Marvel vs Capcom 3 first impressions

I wanted to do a write up on MvC3 much earlier than this, however my computer has messed up on me again so I'm stuck doing this with my trusty android.

That being said, please excuse any typos as I have little patience for this tiny screen.

I wanted to write about my initial impressions of the game. Since I have a new baby in the house, I haven't been able to put the time into it like I have with other fighters in the past. I feel like with my past experience with fighters I should be able to form a solid starting opinion anyway.

The majority of my time with the game has been split between training mode and online versus. I've only had a single play session offline with a group of friends and I can already tell that the online quality is about the same as Super Street Fighter IV, i.e. tolerable but could definitely use some fine tuning.

Another dissapointment in the online play is the missing ability to spectate lobby matches like you can in SSFIV. I suppose a game like MvC3 might be more system taxing, but perhaps the inclusion of a better netcode, like say lGGPO, could make up for it. I'm also having trouble connecting to ranked matches. Last time I played I got in 2 ranked sessions out of maybe 30 attempts. So yeah, the online modes could definitely use some attention.

But let's talk about the most important aspect of the game: the game itself!

Unlike in MvC2 the game appears to be balanced enough so that you can play as just about any combination of the cast and still compete (for now at least). Although it seems the game is slowly becomming Sentinel vs. Sentinel 3: the fate of two Sentinels. You also see a tremendous amount of Dante's online, but I was expecting this. *see my mini Dante rant below.

The entry level for this game is very low, but will take a long time to master. Perfect for Capcom to snag a new user base. The game has tremendous depth and can be very rewarding to learn (I haven't even scratched the surface yet, but every time I play I see new and amazing things from other players, as well as discovering new tricks myself).

It can be annoying when new players are able to unleash amazing air combos with no effort (and probably not be able to offer an explanation on how they did it) but in the long run it should provide long life and huge user base for the game.

Aside from the awesome gameplay, the graphics are also amazing, sporting character models better than SSFIV and unbelievably detailed stages.

The music consists of remixed character themes from past vs. series games and although they're more upbeat than MvC2's offerings, they could still use a bit more kick in my opinion.

All in all I'd say Capcom has done it again. We've got another solid fighter that will be played for many years to come. I'd like to go more in depth about the game, but I'd like to spend more time with it first. I'd recommed it to anyone, fighter fan or not. It's perfect for veterans and also a good jump in point if you've been interested in fighters but haven't tried one out yet. There's plenty of content to please everyone.

*Dante rant: Okay, I do see the appeal for the guy. White hair, leather coat, guns, huge sword, the ability to turn into a demon. He's like the epitomy of characters I would invent in the margins of my notebooks in middle school. On top of that, he's a really solid character in the game. But there's such a robust cast of characters in MvC3. Do yourself a favor and drift around a bit from Dante's icon on the character select screen. I'm tired of seeing the same 2 dimensional Dante gameplay in every match (doing his super the second you stock a meter, etc.) If you're going to play him, try to vary it up a bit, check out his strat section on Shoryuken.com or something. Because the same Dante scrubbery just doesn't work anymore.

Okay maybe that wasn't fair. I'm just sick of fighting this guy so much :P

See you in game!