Marvel Cosmic Invasion by developer Tribute Games and publisher DotEmu—Sony PlayStation 5 review written by Nick with a copy provided by the publisher.
Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes
Showing posts with label marvel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label marvel. Show all posts
Ready…Fight! MARVEL vs. CAPCOM® Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics Brings Seven Timeless Games in an All-in-One Package!
X-MEN™ vs. STREET FIGHTER®, MARVEL™ vs. CAPCOM® 2 New Age of Heroes, and many more slated to release with new and enhanced features on PC and consoles!
Join fans from around the world in celebrating the legacy of some of the most beloved fighting games with the release of MARVEL vs. CAPCOM® Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics with physical and digital versions across Nintendo Switch™, PlayStation®4, and PC via Steam in 2024! Announced during today’s Nintendo Direct, this jam-packed collection includes seven timeless games in an all-in-one package, including:
- X-MEN® CHILDREN OF THE ATOM
- MARVEL SUPER HEROES™
- MARVEL™ vs. CAPCOM® CLASH OF SUPER HEROES
- MARVEL™ vs. CAPCOM® 2 New Age of Heroes
- MARVEL SUPER HEROES™ vs. STREET FIGHTER®
- X-MEN™ vs. STREET FIGHTER®
- THE PUNISHER™
To check out the announcement trailer, please visit YouTube, and for the latest information, visit the official website.
MARVEL vs. CAPCOM Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics, on sale later this year for MSRP $49.99, also brings a ton of new and enhanced features for players to enjoy, including:
- Battle It Out Online – All of the fighting games in the collection will have online ranked, casual, and lobby matches unlocked for players to showcase their abilities with friends, family, and other players from around the world!
- Robust Rollback Netcode – Online play for the collection is supported with rollback netcode for a strong and stable online experience!
- Be the Best! – Global high score leaderboards come to every game in the collection so players can track their journey to the top of the list!
- Practice Makes Perfect – Training Mode comes to all fighting games in the collection so players can learn, practice, and master their moves!
- A Rare Gem – The classic beat ‘em up arcade game THE PUNISHER comes to PC and modern consoles for the first time ever in the U.S.!
- Watch This! – Spectator Mode is available so you can enjoy watching your friends and co-combatants battle it out!
- Additional Features – Check out the collection’s enhanced features like a music jukebox, in-game Museum, new display filters, and more!
For Capcom fans, fighting game enthusiasts, comic book and Super Hero aficionados, and everyone in between, MARVEL vs. CAPCOM Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics offers a timeless celebration of a legacy fighting game series, delivering a diverse roster of iconic characters, enhanced features and competitive gameplay. Relive the nostalgia or discover enduring classics for the first time, uniting fans of all generations in celebration of Capcom’s legendary fighting game series, and stay tuned for more information on the collection in the coming months!
©2024 MARVEL ©CAPCOM
Article by: Susan N.
Bethesda and Marvel Working With Arkane Lyon on New Blade Game!
Bethesda Softworks and Marvel Games have announced that Arkane Lyon, developer of the critically acclaimed and award-winning DEATHLOOP and Dishonored series, is creating a new mature, single-player, third-person game based on the comic book hero Blade.
“In honor of Blade’s 50th anniversary, we have found the perfect match for the Daywalker in Arkane Lyon, a studio of uncompromising artists who continually push the boundaries of game design and innovation,” said Bill Rosemann, VP and Creative Director of Marvel Games. “In addition to their award-winning talent, it’s their personal passion and bold vision for our half-human, half-vampire iconoclast that makes this collaboration a perfect fit.”
Arkane Lyon has just begun development on the game which will feature an original story with the studio’s signature immersive gameplay and world-class narrative.
“As a kid of mixed origins, I felt a special connection to Blade – a hero with a dual heritage himself,” said Dinga Bakaba, Game Director, Arkane Lyon. “The opportunity to put our spin on this character is a dream of mine and a challenge that our team embraces with a passion. We couldn’t be happier to put players in Blade’s boots, as he becomes the champion of my hometown of Paris, one stake at a time.”
Marvel’s Blade game will take players to a quarantined section of Paris in the middle of a supernatural emergency. Vampires have emerged, terrorizing the city of lights and forcing Parisians to shelter inside their homes at night to wait for sunrise.
“From his trench coat to his iconic sunglasses, Blade is a slick, stylish, and driven character,” said Sebastien Mitton, Co-Creative and Art Director, Arkane Lyon. “This project is the perfect opportunity to push Arkane’s art style into an even more modern and bold territory. The essence of our work lives at the junction of impactful ideas and innovative know-how.”
About Bethesda Softworks LLC
Bethesda Softworks LLC, part of the ZeniMax Media Inc. family of companies, is a worldwide publisher of interactive entertainment software. Titles featured under the Bethesda label include such blockbuster franchises as The Elder Scrolls®, Fallout®, DOOM®, QUAKE®, Wolfenstein®, Dishonored®, The Evil Within™, Prey®, RAGE®, DEATHLOOP®, Redfall™, Ghostwire™: Tokyo and Starfield™. Titles are registered trademarks or trademarks of ZeniMax Media Inc. in the US and other countries. For more information on Bethesda Softworks’ products, visit www.bethesda.net.
About Marvel
Marvel is one of the world’s most prominent entertainment brands, built on an unparalleled library of iconic characters and stories that have shaped pop culture for 85 years. The Marvel brand spans entertainment, including film, television, publishing, licensing, games, live events, digital media, and more. For more information, visit marvel.com. © 2023 MARVEL
Marvel's Midnight Suns Review
Marvel's Midnight Suns by developer Firaxis Games and publisher 2K Games—Microsoft Xbox Series X review written by Nick with a copy provided by the publisher.
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
Marvel's Midnight Suns has a great deal to offer to both Marvel fans, and those who enjoy the strategy genre of video games. It does so many things well, and I found myself engrossed in both the story and the overall gameplay mechanics. Simply put – this is the most fun I’ve had with a game in some time.
