Marvel vs Capcom 3 was a fantastic game, one of the best fighters of the current console generation. Now that the updated and expanded Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 has hit we have even more alternate color schemes and fantasy team match ups to play around with.

However, Capcom is not content with just letting you use different repaints to fulfill your dreams of seeing alternate versions of these characters duke it out. This week the fine folk at Capcom released images and release dates for a series of DLC costume packs that go beyond some simple color changes.

These costumes are full re-skins, giving you a chance to see fully rendered alternate versions of these characters. Instead of a simple blue and yellow Phoenix costume, for instance, we get a near exact replica of the classic Jim Lee Era Jean Grey to play with. We also can see versions of characters like the Weapon X Wolverine that is drastically different than his costumed counterpart.

Some of these packs have already been announced as pre-order bonuses from various game retailers, but many of them are being showcased here for the first time. Capcom is also very smartly making a value pack available for all 11 new costume packs as well as the 48 previous alternate costumes from the original Marvel vs Capcom 3 game.

Check out all 48 new costumes and more details on price and release dates after the jump.

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This week we kick off a brand new podcast here at The Flickcast. This one revolves around the world of gaming and features our video game guru John Carle and co-host Jonathan “Wall-E” Weilbaecher who will talk about all things newsworthy in the video game world.

This week, John and Wall-E talk about September’s video game sales as well as the upcoming Warner Bros. lineup including a new Lego Batman. In their topic of the week, the new dynamic duo of the Flickcast introduce themselves and their gaming preferences and continue the age old (five year) debate of XBox 360 vs. PlayStation 3.

And in their Now Playing lists, the two talk Marvel vs. Capcom 3 as well as the titles John had the opportunity to check out last weekend at New York Comic Con from Activision and Capcom.

As always, if you have comments, questions, critiques, offers of sponsorship or whatever, feel free to hit us up in the comments, on Twitter, at Facebook or via email.

At New York Comic Con, we were able to get a booth tour from Capcom which got us some hands on time with three of their much anticipated titles. The first of which was the upcoming rerelease of Marvel vs. Capcom 3 with Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Back at Comic Con in San Diego, after announcing the first set of new characters being added to the game, there was a massive leak which revealed the full roster. Now, Capcom has gone official with all but a few of these characters and had them available for us to play as at the Con.

We demoed the game on a traditional controller for the XBox 360. As there was an all day tournament going on, the wait for even press to play using the fight sticks was outrageous and considering most households would use a regular controller anyway, we felt like this would give us a good idea of what to expect from the game. Focusing our teams on the newer characters, we had to learn on the fly just what kind of play styles to use with them.

Vergil was the most reminiscent of Dante from the original Marvel vs. Capcom 3 focusing on using his sword for a majority of his attacks. Firebrand from Ghosts ‘n’ Goblins ended up being surprisingly fun to play with as we didn’t really have any idea what to expect from him. Nova and Ghost Rider felt like the badasses we expected them to be but sadly Rocket Raccoon was not an option for us yet.

The most surprisingly fun character was Phoenix Wright. The best character comparison we could make was him being like Dan from Street Fighter. His attacks may look horribly wimpy as he throws paperwork at opponents but he is perfect for luring opponents into a false sense of security.

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As always, one of our favorite parts of any convention is the sights and NYCC was full of them this year so we had to share them with the Flickcast audience. The level of dedication by the men and women who attend the con every year is staggering.

Some are picture perfect renditions that rival movie quality costumes like the Anakin Skywalker we saw wandering the floor. Others come from careful collection of legitimate television costumes and props like the classic Power Rangers Green Ranger. Still others take their own imagination and run wild with custom Mandalorian battle armor for both human and giant chicken alike to life sized Castle Crashers.

One of the things this gallery sadly doesn’t do justice is give an idea on just how huge NYCC was this year. Though it is yet to overtake the surrounding neighborhood like SDCC does, the New York Comic Con feels every bit as big and as important as its west coast counterpart.

The entire Javitts Center was filled with every major comic company to movie studios and video game publishers in every corner. This year the Flickcast was only able to spend a day on the Con floor but if things keep looking up for NYCC, we may have to tackle this show the same way we do San Diego Comic Con or E3.

