’s also  a jungle setting during the single player and even a junkyard. You move from place to place really quick giving you something new to look at each time.

Everything is well detailed and the game looks great in 1080p. Sadly my current setup cannot test the 3D feature but I hear it can be painful since this is a FPS after all. Even in multiplayer, the graphics seem similar. Maps aren’t as well detailed in single player but is still one of the best looking games online. This is great eye candy and you can’t go wrong with Killzone’s graphics.

The sound was decent and it really feels like you’re in a middle of a war. Gunfire is also good and gets really loud if you’re not careful, neighbors complained about me watching a war movie too loud. No movie, just loud gaming.

Multiplayer

This is what makes Killzone 3 a great buy. I was not expecting this at all. I bought the game for the Campaign and not for the multiplayer. When I finished campaign and felt disappointed with what I went through overall, I went to multiplayer and got addicted in just a few games. Aside from the shooting mechanics being great and fluid even in multiplayer, the 3 game modes make it very interesting.

You have Guerrilla Warfare which  is pretty much Team Deathmatch, Operations which is a series of objectives with cool cutscenes seeing you and your teammates defend or infiltrate the area and Warzone which is the best out of the three. Its many game modes jammed into one match.  It cycles from mode to mode changing gameplay very quickly. It also lessens camping since when one game mode is finished, another one starts which forces the battles somewhere else. It addictiong and can last for like 30 mins or more.

Level is pretty straightforward. When you level you get unlock points which you can use to unlock certain skills and weapons for a certain class. Best thing about Killzone 3’s unlock is that you can choose what to unlock and what class to work on first. In the end, if you reach the max level you unlock all in the end but in the early levels you get to focus on one class if you want which is better compared to other games that require you to be level 36 to use a certain weapon or skill. You have full control over your growth. Each class has a unique skill and purpose that separate them from the rest of the group. It pretty neat since each class is needed to win a match.

For example, Tacticians are needed to capture spawn points while infiltrators are useful since they can disguise themselves as the enemy infiltrating their lines to take out snipers etc., Engineers rebuild ammo crates and make turrets to make a defensive position, Marksmen are snipers and medics of course give you the ability to heal and revive players. They all play out well and are well-balanced.

They have 8 multiplayer maps in total and only one can be played in Guerrilla Warfare mode. They all seem pretty balanced and well made. Each map has something that makes it unique compared to the rest. like, There’s one map were jetpacks can be used and it brings a whole different feel altogether with people flying around like idiots. There’s also a map were you may use the mechs seen in the campaign. The mechs are great in multiplayer and is actually underpowered since it can get taken down easily. It’s a good thing since it keeps things balanced.

Overall

Killzone 3 surprised me in a bad way. I was all excited for the campaign and came out disappointed when the end credits started rolling. The only saving grace for me was the multiplayer. I can honestly say it’s one of the best multiplayers I’ve played in a long time. If you want a great campaign, look elsewhere, but if you’re looking for a good multiplayer, this will do. Without the multiplayer, the game would have been easily shelved in just a few days of playing.

Score: 78/100

Pros:

- Amazing Multiplayer

- Great Graphics

- Brutal Melee!

Cons:

- Horrible story and characters

- Forgettable campaign

- Gameplay such as mech control, chase scenes and mounted gun sequences were too many

- No online co-op, only split screen

Review: Marvel vs Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds

This sequel was the game everybody was waiting for. With Marvel vs Capcom 2 turning 10 years old, people wondered if Capcom was ever going to make one. But they finally unveiled Marvel vs Capcom 3: Fate of two worlds and amazed us with the new look and amazing but yet familiar gameplay. The game has its issues but when you start playing your first match in Marvel vs Capcom 3, you start to remember why you loved this franchise so much. The game is just as crazy as the second and any casual or hardcore fans of the series would love what the 3^rd has in store for them. It’s mahvel baby! its mahvel!!

Marvel vs Capcom 3 Developer: Capcom Publisher: Capcom Platform: Playstation 3 and Xbox 360

Story…….wait what?

Capcom promised an actual story this time around that would make you understand why Wolverine is fighting Ryu or why the world or rather worlds are in danger. Well I have no idea what they were thinking making that kind of promise because there’s no story whatsoever. The story is pretty much all the villains from the Marvel and Capcom universe teaming up to conquer both worlds. Then all of a sudden a terrifying force reveals itself and is planning to destroy both worlds. Now it’s up to all the heroes from both worlds to stop this huge threat before it destroys everything. Spoiler……actually not really since they revealed a trailer for the boss anyway.

That terrifying force is Galactus! Pretty awesome I guess. Do arcade mode and fight Galactus in the end, beat him and you saved earth. That's it. The endings are pretty sad since you don't get any cool ending sequence but rather two pages like it's coming from a comic book. A short dialogue of the characters ending which aren't good at all is all we get for saving the world. It’s not much of a story but this isn’t the reason why we play it anyway.

Gameplay

Marvel v Capcom 2 was a chaotic fighting game that had a deep fighting mechanic. With characters flying everywhere, character assists and flashy ultra-moves that can cover almost half the screen, it can get real messy but can be loads of fun. In this sequel, Marvel vs Capcom 3 brings the same to the table with changes that doesn’t hurt but rather improves game play.  It’s a much slower game now compared to the second but can still get a bit crazy. It may be not as fast as Marvel vs Capcom 2 but it’s certainly not as slow as Street Fighter 4. The speed actually comments the gameplay and the graphics.

Capcom wanted to keep the fighting mechanic deep but at the same time accessible to the casual crowd and user-friendly to first time players to the series. With that in mind, Capcom created simple mode. Simple mode is easy mode that makes you pull off crazy combos with ease. Light, Medium and Hard buttons are combined into one button so pressing that button repeatedly will perform the characters basic combos leading to launches.