I’m a bit late to the party, as Marvel's Midnight Suns released right at the end of last year. I’ve been busy – but I’ve also been looking forward to playing this one. The promise of mixing XCOM-like strategy elements with Marvel characters sounded like a win to me as soon as Marvel's Midnight Suns was announced. This is one of those few times that a much-hyped game not only met, but in places even exceeded my expectations.
With a title like this, there are a lot of assumptions made about what the game will be like. Would it be as deep strategically as the XCOM games, will the story be any good, what are the RPG elements like? These and more made up the questions in my mind as I started to play. The stage gets set pretty quickly as the demon Lilith is brought back to Earth by Hydra. The Midnight Suns counter that strategy by bringing back her child, Hunter, who was the one who took her out the first time. This leads into the customization of your primary character, Hunter.
Here is where you start to see the RPG elements, in that you create your own character central to the story who interacts with a wide variety of Marvel heroes and villains in their effort to stop Lilith and Hydra. Marvel's Midnight Suns is not as deep as the XCOM games strategically, but there is still a lot to learn. Thankfully the game does a pretty good job of introducing the basics to new players, and over time continues to add layers to the mechanics. Early abilities are generally pretty simple, and boil down to attacks and knocking enemies around the battlefield. Later you learn to string attacks together, defend and boost, all from a card drawing mechanic that encapsulates most of the combat action.
There’s an element of card collection and upgrading outside of the combat, as well as lots of RPG progression elements. You gain experience, you have a handful of different types of resources that you can use to upgrade different cards and facilities. Going out on missions grants you more of these resources as well as means to other types of upgrades (blue prints, artifacts, cores, intel, etc). It’s a pretty solid gameplay loop that had me taking on oodles of optional / general missions outside of the storyline ones, because they feed into these various upgrade systems that I wanted to see through.
Where I could see Marvel's Midnight Suns becoming a bit divisive is in the non-combat interludes. Your mileage here may vary depending on how much you enjoy these RPG elements, or the story itself. That’s because there’s a lot of filler in between the battles that I enjoyed immensely, but if you’re only in it for the combat missions, you might see these as tedious and unnecessary. For example, there are ‘clubs’ you can join with some of the heroes. I thought it was fun to see the interactions between the characters, and they’re optional of course – but not doing them could keep you from getting some useful upgrades. Doing them however, takes collecting resources, having conversations with characters and other things that can pad the time between the actual missions. If you enjoy the idea of doing a ‘shop class’ with Tony Stark, Robbie Reyes and Peter Parker? Like me, you’ll enjoy the interactions. If you’d rather not have to spend fifteen minutes between missions just to get a one card power up? You might get annoyed.
The visuals are pretty good, but not spectacular (Spider-Man… Spectacular Spider-Man – I had to insert that pun. I’ll see myself out now…). They feel pretty true to their comic book origins, with bright color pallets and animations that in combat often reflect what you’d see in movies or cartoons. The voice acting is generally pretty strong, with some pretty well-known names such as Michael Jai White, Yuri Lowenthal, Jason Isaacs, Laura Bailey and Jennifer Hale to name a few. As most people on the CGR team know – I’m a huge Deadpool fan (he’s one of the four DLC characters – I picked up the Legendary edition for this review) – and Nolan North had me in stiches with his portrayal of the Merc With a Mouth’s antics.
These activities between missions are varied enough however, that I really never got annoyed with them, even if they were sometimes a bit repetitious by nature. You might get a message about someone’s birthday coming up, and be tasked with rounding up people to assist with the surprise party. This particular side plot spanned several missions, with a new person to hit up every couple of interludes. There’s some very light puzzle / exploration elements baked into the hub area as well, as you can explore beyond the primary building into the woods around it. You will find gated challenges along the way that unlock new abilities that then open up paths previously blocked to you. Along the way, you’ll see plenty of reagents scattered about that you’ll want to pick up for making new items or supplying to characters to further club activities, things of that nature. None of these exploration or fetch quest activities are revolutionary, but I found myself doing all of them because I enjoyed the character interactions that occurred and am someone who tends to dig into every last corner of a game to get as well geared-up as possible.
There’s a few other odds and ends meant to chew up time and help you to tailor the experience to your liking. There’s different outfits for each character with even more options for your customized central Hunter. This includes a variety of different styles and colors. On top of that, you can customize aspects of Hunter’s room, adding furniture, choosing between several colors for the curtains and bed, or even customized pictures to put around the room. Those can come from a variety of sources as well, from the built-in photo system to the generated comic book covers (completing missions creates a snazzy Marvel-esque comic book cover featuring the participating characters) and artworks already found around the abby itself. You can take those out and put them elsewhere, or use the aforementioned customized images and put them in frames to commemorate the game’s events. It’s a pretty niche system, but it’s a fun bit of flourish all the same.
Marvel's Midnight Suns is frankly one of the best games I have played in some time. If it had come out this year instead of December of 2022, it would likely be in the running for my game of the year. It’s not the deepest strategy game and some people might be put off by all of the activities between the missions, but this is the most fun I’ve had with a video game in some time and I played it non-stop once I started. Strategy and Marvel fans owe it to themselves to at least give this one a try.
Score: 9 / 10
Motor City Comic Con - Cosplay Contest: Part 2
I put up a lot of words in the last article. This one? We're just going to wrap things up with the rest of the cosplays from the Motor City Comic Con contest.
Motor City Comic Con - Pom Klementieff
With numerous ways in which to spend the day at Motor City Comic Con, part of the challenge is figuring out how to prioritize your time. One of the most popular ways of doing so are the panel question and answer forums. One of the most interesting of these we attended was Pom Klementieff's - better known to many as Mantis from Disney's Guardians of the Galaxy.
Week in Review - May 8th to 12th
Welcome back to the weekend and this Week's in Review!
"Dark Souls, Lords of the Fallen, Bloodborne and even the new upcoming Code Vein all have one thing in common that The Surge doesn't. They are fantasy settings while the The Surge has gone a high tech route. I'm hoping it works out! "
- Pierre-Yves
"We have gotten good mileage out of the title and all four of us enjoyed our time with Rick and Morty's ridiculous antics."
