Platform: Xbox 360 (also on PlayStation 3)

Developer: Capcom

Publisher: Capcom

# of Players 1 – 2 (Online 2 –  Eight)

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Official Site

Score: A-

Featuring a dozen new characters, eight new stages and  a number of excellent balancing fixes, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 makes one of the year’s best fighters even better. Capcom’s creatively insane development team has pulled out all the stops here and yes, this one’s a must-buy even if you’ve already sunk time into mastering the original. Although this super-enhanced update is as good as it gets, the exclusion of he original’s DLC characters is a tiny bit of a cheap move that may disappoint some hardcore players. That and a few other missing features that would have made this deal even better keep the game from a perfect score. However, warts aside, there’s more than enough here for fighting fanatics of any skill level to get their thrills in offline or online play.

Of the dozen new and returning fighters, it’s hard to choose who’s the most fun to play. Phoenix Wright seems the most baffling choice, being a pointy-haired prosecutor from a series of portable Nintendo games that feature no action at all. However, he’s hilariously fun to play as, tossing around enemies while yelling out court language and even getting his secretary into the mix in a pinch. Hey, wait – isn’t abusing your secretary in this manner some form of harassment? OBJECTION! Classic Marvel characters Ghost Rider, Hawkeye, Iron Fist and Doctor Strange (!) are here and excellent to play as (especially as a team once you get their moves down), but Rocket Raccoon and Galactus are probably my two favorite new additions for different reasons.

Rocket (who I haven’t seen since his 1965 mini-series, as I haven’t read a Marvel Comic in ages) is a short, tough brawler that prefers explosives, annoying taller characters with his ranged moves and threatening opponents with an amusing Cockney accent. As a solo character, you’ll need to be fast and accurate, but as a team character, he’s a nice foil to drop in to frustrate certain types of players. Galactus gets his own play mode, as he’s far too big and powerful to be any part of a team (and hell, he’s too cool to play with anyone else). Here, you take on a team of three as the big guy and try to take them down as quickly as possible. Being so powerful is incredibly entertaining whether you play solo or with up to three friends, but expect a run for your money against a trio that knows what they’re doing. Of course, this mode can’t make an entire game on its own (imagine that in an arcade?), so it’s nice to see that Capcom just didn’t toss this in and call it a day.

Capcom’s own characters, such as Nemesis (from Resident Evil 3), Strider Hiryu (returning at last from MvC2) and Firebrand (from Demon’s Crest and who needs to be put in a new game of his own) are all cool to use and pad out the roster nicely. Sure, it would have been great to see tons of Capcom favorites show up, from across their huge games history, but I suppose those guys and gals (and robots) will be DLC at some point or even better, added to a MvC4 (you KNOW they’re working on it, right?). Me, I’m holding out for Tomba, the Chiki Chiki Boys, the two dudes from Forgotten Worlds and anyone from MERCS, Magic Sword, King of Dragons or any of those classic Capcom arcade hits. Hey, at least I didn’t mention Fox Hunt in my wish list…

While I’m not a big fan of online play these days, it’s impossible to ignore watching a few previous YouTube MvC3 matches and seeing some pretty crazy gameplay videos that show off players with insane skills. My own personal style revolves around experimenting with everyone in the roster before playing as a few different characters so things don’t get stale. Granted, I’m terrible at the game when compared to someone who focuses on a single character and being as fast and cheap as possible, But given that I play for fun and not bragging rights, I don’t mind losing and learning as I go. UMvC3 runs flawlessly online or off, an amazing technical feat considering the non-stop mayhem going on in any match.

Presentation is of course, stellar. Other than the new characters, a new set of menus (love the more comic book look overall) and the excellent balance changes that now favor all types of players over sheer powerhouse characters busting up weaker foes. This forces players to change up their tactics and maybe learn the new character moves themselves just so they can play as someone else besides the usual suspects you always see online.Of course, it’s hard to convince some super-core players to stop their habits if they keep winning with them, so I guess we’ll see Capcom try to address that in whatever else they’re working on. Granted, changing up things TOO much will cause an imbalance in those too stubborn to accept any HUGE changes, so I expect not too many tweaks to a formula that works as well as what’s here.

Given that the whole idea of the Versus series is basically wish fulfillment mixed with the ancient “Who’s Stronger” argument, taking what’s here too seriously can be hazardous to a good controller and a few friendships. However, since any dedicated MvC player is probably using a top-shelf arcade stick (something from Hori or one of those custom-made weighty monsters that’s impressively not cheap) and some of the best friendships are forged on the arcade “battlefield”, it’s not too hard to find someone out there of a similar skill level to practice and play with. The game STILL doesn’t have a proper practice mode, so all your training will be in single player, as going online untrained will only lead to your being fodder for anyone looking to rack up some quick wins.

While the game is a super deal, I’d just LOVE it (and I’m sure Capcom fans worldwide would as well) if Capcom just went all out with the next installment and blew the doors off the roster. Just do a minimum 50 characters out out of the box, add in practice, spectator and some sort of “quest” modes, get it all running smoothly and drop it into our laps with the usual fan-driven hype. Add another 25-50 through DLC for a total of 100 and well, it’ll be possibly the best arcade fighting game ever created. Still, for a mere $40, not only is Ultimate MvC3 a solid buy this holiday season, it’s a perfect gift for anyone you want to convert into a fan while getting a fantastic value in the process.