Special moves like the Hadouken of Ryu or the Plasma Beam of Doctor Doom is now only one button and all hyper moves for each character are executed by pressing only one button. It’s a great way to get casual players and first timers into the game but if you want to get better you have to play the game in normal mode to pull off some crazy combinations.

If you want to play how it's suppose to be played, The button layout is no longer Marvel vs Capcom 2 style. They have adapted the Tatsunoko vs Capcom button layout of Light Medium Heavy and Special. The Special button is the launch button which is a good change. Combos are easy to pull off with this new layout and most combos lead to a launch just like the old game. Everything you can do back in Marvel vs Capcom 2 is still around but with changes to makes things more interesting.

One of the changes that affect how you play your matches is the X-Factor which is a game breaker. Oh this can be your life saver or your worst enemy. X-Factor is performed by pressing Light, Medium, Heavy and Special at the same time. When it’s active, the current character gets a boost in strength and mobility. It can only be used one per match and has three levels. The duration and how much strength and mobility are given to the character depends on how many characters they have left in the match. So if he activates it with all three characters alive, it will be X- Factor level one, short but painful. But if you activate it when you’re down to your last man, that's level 3. the damage and speed given and how long X- Factor lasts can give you a good chance of winning even if you’re in a three against one situation. So planning when to execute your X-Factor is the key in any match.

The game has 36 playable characters with 2 characters as DLC. So that’s 19 for Marvel and 19 for Capcom. People love the return of some of their famous Marvel or Capcom characters but some wonder why certain characters were considered a good choice to begin with. Like I never thought M.O.D.O.K had a huge fan base, even Viewtiful Joe in fact. But first timers to the series like X-23 or Dante from Devil May Cry were great additions.

The game feels balance compared to the second. The big problem for me back in MvC 2 is that some characters are just flat-out useless and not worth learning. In Marvel vs Capcom 3, it feel like each character has a role if played right. Some characters may seem stronger than others, but some that are considered the weaker ones prove to be really strong assists. Team synergy is more present here and it all depends if the three characters you pick complement each other. There are so many possibilities if you pick characters based on if they work well together. Experimenting what works tends to get fun and is the best asset in the game.

Graphics

The graphics are amazing. This is the first time the series is going with 3D models and they did a great job at creating this world from scratch. Each character has been well detailed and every stage in the game looks beautiful. When a character performs a hyper combo, you will get amazed on how the game looks.  Some of the marvel characters when performing a hyper combo look as if they are in a comic book page ripping the page apart as they perform their move. The game also has no lagging issues. When you first pop in the disc your required to do a game install which takes 30 minutes. It’s all good since when that’s done the transition from fight to fight is quick.

Marvel Vs Capcom has always been an entertaining game to watch and it’s no different here. Not only is it cool to watch nasty combos being executed, its great eye candy doing them with this much detail in the game.

Sounds/audio

Marvel vs Capcom 3 have great character audio and background music. So great that each character has their own background sound and is played when they are tagged into the fight. New characters have their own new background music but returning characters get remixed version of their old music back in MvC 2. Even the character select screen has a couple of background music that cycles every time you enter and they still have the famous “Take you for a ride” song that is always played when picking a character in the old game. I actually got goose bumps when I heard the remixed version for the first time. It’s weird yes but it’s because it’s been 10 years of waiting for a sequel. This has become a beloved game series to the point that even the music has to be right and thankfully it’s perfect.

Game Modes and Online

In Marvel vs Capcom 3 you have the basics in any fighting game, which are Arcade mode, training mode, versus mode and online mode. The only game mode that stood out was mission mode. It’s a mode were the game teaches you basic moves and combos for each character. Think of it as Super Street Fighter 4’s challenge mode challenging you to perform very difficult combinations.

Difference with Super Street Fighter’s challenge mode and MvC 3’s mission mode is that MvC you literally get the basic combos not like in Street Fighter were as you progress to the end they require you to perform impossible looking combinations.Even though these combinations are tough and half the time not worth doing in a real fight, you’re being taught the game mechanics and how the game works. If you want to further improve your game in MvC3 you’ll have to figure it out yourself or watch some pro matches.

Online mode in Marvel vs Capcom 3 is a step backward. Just like all fighting games now with online features, there are ranked matches and player matches. You can create a lobby for friends or strangers to come in and play but here’s where they stepped backwards. You can have over 8 players in a lobby, two fight while the others wait for their turn. Only problem is you don’t get to watch the fight. You are forced to just wait and watch their character bars go down on the right site of the lobby.

If you played the Marvel vs Capcom 2 version with online features it’s exactly the same. It’s a joke, and we know Capcom can make us watch fights because that’s a feature in Street Fighter 4. Because of the online features implemented in Street Fighter 4 and Super Street Fighter 4 you feel robbed. You know Capcom can do better. They say a patch will implement this feature but it just sounds like their saying it was planned but we just didn’t have enough time. Latency is also a problem and I honestly try hard to avoid Online as much as possible.

Overall

in the end, it's a fighting game. Even with its horrible online mode and dissapointing Arcade mode, what matters in the end is the game play. The game play alone is what made Marvel vs Capcom so famous and they nailed it. Its new look is amazing and it sounds great. Veteran players will be pleased with the changes and the whole feel of the game. Even casual players or first time players will have a blast with Marvel vs Capcom 3. It's just loads of fun when you start fighting. Any fighting game lover would love to have this in their collection. The 3 versus 3 crossover is back and we welcome its return.

Score: 88/100

Pros:

- Addicting gameplay

- Great audio and graphics

- Great character roster

Cons

- Horrible online mode

- What story?