- Nick
"Because of this steep curve in difficulty, Onion Force won't be for everyone but fans of Tower Defense, especially challenging ones, should have a fun time with this."
- Pierre-Yves
"If like me, you are a fan of strategy/RPG hybrids, Expeditions: Viking provides a fun experience. A handful of technical issues aside, there is a great blend of tactical combat, a story that actually gives weight to your choices and a handful of progression systems that keep the carrot dangling effectively in front of you throughout the thirty to forty hour journey. "
- Nick
"Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIII - Fame and Strategy Expansion Pack is really my idea of great DLC. Much more than some cosmetic bonuses, you get something that actually adds depth and replay value to a base game."
- Nick
"Zheros showed great promise but for the current moment in time the overall package needs some work. Tweaking the larger and mechanically broken enemies as well as the stage select would be the best start and that alone would make it a great deal better."
- Pierre-Yves
"If what is currently available is any indication of the final product, Antihero is going to be good. The overall system is smooth and already well designed..."
- Pierre-Yves
"Though Marvel Heroes Omega is slated for a proper, full release this spring, I have to say overall the experience is looking very good so far. I enjoy MMOs and the game plays just like I had hoped it would on console."
- Nick
" Meltdown is a good source of quick fun that can be picked up and put down whenever you need to. Built for long stretches just as much as short ones you can always invite a friend along to tackle the robots or join someone randomly online! "
- Pierre-Yves
"Spill resistant for those less graceful users, flashy for the inner child, clicky for the mischievous computer user that likes to let everyone in the vicinity know exactly how fast they are typing and extra durable for those bouts of heated discussion that everyone (and I mean everyone) seems to get into on the internet; this keyboard has it all, while still managing to look great doing it."
- Robert
Article by Pierre-Yves
ZEN Pinball iOS tables trailer - The Avengers!
I'm a big fan of Zen Pinball - I've given it very good reviews on the PSN both for its classic tables as well as the Marvel ones I have played (there are some new ones I plan to comment on soon). I just picked it up for my 3DS recently as well.
X-Men: The Arcade Game - Retro Reflections
Like Streets of Rage 2, this is another title on the PlayStation Network that is both something that can be purchased and a throwback to a classic title. I'm going to treat it like a Retro Reflection though as I talk about it. Now, Streets of Rage 2 held up pretty well for me through the glasses of nostalgia, but it was a free title where as X-Men was one I bought on the PSN.
Marvel Pinball - PSN Review
I reviewed FX Pinball by Zen Studios for the PSN recently, and I really liked the game and my dad seemed to enjoy it when he was over as well. Zen Studios made a spin-off set of tables using the same basic engine - and the result is Marvel Pinball. I had originally downloaded the main package, which came with four tables: Spider-man, Wolverine, Iron Man and Blade. I also picked up the two expansion tables, Fantastic Four and Captain America.
Graphics - 8:
There is a great look and feel to these tables. Each one has a different layout and appearance, and some of them like the Blade table have a really cool day/night effect. There's never any slow-down or stutter, no tearing or pop-in/out and you have several views you can see the table from. There is a lot going on at times, which can make it a tad bit tough to follow the ball (or balls if you get a multi-ball situation), but the fact that the game never winds up chugging under all of that movement is a good thing.
Sound & Music - 7:
The music is pretty up-tempo and matches what you are doing no the screen. There's some voice acting on all of the tables as well - for better or for worse. It's not great voice acting, but there's a sort of cheesiness to it that lends itself to the pinball table experience. It can get a bit repetitive - I know there were times where I was hitting the same shot over and over again and the sound effects and the triggered voice over were the exact same for about two straight minutes. It was a rare thing, but it occurred nonetheless.
Gameplay - 9:
For a pinball table, this is what you want. The flippers respond well, there is a great deal of variety within and between the tables, you can control the ball launch for 'skill shot' attempts and the menus are easy to get around as well. You can do a lot of customizing of your tables if you really want - I honestly don't bother though because manipulating those settings to a non-default value makes your scores ineligible for online leaderboards. Probably the only thing holding this back from being a 'perfect' pinball representation are the somewhat odd mini-game or quest missions you can pick up. They slightly draw you out of the experience and there's no explanation on how they work. It took me a few tries to realize I could select between missions on Captain America or Blade, and I had to explain it to my dad several times before he picked up on it. That part's just not quite as intuitive as the rest of the game.
Intangibles - 8:
There's trophies to unlock, leaderboards, a score called 'hero score' - and you can compare against your friends on the PSN. My dad picked these six tables up after playing them on my PS3 on his last visit, and we continually try to one-up one another. That said, I wish I knew more people playing these games too, because other than my dad and my son - I don't have any other friends playing and those bragging rights would be more fun with more people.
Overall 8:
I feel like these tables are more polished than the original FX tables I played and reviewed earlier. For fans of the comic books, it just adds an extra layer of fun to hear Spider-man spouting a one-liner or watching Tony Stark get suited up in his Iron Man costume if you progress far enough in one round. Everyone will get different mileage out of the game and the tables. For $10 you can get the original four, and then for $3 each, you can pick up the additional Captain America and Fantastic Four tables. I'm a bit surprised that no Thor table's been released yet, given the movie release. Same of Hulk and I would fully expect there to be an avengers one. There's 'slots' in the main menu for more tables, so I am certain more are planned.
If I had to list my tables in order of preference, I'd probably say:
Blade
Spider-man
Captain America
Wolverine
Fantastic Four
Iron Man
Graphics - 8:
There is a great look and feel to these tables. Each one has a different layout and appearance, and some of them like the Blade table have a really cool day/night effect. There's never any slow-down or stutter, no tearing or pop-in/out and you have several views you can see the table from. There is a lot going on at times, which can make it a tad bit tough to follow the ball (or balls if you get a multi-ball situation), but the fact that the game never winds up chugging under all of that movement is a good thing.
