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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When it originally hit arcades, Marvel vs. Capcom 2: A New Age of Heroes dominated the coin-op world. It continued success on consoles and made a return last summer as an XBLA and PlayStation Network title. Nine years after its original release and with a $15 price tag, it still was one of the most popular releases of 2009.

Yesterday, Capcom announced Marvel vs. Capcom 3: The Fate of Two Worlds and released it’s first trailer to the world. With what looks like the visual stylings of Street Fighter 4′s, Marvel vs. Capcom 3 still has a lot of questions left on the table. Will it still be a tag system in combat? Who is the full cast of the game? And what is this “Fate of Two Worlds” story they look to be pushing? Capcom’s official press release told us:

It’s been a decade since Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes was first released and now the most popular Marvel and Capcom characters join forces again in a re-envisioned team fighting game for a new generation. Fill the shoes of legendary characters from the most beloved franchises in entertainment as you battle in the first VS. Fighting game powered by Capcom’s MT Framework.

As you can tell, we are already excited for this release since we have been waiting for it for years. The game will be released for PS3 and XBox 360 in the Spring of 2011. In the meantime, check out the first trailer after the jump.

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While XBox 360 users were given a three week jump on their time with Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Sony doesn’t want to leave their loyal fanboys in the dust. As a thank you for the patience of their fans they will be releasing an exclusive retail edition of Marvel vs. Capcom 2 through Gamestop. The exclusive packaging will contain a download code for the Playstation Network to download the game and be sold for $15.00. So then, people ask, why bother going to the retail store to pick up the game when they could just download it from home.

Included with every retail package of Marvel vs. Capcom 2 will be a voucher for a free one month subscription to Marvel Digital Comics (a $9.99 value). Marvel Digital Comics is Marvel’s online instant comics back issue service with literally thousands of issues of Marvel comics including everything from the first legendary one hundred issues of Amazing Spider-Man and Uncanny X-Men to obscure titles like Blink’s four issue 2001 miniseries with more titles being added all the time. Not a bad deal for a three week wait on the game as Playstation 3 owners get a $25 value for what it would have cost them to purchase Marvel vs. Capcom 2 regardless.

Marvel vs. Capcom 2′s exclusive retail edition with Marvel Digital Comic bonus for the Playstation 3 will be available on August 13th for $15 at Gamestop. The standard download only version of the game is currently available on XBox 360 through XBox Live Arcade for 1200 Microsoft Points ($15.00).

Score: 8.5 – 1200 Microsoft Points ($15.00)

After nine years, Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is still one of the most popular fighting games around. This past week with XBox’s Summer of Arcade, it became available for the first time for download to XBox Live members through XBox Live Arcade and is coming in a few weeks to the Playstation 3 through the Playstation Store. Even after almost a decade, it is still one of the best fighting games out there.

The game consists of 3 on 3, tag in and out single round fighting with a 56 character roster from both Marvel and Capcom. This retro title release, if a game under 10 years old can actually be considered retro, most resembles the Dreamcast port of the Arcade release.

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Marvel vs. Capcom 2. Comics and Video Games together in perfect harmony. We are just one made-for-TV movie starring Hugh Jackman and Jean-Claude Van Dame away from a property that encapsulates everything The Flickcast loves. In early 2000, Capcom released in arcades their fourth and final game in a series of games pitting Marvel’s finest against Capcom’s bravest.

With a total of 56 playable characters, 28 from Marvel’s side (with two versions of Wolverine) and 28 from Capcom’s (including 4 brand new made for this game) and 3 on 3 gameplay, Marvel vs. Capcom 2 quickly became an arcade favorite and is considered by some the best fighting game ever created. Now, 9 years later, it’s re-release has filled both the comic and video game communities with buzz about the game.

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