queve Wrote:
I hear the gameplay is fun, but:
Can anyone tell me if the game is really worth the +$60?
Does the game feel incomplete? Like, lack of arenas, lack of extra content, lack of modes, etc that should have been there already?
Am I better off waiting a few more months for a cheaper used copy
I've played the game at a friend's very thoroughly. Everything is opinion, but I personally am going to wait. I DO feel the game is incomplete and rough around the edges. And here's why:
- Locked characters: I'll get this out of the way first, 'cause I already mentioned it. Both Jill and Shuma-Gorath are already on the game, but Capcom is charging most users more for the right to play as them. Fighting games thrive on their rosters, and intentionally blocking two characters, putting them on the disc, and then outright claiming "we know you want them, but you'll have to wait a month to play as them and pay us a premium because they're "beyond the scope of the original game"" strikes me as shady, underhanded, greedy, manipulative, and ultimately leaves a sour taste in my mouth. Again, hackers are already playing as Jill and Shuma for free, but legit customers will be exploited for that right.
- Locked outfits: Like Street Fighter IV, a large portion of characters are getting costume packs, in many cases of their classic or most popular costumes, and like Street Fighter IV, they're on the disc too at $5 per pack of 4. Costumes are superficial, and I can live without them, but it still sucks that they're right there on the game disc for hackers to play with for free while legit customers will have to pay an additional $25+ to access.
- Missing modes: Honestly, MvC3 is very bare-bones. Capcom has hinted that several modes they "didn't have time to include" are coming out... for a price. "Shadow Mode", fighting against developer AI, is already announced, but other classic fighting game modes like Survival, Time Attack, and even basic vs. CPU modes aren't in the game. Compared to even MOST fighting games, the variety is blatantly lacking. Do you want anything more than Arcade, ranked and unranked? Too bad. That's it. Online is as bare-bones as it gets.
- No Story Mode: This was a bold-faced lie many of us were told. I still have the interview with the creators talking about how amazing their story mode was going to be (
Marvel vs. Capcom 3 will be a "living comic" with a Deep Story). Well, they must have scrapped all those plans, because story-mode is non-existent, unless you count the comic that only comes with the limited supply Special Edition of the game. Endings were just some non-voiced still images with some text. There simply IS no story... and rumors are suggesting that Capcom may add a story mode to the game.... as DLC for a price, of course.
- Broken online: MANY people are having online problems with the game. This is the only thing Capcom themselves has acknowledged and said they are working to fix. Until then, though, you're going to be waiting for matches and losing connection very frequently.
- No Spectator mode: Do you like watching other people fight while you wait your turn in the lobbies? Or would you rather sit there and watch two cards hump each other. The lack of a spectator mode is something so many people are baffled they didn't include that I wouldn't be surprised if that was patched in later.
- Training mode underwhelms: While I'm glad there is a training mode, the game's training mode is a bit underwhelming, only really showing what buttons to push, but never when to push them (and that damn teeny-tiny unreadable font makes a return for SDTV users). Honestly, "Mission" mode is best for learning a few effective moves and then button-mashing the rest. Which takes me to...
- Unbalanced Gameplay: While complex combos and strategies exist, MvC3 is one of the few games where casuals can easily defeat more experienced players with the right roster and characters (here's looking at you, Sentinel). Right now, the game is just very unbalanced. People made fun of MK games when, weeks after the fact, infinites were discovered. Well, there are already dozens of videos of infinites in MvC3 in the first few days alone. Some people told me "infinites are part of the fun"... but I have yet to have fun when I lose a match against somebody just because they hit me first. I'd wait for some balancing patches.
- More DLC characters on the horizon: While Jill & Shuma are on the disc, data hackers discovered Frank West and Doctor Octopus have residual data there prepping the game for DLC. That, and Capcom has asked people to submit their ideas for their top 3 DLC characters. If that's the case, that's at least 4 characters for both Marvel and Capcom, and 8 characters total that they may ultimately add to the roster. DLC certainly would ensure we get the characters we wanted the FIRST time (Strider, Venom, Mega Man, Phoenix Wright, etc.), but if nearly 20% of the cast is DLC, I'd wait for some "special edition" of the game to come out and include the COMPLETE roster, rather than pay $5-10 per character (because you know they wouldn't charge less, and that'd be at least a $40 price hike).
- Only 8 stages. Do you think for a second they won't release more as DLC? The original Mortal Kombat came with 7 stages... and twenty years later, a measly 8 stages seems staggeringly low. I think people are gonna tired of the ones they have very quickly.
MvC3 is fun. Make no mistake about that. The visual style is unique, the characters that are in the game play well and are often quirky, and its sheer existence is celebrated... but MvC3 is still in many ways inferior to MvC2 and many other fighting games. It's either missing or withholding modes, characters, stages, costumes, story, variety, balancing and netcode patches, and more. While the basic game IS fun, I'd in no way ever suggest someone pay full-price for it. In terms of content, it greatly pales before the scope and variety present in Blazblue, prior Mortal Kombat games, Tekken, Dead or Alive, and others. Even Street Fighter II: Turbo HD Remix has more content, variety, stages, extras, and options.
If it was at budget price of $30-40, I might recommend it. But for a full-priced game? I don't think it's worth it. Yes, it is fun, and for many that'll be all that matters, but if you want and demand more than the most basic of modes and online, I'd wait. Knowing Capcom and their habit of re-releasing games with all the characters and content fans INITIALLY wanted later on is a strategy my gut tells me they'll implement again. It depends on how much patience you have, I guess, and how much you want to see the epic battle between M.O.D.O.K. and Crimson Viper go down.
For my money, I'll wait and see just how much stuff gets added/unlocked before I'd commit to the game. I'm hearing mixed things, from people that love it to people that outright hate it, and I'd probably wind up in the middle, enjoying it but also feeling disappointed and growing bored at the lack of variety. I'm disappointed already from the little I've played (I don't HATE it... just disappointed).
That, and Mortal Kombat is on the horizon. I'm confident once that arrives, my fighting game itch will be more satisfyingly scratched.