Sound & Music - 7:
The music is pretty up-tempo and matches what you are doing no the screen. There's some voice acting on all of the tables as well - for better or for worse. It's not great voice acting, but there's a sort of cheesiness to it that lends itself to the pinball table experience. It can get a bit repetitive - I know there were times where I was hitting the same shot over and over again and the sound effects and the triggered voice over were the exact same for about two straight minutes. It was a rare thing, but it occurred nonetheless.
Gameplay - 9:
For a pinball table, this is what you want. The flippers respond well, there is a great deal of variety within and between the tables, you can control the ball launch for 'skill shot' attempts and the menus are easy to get around as well. You can do a lot of customizing of your tables if you really want - I honestly don't bother though because manipulating those settings to a non-default value makes your scores ineligible for online leaderboards. Probably the only thing holding this back from being a 'perfect' pinball representation are the somewhat odd mini-game or quest missions you can pick up. They slightly draw you out of the experience and there's no explanation on how they work. It took me a few tries to realize I could select between missions on Captain America or Blade, and I had to explain it to my dad several times before he picked up on it. That part's just not quite as intuitive as the rest of the game.
Intangibles - 8:
There's trophies to unlock, leaderboards, a score called 'hero score' - and you can compare against your friends on the PSN. My dad picked these six tables up after playing them on my PS3 on his last visit, and we continually try to one-up one another. That said, I wish I knew more people playing these games too, because other than my dad and my son - I don't have any other friends playing and those bragging rights would be more fun with more people.
Overall 8:
I feel like these tables are more polished than the original FX tables I played and reviewed earlier. For fans of the comic books, it just adds an extra layer of fun to hear Spider-man spouting a one-liner or watching Tony Stark get suited up in his Iron Man costume if you progress far enough in one round. Everyone will get different mileage out of the game and the tables. For $10 you can get the original four, and then for $3 each, you can pick up the additional Captain America and Fantastic Four tables. I'm a bit surprised that no Thor table's been released yet, given the movie release. Same of Hulk and I would fully expect there to be an avengers one. There's 'slots' in the main menu for more tables, so I am certain more are planned.
If I had to list my tables in order of preference, I'd probably say:
Blade
Spider-man
Captain America
Wolverine
Fantastic Four
Iron Man
Marvel Trading Card Game - PSP Review
I grabbed this game awhile back on a whim - it was one of my first PSP games. I generally dig card-based games, Marvel's a fun property and it was pretty inexpensive at the time. Overall, I had some fun with it. The game is lacking in bells and whistles, but the card strategy elements are pretty sound. There is not a great deal of revolutionary gameplay to discover here, but it does provide a pretty decent diversion.
Graphics 4:
I mean, there's almost no animation to speak of here. The cards are not real easy to read, and the layouts get a bit claustrophobic at times. I understand that this is a card game, but it sort of feels like a missed opportunity given the Marvel property they had to work with.
Sound & Music - 5:
The music is pretty decent actually, but it repeats a lot. The sound effects are absolutely minimal. Again, it is a card game and with that comes this sort of stigma where good graphics and sound are not needed, and while that is true, it does not mean they need to be so badly neglected either.
Gameplay - 6:
There are some different modes, including an online mode that seemed to be getting a lot more traffic a couple of years ago when I first got the game than it has now. Still, the game mechanics are solid and mostly fun, though some of the winning requirements to the story mode in a handful of stages were frustrating. The deck building is a lot of fun though, and the way you get cards for your deck is pretty addictive.
Intangibles - 7:
There are a lot of cards to go through, and a lot of different strategies you can employ in deck building. I love that part of the game. Deck design is one of my favorite parts of games like this. Unlocking more cards is addictive as well. The actual story mode is not too bad, and gives you a good excuse to play through solo. Online used to be a lot more active before, it seemed pretty vacant when I was recently poking around. Still, if you like single player card games like this, it can be found pretty cheaply.
Overall - 5.5:
I actually enjoyed the game more than the score would indicate, and at the price it may be worth a pickup. This game has been out for some time - I believe 2006. I saw a copy of this at Disc Traders for $4 the other day. That said, you have to be a fan of this type of game. It is not going to resonate real well for people who prefer heavy action games, but I thought that it actually suited the portable nature of the PSP better than it would have on say, a PS3 or Xbox 360.
Graphics 4:
I mean, there's almost no animation to speak of here. The cards are not real easy to read, and the layouts get a bit claustrophobic at times. I understand that this is a card game, but it sort of feels like a missed opportunity given the Marvel property they had to work with.
Sound & Music - 5:
The music is pretty decent actually, but it repeats a lot. The sound effects are absolutely minimal. Again, it is a card game and with that comes this sort of stigma where good graphics and sound are not needed, and while that is true, it does not mean they need to be so badly neglected either.
Gameplay - 6:
There are some different modes, including an online mode that seemed to be getting a lot more traffic a couple of years ago when I first got the game than it has now. Still, the game mechanics are solid and mostly fun, though some of the winning requirements to the story mode in a handful of stages were frustrating. The deck building is a lot of fun though, and the way you get cards for your deck is pretty addictive.
Intangibles - 7:
There are a lot of cards to go through, and a lot of different strategies you can employ in deck building. I love that part of the game. Deck design is one of my favorite parts of games like this. Unlocking more cards is addictive as well. The actual story mode is not too bad, and gives you a good excuse to play through solo. Online used to be a lot more active before, it seemed pretty vacant when I was recently poking around. Still, if you like single player card games like this, it can be found pretty cheaply.
Overall - 5.5:
I actually enjoyed the game more than the score would indicate, and at the price it may be worth a pickup. This game has been out for some time - I believe 2006. I saw a copy of this at Disc Traders for $4 the other day. That said, you have to be a fan of this type of game. It is not going to resonate real well for people who prefer heavy action games, but I thought that it actually suited the portable nature of the PSP better than it would have on say, a PS3 or Xbox 360.
