Marvel vs. Capcom 3

Disclaimer: This Hub is fan speculation, and there is no guarantee that the ideas presented will ever appear in the commercial release of Marvel vs Capcom 3.

It was reluctantly accepted that the Marvel vs. Capcom franchise would end with the console release of Marvel vs. Capcom 2 way back in 2000. If the recent re-release of Marvel vs. Capcom 2 onto PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 is any indication, there is still widespread interest in the series.

Also, some undeniable evidence has surfaced, meaning it can only be a matter of time before fighting game fans hear official word of Marvel vs. Capcom 3's existence.

Aside from the obvious additions of upgraded graphics and more characters, there are a couple of other features, both new and old, that should be implemented in the next Marvel vs. Capcom game, to take the franchise to the next level.

I think MVC3 will play and look a lot like the somewhat recently released Tatsunoko vs. Capcom. That style of gaming seems to be what I envision for the 3rd entry in the mighty Marvel vs. Capcom franchise.

UPDATE: By now, most gamers know that Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is already in production, and is scheduled to be released Stateside in the Spring of 2011. It will be interesting to see if any of these speculations about playable characters or gameplay updates will be included in the final game.

Graphics

Characters

Gameplay

Links / News

Comments

Marvel vs. Capcom 3 definitely needs a graphical overhaul. Including the the graphics filters in the 2009 re-release of Marvel vs. Capcom 2 was a smart addition. But in order for the next game to compete in today's video game climate, the visual style needs to be upgraded. I'm talking either completly redrawn, hi-res sprites (to compete with King of Fighers XII and BlazBlue), or 3D rendered visuals (akin to Tatsunoko vs. Capcom or Street Fighter IV).

Capcom has a history of recycling old sprites, and that practice just won't cut it much longer. Fans deserve to be treated to a visual banquet, considering they've been waiting patiently for almost nine years.

Marvel vs. Capcom 2 featured a roaring 56 playable characters. That might seem excessive, but Marvel vs. Capcom 3 will have to introduce at least a couple dozen new characters from both companies in order to be a legitimate sequel.

Potential Marvel characters that would make good additions to the Marvel vs. Capcom roster would be:

Blade, Carnage, Conan the Barbarian, Daredevil, Elektra, Forge, Ghost Rider, Human Torch, The Invisible Woman, Jubilee, Mystique, Nightcrawler, Red Sonja, Silver Sable, Silver Surfer, and The Thing.

Potential Capcom characters should include:

Arthur, Blood (Plasma Star), Dante, Demitri, E. Honda, Falcon (Power Stone), Gill, Hauzer (Red Earth), Hsien-Ko, Ibuki, Jon Talbain (Darkstalkers), June (Plasma Star), Kyosuke, Leo (Red Earth), Lord Raptor, Nina (Breath of Fire) Ryu (Breath of Fire), Sagat, Samanosuke (Onimusha), Shoma, Tessa (Red Earth), Valgas, Vega, Viewtiful Joe, Yun and Zero.

It would be cool if larger / boss characters like Apocalypse and Onslaught were playable, too. In order to compensate for their colossal size and strength, Bosses shouldtake up the entire team as opposed to having 3 smaller characters, kind of like the Ratio system in SNK vs. Capcom.

Marvel vs. Capcom 3 should continue the button configuration and 3-on-3 tag team matches introduced in Marvel vs. Capcom 2. 4-on-4 would just be too excessive, and 2-on-2 just isn't hectic enough. The Secret Factor feature from Marvel vs. Capcom 2 should return as well. I liked being able to buy new characters, color schemes and stages.

Players should be able to use Combo Breakers (think Killer Instinct) if they have at least 1 maxed out Hyper Gauge. While getting hit, the person could switch out to a bench character who would end the opponent's combo. This would help prevent players from abusing infinites, something that was not addressed in the re-release.

The Crossover Attack (Duo Team Attack) from Marvel vs. Capcom would be insane if added to Marvel vs. Capcom 3. On consoles, it would have to be limited to only 4 human controlled players and 2 CPUs. But online, there could be 6 players participating in a given match! Characters not in play would be visible in the background, and could taunt and move while on standby.