Take a look below to get just a glimpse of the many sights at this year’s convention. See you next year New York!

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Dead Rising 2 was a slight departure from the tone of the original game from 2006. While the sequel was just as violent, outrageous, and insanely fun as its predecessor, the game carried a more somber feeling in regards to its story and protagonist. Chuck Green was a vastly different protagonist than wisecracking photojournalist Frank West (hero of DR 1); he was a more sympathetic character, and his quest to save his daughter made for a more earnest and emotional story.

Next week, however, Capcom is releasing Dead Rising 2: Off the Record – a ‘re-imagining’ of DR2 that puts Frank West back in the spotlight. Having been referred to as the video game version of a director’s cut, this release will feature new combo weapons, psychotic boss battles and entirely different dialogue and story points. While still being set in the same location (the Vegas-esque ‘Fortune City’), this is promising to be a very different game.

Check out the official launch trailer below, and stay tuned for our full review next week. Dead Rising 2: Off the Record is available on XBox 360, Playstation 3 and PCs starting October 11th, 2011.

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More news out of Gamescom this week and, to be honest, this looks pretty darn cool. Capcom has unleashed a new trailer for Steel Battalion Heavy Armor, the first first-person shooter game for its Xbox 360 that will take full advantage of Kinect and a standard gaming controller.

Steel Battalion Heavy Armor was first announced during the Tokyo Game Show last year, but we haven’t heard much about it since then. Not even at E3. But now, we’ve got a great trailer for the ame to share with you today.

In the game you play a soldier in the year 2082 fighting with MechWarrior-style machines and weapons. Using the connect, players will reportedly be able to control scopes, weapons, other soldiers on the battlefield and “start up procedures.”

Check out the trailer after the jump. Look for the game to hit store shelves hopefully next year.

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Today, Marvel.com revealed the next iteration of Marvel vs. Capcom 3 with the stereotypical Capcom naming motif with Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. The game will feature six new characters from each of the companies as well as the much requested Spectator Mode during online matches and the correction of various balancing issues.

The Marvel roster is going to be beefed up with heavy hitter Ghost Rider and fan favorite, Hawkeye. Not Ronin, not Bullseye dressed as Hawkeye, not the Young Avenger Hawkeye chick. But Clint Barton, the real Hawkeye. (Although I probably just accidently named off all three of the alternate costumes.) Capcom will be adding Marvel vs. Capcom’s most requested legacy character Strider as well as series newcomer Firebrand, the little red demon thing from Ghost ‘n Goblins.

Additionally, some screens have leaked online featuring both the character artwork and screen shots of the remaining eight unrevealed characters. Here are what we have found across the internet.

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Way back in November, Capcom already announced the first batch of DLC coming for Marvel vs. Capcom 3.  Jill Valentine and Shuma Gorath would be on their way to the roster. Last week, coinciding with the game’s actual release, Capcom announced another set of DLC. This time, much in the vein of Super Street Fighter IV, it is new costumes. Now we know what you are thinking. Why would you care about a different colored pair of jeans on Haggar or an alternate paint job on the Sentinel. Well there we would agree with you.

But this isn’t just any set of alternate costumes. Six characters will receive new attire. Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Chris, Ryu and Dante. Instead of just being fresh coats of paint on existing templates, these are entirely new costumes being added to the game.

Captain America will be given what Marvel fans have affectionately coined the Captain Steve outfit. As the world’s new top cop, Steve Rogers Super Soldier doesn’t hide behind the mask anymore. Instead he has a more modern costume. Interestingly enough, Capcom chose to give him the classic Cap shield though instead of his current comic weapon, a light disk shield.

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A year and a half ago, we came home from San Diego Comic Con and were given the chance to review the XBox Live Arcade rerelease of one of our top games of the previous decade with Marvel vs. Capcom 2.  The game was an instant hit and was quickly brought over to the PlayStation 3 as well.

It’s not surprising that soon after, seeing the game’s tremendous success, that Capcom announced Marvel vs. Capcom 3. With a super stylized trailer, the hype hasn’t died down. Even last week at release, it was almost impossible for players to get a hold of the Special Edition of the game, a problem not usually seen in retail anymore.