X-Men Mutant Apocalypse - Retro Reflections
Okay, the trilogy of X-Men (technically, Marvel) articles on the weekend. I doled out Marvel vs. Capcom 3 for the Playstation 3, then Marvel vs. Capcom 2 for Xbox Live - now I'm headed back to the Super Nintendo.
I couldn't think of any throwback Marvel vs. Capcom games I had floating around the house (though I recall similar beat 'em ups in the arcade once upon a time) - so I decided to look around for an X-Men or Marvel title, and found X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse for my Super Nintendo and figured I'd toss it in for a bit. Now, while the other two games I talked about this weekend were fighter games, this one is a beat 'em up/platformer. It lacks the depth of field you find in Final Fight, Double Dragon or Streets of Rage, but you have to time your jumps and memorize attack patterns a bit more along the way.
Early on levels are designed around whichever mutant you are going to play (Psylocke, Wolverine, Cyclops, Beast and Gambit). It's an interesting idea, since most games of this sort let you pick from a pool to get through a level - and that happens later in the game, but early on each X-Man is assigned a task in a different location, forcing you to use them all. This is a good and bad thing since you may prefer one character over the others, but it does add a bit more variety to the gameplay as well when you have someone like Wolverine who just tears through people using his claws while moving left to right, as opposed to someone like Beast who can cling to ceilings and attack enemies from above as well.
The story's a bit of a mess, which is often the case in these older comic games, but the sounds get the job done and the graphics actually look pretty good. I didn't spend a ton of time playing this one again - I honestly don't have the patience for memorizing platforming like I did years ago, but I got a grin out of my time running around beating people up along the way.
I couldn't think of any throwback Marvel vs. Capcom games I had floating around the house (though I recall similar beat 'em ups in the arcade once upon a time) - so I decided to look around for an X-Men or Marvel title, and found X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse for my Super Nintendo and figured I'd toss it in for a bit. Now, while the other two games I talked about this weekend were fighter games, this one is a beat 'em up/platformer. It lacks the depth of field you find in Final Fight, Double Dragon or Streets of Rage, but you have to time your jumps and memorize attack patterns a bit more along the way.
Early on levels are designed around whichever mutant you are going to play (Psylocke, Wolverine, Cyclops, Beast and Gambit). It's an interesting idea, since most games of this sort let you pick from a pool to get through a level - and that happens later in the game, but early on each X-Man is assigned a task in a different location, forcing you to use them all. This is a good and bad thing since you may prefer one character over the others, but it does add a bit more variety to the gameplay as well when you have someone like Wolverine who just tears through people using his claws while moving left to right, as opposed to someone like Beast who can cling to ceilings and attack enemies from above as well.
The story's a bit of a mess, which is often the case in these older comic games, but the sounds get the job done and the graphics actually look pretty good. I didn't spend a ton of time playing this one again - I honestly don't have the patience for memorizing platforming like I did years ago, but I got a grin out of my time running around beating people up along the way.
Marvel vs Capcom 2 - Xbox Live review
Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is a game I got a lot of mileage out of in the past. I had the Dreamcast version and I played the crap out of it. I spent countless hours tweaking favorite teams, killer combos and learning how to use literally every one of the characters - and there were a lot of them. So it took me about 3 seconds to get very excited when Marvel vs. Capcom 2 was announced for the Xbox Live and Playstation Network. There are some cool modes to be had here, and a load of characters. I'll do a quick rundown on this game review-wise. Not quite as meaty as Marvel vs. Capcom 3 since this has been out for awhile, and not quite a Retro Reflection because while the game's origins are old-school, it got a slight update with its release on the Playstation Network and Xbox Live.
Graphics - 7:
The graphics were a blast back when this game first came out, and the remake has a few options like widescreen and some cleanup that help the game look better than the original, without touching the level of detail found in releases made currently. The colors are vibrant and characters are well-represented in their attack animations. The backgrounds look good and some of the special moves are still spectacular when they dominate your screen.
Sound & Music - 6:
It's all appropriate and while I don't have my old copy of the game on the Dreamcast (the disc got scratched beyond use years ago), I don't recall the sounds or music clearly enough to remember if what I found here is faithful to the original or not. What is here is solid for the kind of game it is. Again, it's a downloadable release, so Marvel vs. Capcom looks and sounds decent, especially given its price, but does not really go head-to-head well against newer released fighters like Super Street Fighter 4 or Tekken.
Gameplay - 8:
Everything handles just like I remember it. It took me a bit of practice to get back into the swing of things when I first bought it - it has to have been about a decade since I last played the game with any degree of regularity. Still, Capcom fighters have a sort of feel and pacing to them that allowed me to get my groove back pretty quickly. Everything is fast, over-the-top and rewards skill, though I do have to mention that some characters are a bit overpowered as well. Menus are pretty simple, but easy to navigate, though connecting online and setting up good sorting options to find matches that suit your preferences do not always seem to work quite as well as I'd like.
Intangibles - 9:
Then again, it has online! Seriously, this game's fun to beat up on the cpu with, and my son and I have gone more than a few rounds too, but online is where the real fun is at and if you can manage the lobby and get into the matches, there is a ton of value here. Not to mention that there are a ton of characters - 50+. Sure, there are quite a few who play similar to one another, but even so, that is a lot of characters to beat up on and to learn your way around.
Overall - 7.5:
There is a lot of fighting game to be had here. It's not quite as deep and satisfying in my opinion as the latest Tekken or Street Fighter games, but it's a quarter of the price. The pacing is a lot faster too - and it can be more frustrating for people who can't just pick up a game like this and keep up. My son is okay against the cpu, but not great and prefers to play against me. My daughters can't keep up at all, even on the easy modes. I have no problem with it and take it easy on all three when I play. The computer's a cakewalk but man - hopping online and finding people who can bust out moves as well - if not better (and there are a LOT of players out there better than me) is much more challenging - and rewarding.
