E3 2010: Marvel vs Capcom 3 first impressions

Even with all that’s on display this week, with all that’s been announced, the first stop we made on the E3 2010 show floor had to be Marvel vs Capcom 3. All we’d heard since its April reveal were a handful of screenshots and a few minor details, but today I was able to sit down and play-test this 10-years-in-the-making sequel.

The same but different

The first thing longtime fans want to know is “How does it play?” The answer lies somewhere in between MvC2 and January’s Tatsunoko vs Capcom. Instead of two kicks and two punches, you have light, medium and strong attacks plus a dedicated launch button for aerial combos. Combined, these two tweaks make the combat (and 100-hit combos) that much easier to bust out, but no less complex. In short, don’t worry about it being dumbed down – it’s every bit as frenetic as the MvC you love.

Attention to detail

With so much flying across the screen in a 3-on-3 match between Marvel and Capcom heavies, you can easily lose some of the smaller details that have been tucked into the battle. Iron Man’s massive cannon sends data-like blobs of techno-sparks in all directions, Hulk’s face grimaces with rage, Chris Redfield pulls out a different gun based on the punch button used, Deadpool shouts “Shoryuken!” when he does a dragon punch, the in-game text prompts are all takes on Viewtiful Joe lingo… the nuances never stop. Even with all that insanity going on, don’t you dare blink.

Deadpool is a superstar

Without a doubt, you’re going to love Deadpool. He moves fast, he stomps forward and moonwalks backwards, plus he’s 100% true to the comics in that he constantly breaks the fourth wall. When you lose, he’ll yell “Arrg you pushed the wrong button!” while a victory has him pointing at the screen and saying “Hey you, yeah YOU!” Plus the usual taunts and self-aware references that make him a strangely omniscient character in the Marvel universe. Classic characters on display, like Hulk, Wolverine, Captain America and Iron Man handled more or less like their MvC2 counterparts, with obvious adjustments that I’m not able to discern with such a quick demo.

MvC3 is still down for an early 2011 release, though we’ve been told that Capcom will indeed be repeating its Super SFIV strategy and bringing the game to public gatherings for community hands-on affairs. Not sure when the first will be, but at least it’ll be before New Year’s, right?

More on the game soon!

Jun 15, 2010