By Taylor Johansen, Staff Writer
Marvel vs Capcom is one of my favorite fighting game franchises of all time. The series is known for frenetic, fast-paced gameplay, splashy and colorful presentation, complex combos, and expansive rosters of fan-favorite Capcom video game characters and Marvel comic book characters.
After the third entry in the Versus series, Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3, was released in 2011, nobody expected a new Versus game again; Capcom had lost the license to Marvel’s characters and Marvel itself was bought by the Disney company. Disney was adamant that all new games using Marvel characters would be produced exclusively by themselves.
So, imagine the surprise when in December 2016, Marvel vs Capcom Infinite was announced suddenly. It was dream-come-true material. But from the very beginning, the game had naysayers, and since then, hardcore fans of the series have only gained more and more ire for this perceived failure for the franchise.
But does it deserve all the negativity?
First, let’s talk about the gameplay. Infinite eschews series tradition and instead of three-versus- three fighting using preselected assist attacks from your teammates, it’s a two-versus-two fighting game where assists are replaced with two new features: Active Switch and the Infinity Stones. In Active Switch you tag in a character for a limited window of time, taking direct control of them. You input the move you’d like them to use yourself before switching back to the previous character. Essentially, it’s creating your own assist and is easily the best addition this game makes, as it manages to mix up the gameplay in an interesting way while still retaining the complexity and skill needed to play the game at a high level.
The other addition, Infinity Stones, are also okay. Basically, you pick one of six and they take the place of a third character on the team, providing you with different tools depending on which stone you use. The Time Stone allows you to teleport a short distance for movement options. The Soul Stone steals health from your opponent. Each stone can be used to power up in what’s called an Infinity Storm, which give you a huge edge, be it a damage boost, powerful projectiles, or even trapping your opponent in a box so they can’t move. All around, I’d rate the gameplay of this game VERY highly. It’s the best aspect of the game for certain. But it doesn’t completely save the experience, or justify the price.
Y’see, this game has to be one of the laziest and least interesting fighting games in recent years. Firstly, the game’s presentation is … lacking. While MvC2 used beautiful and visually interesting sprites, and MvC3 had an eye-popping, comic book-inspired, cel-shaded style, Infinite just looks DULL. It’s been compared by many to looking like a cell-phone game. While I wouldn’t go that far, the game really does feel less unique and polished than previous entries in the series. I’m not saying they should’ve just cribbed it entirely from previous entries, but if you’re going to do something new, at least make sure it’s something new and COOL.
Another problem is the game’s roster. With a base roster of 30 characters, it’s of a decent size, but most of the characters are literally ripped straight from Marvel vs Capcom 3, from their movesets to win animations to the quips they fire off in battle. Beyond that, they suffer from the game’s overall presentation, and none of them feels particularly unique or visually interesting, as the game’s characters conform to the same body types and appearances most of the time. No longer is there a giant robot Sentinel, tentacled eye monster Shuma-Gorath, or sun-god wolf Amaterasu. It sticks to the safe stuff. It’s boring. Plus, the voice acting for almost all of the characters sounds disinterested and phoned in.
Thirdly, and this is perhaps the most awful part of the game, is the absurd price. Downloadable content is an awful part of modern gaming, but one can understand. To extend the length of a game’s relevance, you continually release content over time for additional price. Infinite is a prime example of how NOT to do DLC content. Most of the new, interesting playable characters are only being released as DLC for the game, meaning if you want anything particularly cool, it’s kept behind a paywall. It’s a scummy tactic and is definitely shameless. It shows that a game developer is purely motivated by getting more and more money. When the base game isn’t worth the $60 full price already, charging even more is WORSE.
Finally, the last aspect of the game worth discussing is the story. Infinite actually has a full cinematic story mode, following recent fighting games like Injustice 2 and Tekken 7. It’s boring, and pretty much pointless. I can appreciate that they TRIED, but I feel as though the game would have benefitted if more work was put into the characters and presentation rather than a story mode that’s simple and shallow, and adds nothing to the overall experience.
Marvel vs Capcom Infinite is a bad game, but that’s down to context more than anything else. Taken on its own, it’s a fun fighting game with quality fighting mechanics, but compared to what came before, and what it COULD have been, it’s a massive disappointment and nothing compared to previous entries in the franchise.