Graphics - 7:
The graphics were a blast back when this game first came out, and the remake has a few options like widescreen and some cleanup that help the game look better than the original, without touching the level of detail found in releases made currently. The colors are vibrant and characters are well-represented in their attack animations. The backgrounds look good and some of the special moves are still spectacular when they dominate your screen.
Sound & Music - 6:
It's all appropriate and while I don't have my old copy of the game on the Dreamcast (the disc got scratched beyond use years ago), I don't recall the sounds or music clearly enough to remember if what I found here is faithful to the original or not. What is here is solid for the kind of game it is. Again, it's a downloadable release, so Marvel vs. Capcom looks and sounds decent, especially given its price, but does not really go head-to-head well against newer released fighters like Super Street Fighter 4 or Tekken.
Gameplay - 8:
Everything handles just like I remember it. It took me a bit of practice to get back into the swing of things when I first bought it - it has to have been about a decade since I last played the game with any degree of regularity. Still, Capcom fighters have a sort of feel and pacing to them that allowed me to get my groove back pretty quickly. Everything is fast, over-the-top and rewards skill, though I do have to mention that some characters are a bit overpowered as well. Menus are pretty simple, but easy to navigate, though connecting online and setting up good sorting options to find matches that suit your preferences do not always seem to work quite as well as I'd like.
Intangibles - 9:
Then again, it has online! Seriously, this game's fun to beat up on the cpu with, and my son and I have gone more than a few rounds too, but online is where the real fun is at and if you can manage the lobby and get into the matches, there is a ton of value here. Not to mention that there are a ton of characters - 50+. Sure, there are quite a few who play similar to one another, but even so, that is a lot of characters to beat up on and to learn your way around.
Overall - 7.5:
There is a lot of fighting game to be had here. It's not quite as deep and satisfying in my opinion as the latest Tekken or Street Fighter games, but it's a quarter of the price. The pacing is a lot faster too - and it can be more frustrating for people who can't just pick up a game like this and keep up. My son is okay against the cpu, but not great and prefers to play against me. My daughters can't keep up at all, even on the easy modes. I have no problem with it and take it easy on all three when I play. The computer's a cakewalk but man - hopping online and finding people who can bust out moves as well - if not better (and there are a LOT of players out there better than me) is much more challenging - and rewarding.
Marvel vs. Capcom 3 - Playstation 3 review
So, I did something just a bit out of character and picked up a brand new game on release day. That doesn't happen often. Usually I try to be a bit more frugal with my purchases and wait until they're used at Gamestop or something. However, there was the perfect storm of having a couple of beaten games waiting to be traded in, a good deal at Gamestop where they were handing out an extra 50% on all trade-ins and the release of Marvel vs. Capcom 3 on Tuesday. I like my fighters. I'm not especially great at them, but they are a lot fun in my opinion.
I played part 2 a ton in the past, and have been looking forward to part 3 for quite awhile now. The premise is pretty basic stuff. There's a large pool of fighters from both the Marvel and Capcom universes, and you put together teams of three to duke it out in Street Fighter-like fashion. It's all very over-the-top and people looking for a solid storyline need not apply. However, if you enjoy a fast-paced, balanced fighting game with a good number of characters to pick from, this might be the game for you.
For those familiar with Street Fighter or Marvel vs. Capcom 2, you will find that the controls are a bit different. Instead of buttons mapped for various strength punches and kicks, now they are simply mapped for power to the face buttons - light, medium and hard with a fourth 'pop up' button for attacks meant to pop your opponent up into the air. The shoulder buttons are used for things like calling in a special attack from a team mate, or swapping out your character for another one on the squad. As the combat progresses a power meter slowly increases and allows you to pull of big attacks that can rack up the hits and damage.
There are some online modes - ranked or unranked matches against people and there is a lobby system where up to 8 people can occupy a virtual room and you take turns playing one another in a sort of 'winner stays' style you might see at an arcade. There is a story mode, though it's really little more than characters talking at the beginning of rounds as random combinations of characters are pooled together and increase in difficulty on your way through several matches culminating in a big end fight against Galactus. Whichever member of your team that deals the killing blow is the one whose ending you get to see, which consists of a few static images and some text overlay with music.
There are also mission modes, which try to teach you how to do combos and learn a player's moves in a sort of stage-by-stage training progression. There is also the requisite training mode, where you go against a computer opponent you can help tailor to specific situations. So, with this game having been hyped up quite a bit now, what are my thoughts?
Graphics - 8:
This is not the most technically amazing game. Backgrounds look good and are heavily animated, though sometimes you don't even really get a chance to sit back and enjoy them as you're participating in the frantic fights themselves. Characters remind me a bit more of the chunky style used in Street Fighter 4 than the prior Marvel vs. Capcom game, which does a good job of making the game look like it is taken from a comic book or cartoon. Still, the game is loaded with vibrant colors, explosive-looking super attacks and the framerate doesn't tear as it moves along at a smooth clip.
Sound & Music - 8:
The music matches the feeling and tempo of the game itself, and the voice work is decent - what there is of it. It generally consists of a few one-liner comments between the lead characters right before the start of a match. The sound effects are pretty solid, with a variety of tones and special effects. It's not going to blow you away with surround sound technical proficiency, but it's not going to make your wife complain about hearing nothing but gunfire and explosions either.
Gameplay - 9:
The game feels like it has been slowed down from part 2, but I think the game actually plays better for it. It is still very fast-paced, and you don't feel like you can take any 'time off' in most matches. One of the keys is to always be moving. Seems like any time I try to stop and 'think' - either cpu or human opponent drills me. The game is best played instinctively. The controls feel pretty good - some of the super moves can be a tad difficult to perform under duress, but most are just fine. Throwing out my fireballs or doing dragon punches all come very naturally after years of playing Street Fighter games. The menu is nothing special to look at, but it gets the job done. The roster of characters also feels very well-balanced. In my online matches, I saw almost completely different characters every time. That's unusual in my experience, and gives me the impression that people can find favorites and play them while not feeling like they are hurting their odds of success.