As we have talked about with our previous hands-on experience, Marvel vs. Capcom 3 brings the series’ classic feel and action back with a shiny new coat of graphical paint and effects that players expect and demand.

Gameplay:

Marvel vs. Capcom 3: The Fate of Two Worlds doesn’t change the formula that brought Marvel vs. Capcom 2 so much success. The game relies on single round matches between two 3 on 3 teams. Players have three basic attacks of increasing strength, their special attack button, and two assist buttons. These assist buttons can be used to either call in teammates for a quick attack or to switch the character the player is in control of for the fight.

As players throw more attacks and successfully defend against their opponents, they increase their combo meter which builds at the bottom of the screen to unleash Hyper Combos. These hyper combos are special moves that can deal tremendous damage if successful.

This simple control scheme allows for all levels of players to enjoy the game. Expert players will learn advanced combos, juggling and snap backs to eliminate their opponents while newer players will be able to feel like they are setting off tremendous attacks even by just button mashing.

It is an interesting dynamic compared to other fighting games where experience will almost always prevail. While it may be frustrating for an “expert” to get beaten by a lucky combination from a “newbie”, it also makes the game more exciting that outcomes aren’t always so predetermined in multiplayer.

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With just a month away from its release date, Marvel vs. Capcom 3: The Fate of Two Worlds is still dropping announcement bombs all over the fighting game world. With members of the final roster still to be revealed, Capcom announced two new characters this past weekend at the Consumer Electronics Show.

Making her debut to the Capcom fighting genre is Jean Grey, better known as Phoenix. With the power to literally rip worlds in half, the Phoenix force is considered one of the strongest entities in the Marvel universe. Now, the Phoenix comes to the Marvel vs. Capcom 3 arena with the cosmic power to take on man and immortal alike. Take a peek below at the new footage of Jean Grey in action, including her hypercombo Dark Phoenix finish.

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Last year, we took a more traditional approach with our Best Video Games of 2009 article with categories such as Best Music Game or Best Action Platformer. This year we are going to depart from the traditional and give what we think are categories that truly deserve to be rewarded their due.

Best Use of Zombies / Best Downloadable Content – Red Dead Redemption “Undead Nightmare”

The ultimate “What If” scenario brought forth to one of the best games of 2010, “What if the undead invaded the old west?” And the answer doesn’t just involve a lot of people dying. There are horses of the apocalypse, big foot, some hard choices to be made and people turning on or abandoning their fellow man left and right.

This awesome story told over the revamped look of Red Dead Redemption using characters players have already grown to know, love or despise makes Undead Nightmare not only the best zombie game of 2010 but also the best exmple of DLC for the entire year as well.

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Dead Rising 2 was easily one of the most fun games of the past year to come out. Aside from the series’ signature creative violence, part of what helped hype the game was the XBox Live exclusive Dead Rising: Case Zero.  The prequel to the events of Dead Rising 2, Case Zero help set the stage for the unique father / infected daughter relationship that would drive the events of Fortune City.

Dead Rising 2: Case West looks to continue the downloadable trend by filling in the events that take place after Dead Rising 2 but also letting players catch up with their favorite war covering and zombie invasion surviving photo journalist Frank West. Frank, the protagonist from the first Dead Rising, will fight alongside DR2′s Chuck Green. There will apparantly be some cameos from survivors of Dead Rising which will also help explain the events that happened in between the two games further.

Returning to the DR fold will be Frank’s signature camera (as well as a disposable for Chuck). Just like capturing PP in the first DR with awkwardly posed zombies and rampaging psychopaths, we hope Dead Rising: Case West gives us that same photogenic eye.

Dead Rising 2: Case West won’t strictly be a co-op experience though. Capcom has revealed that if a player wants to go through the game solo, Frank will be controlled by computer AI. And while AI of survivors has been the leading cause of their deaths in the past, Frank won’t be able to be killed as long as he is under computer control.

Stick to the Flickcast for more coverage on Dead Rising 2: Case West when it comes out next month on XBox Live Arcade.

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