Intangibles - 7:
The game is a lot of fun. You're going to spend most of your time fighting and that part of the game is nice and tight. There's also a fair amount of unlockable content - including 4 fighters (that were probably a bit too easy to unlock as I got them all in about my first 40 minutes of playing). There's a lot of characters here, but like 20 less than in part 2. I've seen that bother a lot of people, but honestly I'm good with it. The characters feel a lot better balanced than in the later iteration. Plus, most of the characters feel unique from one another. Sure, you might use the same move input, but that same control scheme might make one character do a rising uppercut and another character launch a flurry of missiles. That's a far cry from version 2, which had several characters who felt exactly the same, just skinned differently. There are 2 additional characters coming out for download soon for purchase (or for free if you bought the special version of the game). There are some omissions that fans will consider glaring, and a few added in who just seem goofy or out of place. My youngest wanted to know where the Fantastic Four were at, and I admit a few favorites of my own like Psylocke and Cyclops were nowhere to be found. I suspect we'll see a bit of DLC come out - already Capcom has announced some new costumes. I'm rather hoping for more modes or characters though than outfits. I also can't help but think that given Capcom's history, that there will be a super-duper-shiny-edition that comes out in about a year, though nothing's been announced that I'm aware of.
So, why this score? Well, the game does get some demerits. It seems like there should be some more modes for one. Also, while there is a fair amount of bonus content to unlock, none if it is terribly compelling. You can look at 3D models of characters, or get new titles or icons for when you play online. There's also a fighter's card that keeps track of your record, stats and playing style, which is cool - but it comes at a bit of a cost. This extra content and this card seem to force the game to do a lot of saving, which is not a super quick process. It's not a huge deal, but when you just really want to get back into a match and hit someone, waiting for the profile to save can be at least mildly annoying.
Also, the online lobby sounds good in theory, but there's a lot of sitting around. It would be nice to actually spectate the people who are fighting, but I didn't see a means of doing so if there is a way. Also the single player ranked matches are hit and miss. My lag time was good in all but one match, which is huge for a game like this built on twitch reflexes. But, a lot of times it just does not come back with a match. Tonight for example, I only got to fight 4 times out of 13 attempts to find an opponent, and I left my settings wide open to have as many options as possible. Considering the game's recent release date and popularity, it sure seems like there should be plenty of people playing right now.
Overall - 8:
I've sunk in probably around fifteen hours so far overall, and have unlocked over half the trophies. I've beaten the game now with about 1/3 of the total cast of characters. I've enjoyed the game quite a bit - and so have my younger two children. There is a simple mode to the controls I did not really talk about much because I only used it for a few fights. The idea is that it can help you perform some techniques that might otherwise be too complicated for the player. It's nice to see my daughter be able to use moves that she normally would only see once in a blue moon by complete accident. Some people worried that making special moves a single button press would give an advantage to these players, but I don't think that's the case. From what I have seen of it so far, it lets them do things they normally would not be able to consistently, but it does take away from their flexibility. I think someone on the normal controls has a better repertoire to react with for given situations during a fight, so skill still tends to win out more often than not. The key is, the younger kids are having fun with it, and so am I. There is a lot of addictive fun to be have with this game, and its broad cast of characters really helps with the game's appeal as well.
I played part 2 a ton in the past, and have been looking forward to part 3 for quite awhile now. The premise is pretty basic stuff. There's a large pool of fighters from both the Marvel and Capcom universes, and you put together teams of three to duke it out in Street Fighter-like fashion. It's all very over-the-top and people looking for a solid storyline need not apply. However, if you enjoy a fast-paced, balanced fighting game with a good number of characters to pick from, this might be the game for you.
For those familiar with Street Fighter or Marvel vs. Capcom 2, you will find that the controls are a bit different. Instead of buttons mapped for various strength punches and kicks, now they are simply mapped for power to the face buttons - light, medium and hard with a fourth 'pop up' button for attacks meant to pop your opponent up into the air. The shoulder buttons are used for things like calling in a special attack from a team mate, or swapping out your character for another one on the squad. As the combat progresses a power meter slowly increases and allows you to pull of big attacks that can rack up the hits and damage.
There are some online modes - ranked or unranked matches against people and there is a lobby system where up to 8 people can occupy a virtual room and you take turns playing one another in a sort of 'winner stays' style you might see at an arcade. There is a story mode, though it's really little more than characters talking at the beginning of rounds as random combinations of characters are pooled together and increase in difficulty on your way through several matches culminating in a big end fight against Galactus. Whichever member of your team that deals the killing blow is the one whose ending you get to see, which consists of a few static images and some text overlay with music.
There are also mission modes, which try to teach you how to do combos and learn a player's moves in a sort of stage-by-stage training progression. There is also the requisite training mode, where you go against a computer opponent you can help tailor to specific situations. So, with this game having been hyped up quite a bit now, what are my thoughts?
Graphics - 8:
This is not the most technically amazing game. Backgrounds look good and are heavily animated, though sometimes you don't even really get a chance to sit back and enjoy them as you're participating in the frantic fights themselves. Characters remind me a bit more of the chunky style used in Street Fighter 4 than the prior Marvel vs. Capcom game, which does a good job of making the game look like it is taken from a comic book or cartoon. Still, the game is loaded with vibrant colors, explosive-looking super attacks and the framerate doesn't tear as it moves along at a smooth clip.
Sound & Music - 8:
The music matches the feeling and tempo of the game itself, and the voice work is decent - what there is of it. It generally consists of a few one-liner comments between the lead characters right before the start of a match. The sound effects are pretty solid, with a variety of tones and special effects. It's not going to blow you away with surround sound technical proficiency, but it's not going to make your wife complain about hearing nothing but gunfire and explosions either.
Gameplay - 9:
The game feels like it has been slowed down from part 2, but I think the game actually plays better for it. It is still very fast-paced, and you don't feel like you can take any 'time off' in most matches. One of the keys is to always be moving. Seems like any time I try to stop and 'think' - either cpu or human opponent drills me. The game is best played instinctively. The controls feel pretty good - some of the super moves can be a tad difficult to perform under duress, but most are just fine. Throwing out my fireballs or doing dragon punches all come very naturally after years of playing Street Fighter games. The menu is nothing special to look at, but it gets the job done. The roster of characters also feels very well-balanced. In my online matches, I saw almost completely different characters every time. That's unusual in my experience, and gives me the impression that people can find favorites and play them while not feeling like they are hurting their odds of success.
Intangibles - 7:
The game is a lot of fun. You're going to spend most of your time fighting and that part of the game is nice and tight. There's also a fair amount of unlockable content - including 4 fighters (that were probably a bit too easy to unlock as I got them all in about my first 40 minutes of playing). There's a lot of characters here, but like 20 less than in part 2. I've seen that bother a lot of people, but honestly I'm good with it. The characters feel a lot better balanced than in the later iteration. Plus, most of the characters feel unique from one another. Sure, you might use the same move input, but that same control scheme might make one character do a rising uppercut and another character launch a flurry of missiles. That's a far cry from version 2, which had several characters who felt exactly the same, just skinned differently. There are 2 additional characters coming out for download soon for purchase (or for free if you bought the special version of the game). There are some omissions that fans will consider glaring, and a few added in who just seem goofy or out of place. My youngest wanted to know where the Fantastic Four were at, and I admit a few favorites of my own like Psylocke and Cyclops were nowhere to be found. I suspect we'll see a bit of DLC come out - already Capcom has announced some new costumes. I'm rather hoping for more modes or characters though than outfits. I also can't help but think that given Capcom's history, that there will be a super-duper-shiny-edition that comes out in about a year, though nothing's been announced that I'm aware of.
So, why this score? Well, the game does get some demerits. It seems like there should be some more modes for one. Also, while there is a fair amount of bonus content to unlock, none if it is terribly compelling. You can look at 3D models of characters, or get new titles or icons for when you play online. There's also a fighter's card that keeps track of your record, stats and playing style, which is cool - but it comes at a bit of a cost. This extra content and this card seem to force the game to do a lot of saving, which is not a super quick process. It's not a huge deal, but when you just really want to get back into a match and hit someone, waiting for the profile to save can be at least mildly annoying.
Also, the online lobby sounds good in theory, but there's a lot of sitting around. It would be nice to actually spectate the people who are fighting, but I didn't see a means of doing so if there is a way. Also the single player ranked matches are hit and miss. My lag time was good in all but one match, which is huge for a game like this built on twitch reflexes. But, a lot of times it just does not come back with a match. Tonight for example, I only got to fight 4 times out of 13 attempts to find an opponent, and I left my settings wide open to have as many options as possible. Considering the game's recent release date and popularity, it sure seems like there should be plenty of people playing right now.
Overall - 8:
I've sunk in probably around fifteen hours so far overall, and have unlocked over half the trophies. I've beaten the game now with about 1/3 of the total cast of characters. I've enjoyed the game quite a bit - and so have my younger two children. There is a simple mode to the controls I did not really talk about much because I only used it for a few fights. The idea is that it can help you perform some techniques that might otherwise be too complicated for the player. It's nice to see my daughter be able to use moves that she normally would only see once in a blue moon by complete accident. Some people worried that making special moves a single button press would give an advantage to these players, but I don't think that's the case. From what I have seen of it so far, it lets them do things they normally would not be able to consistently, but it does take away from their flexibility. I think someone on the normal controls has a better repertoire to react with for given situations during a fight, so skill still tends to win out more often than not. The key is, the younger kids are having fun with it, and so am I. There is a lot of addictive fun to be have with this game, and its broad cast of characters really helps with the game's appeal as well.
Am I back? Time will tell - also: Spider-Man game review
So, it’s been about 6 months since I last did anything with this site. I’ve been thinking on and off about what, if anything, I’d like to do with it. My initial notion was to put in a bunch of reviews flashing numbers in categories and adding some flashy video and image pieces to it. However, currently – I have almost no visitors. Somehow, the hours of recording, editing and uploading with a really, really bad computer did not seem worth it.
So, I’ve decided to try a bit of something else for now. My wife (who has a very popular blog that mine could only hope to imitate if my views multiplied by… well, about ten thousand) will give me some pointers to hopefully increase potential traffic. And by increase I’m hoping for more than just… her. So for now, what am I going to post?
Well, still game news and rumors (I did like 2 whole of these but I think they’re interesting for gamers), brief reviews (think descriptions of the game and impressions. Maybe I’ll come up with some magical number at the end of the review to represent how I liked it. Maybe I’ll address magic 8-ball. We’ll see how that pans out).
Anyway – let me know what (if anything) you think – I’m certainly open to longer, more detailed reviews complete with media – but there’s got to be some demand for it, otherwise it’s just not really worth the effort.
So, why I don’t start this off with a small review of a Playstation 3 game one of my co-workers loaned me, call Spider-Man: Web of Shadows I noticed a trend when I looked this game up at one time – it got critically panned by most sites like IGN and Gamespot, but player review scores came out much higher on average. So which category do I fall into? More the player one – but really closer to the middle I guess.
Good points: animations are good, I like the customizations, there’s some replay value here (4 different endings based on your decisions), some cool characters and the open world play is fun (and very much reminds me of the Spider-Man game I played on Playstation 2 years ago and enjoyed.
Bad points: Graphics don’t always look clean during fast movements, and you’ll be moving around quite fast while web-swinging around the city. Side missions are pretty repetitive. Spidey’s voice actor kind of annoyed me for some reason.
Overall, most review critics were scoring this game between 5 and 6. Most sites I saw with reader reviews were coming out around an 8. I’d probably setting around… *shakes the Magic 8-ball: Absolutely! Apparently this is not going to work for review scores. So for now, I’ll throw out a 7. It was fun, which is the key – and there’s replay value. But it could have been better with just a bit more attention to the finer points like voice and graphics. Anyway – I’m hoping to build some steam and throw out more random gaming notions on a fairly regular basis and see if it sticks. Hope you’ll join me!
