The Fast and the Super Heroic(MvC3:Fate of Two Worlds Review)

       There are some video games that a reviewer can play for a couple of days and get a good idea of it.  There are others that take weeks or even months.  Marvel versus Capcom 3 Fate of Two Worlds fits into the very last category.  MvC3 came out back in February and we are heading into the end of March.  Why did this review take so long?  How much have I played the game since it came out?

        The best part of Marvel versus Capcom 3 is also the hardest part to get used to.  The incredible pace of the gameplay and ease of controls create a unique situation that will make any Street Fighter player mad with frustration.  The game consists of the player picking a team of 3 characters either from Marvel or Capcom or both.  Then the players fight in a one round battle until all characters are defeated on one side or the other. Or the time runs out.  This all occurs in less than a minute.  Most moves can be executed very simply and while each character has their own pros and cons.  They all play basically the same as far as execution is concerned.  But the strategy in picking a team, planning special moves, or even engaging the last ditch special of X-Factor; all contribute to making this game complex in a way no other fighting game is.  X-Factor by the way, gives the characters a one time accelerated health regeneration boost and a small damage or speed boost.  This can, many times, turn a whole match around.

     Marvel versus Capcom 3 has an Arcade Mode; where you play through a series of fights and then face a boss.  Getting some comic book style scenes at the end of that battle.  Letting player somewhat into the overall story of the game.  It doesn’t make all that much sense, even when all of the scenes have been revealed.  My guess is that it wasn’t meant to be taken seriously anyway.  There are also Mission and Training Modes in the game.  Mission wants the player to perform a series of actions or challenges to reach the next one.   Generally speaking, these are combos or series of combos that need to be preformed.  The mode is fine, as it was in Super Street Fighter IV.  But what is really needed, is a way to see the actions played out before the player so that the player has a better idea of what they are trying to do.  The Training Mode allows the player to set up any in game situation or play against any level of A.I.  The Mode is certainly more extensive than in Super Street Fighter IV.  But it is hardly as extensive as those found in games like Tekken or Virtua Fighter.  MvC3 also, has a bare bones online mode where Ranked Matches or Player Matches can be setup.  While an eight player game can be setup, the people involved can’t watch the action, while they are waiting to play.  Which makes the entire option kind of silly.  Finally, there is the newly added Shadow Battle where the player fights an A.I. profile.  The goal of which is to get the A.I. profile’s title.  This is certainly a fun mode, and I can’t wait for Capcom to expand it, as time goes on.

  Getting to my above questions.  The review took so long, because not only did Capcom have 2 major patches between the launch of the game and now.  They also had two downloadable characters added to the game in that time.  Both of these changes, make the evaluation of the game a different matter.  I liked the game when it launched, but I love it now.  Sentinel, a large robot character, was seriously overpowered and considered a staple in tournament play.  But a recent patch knocks down Sentinel’s health making him a more reasonable character.  While still good, he certainly isn’t the crazy powerhouse he was when the game launched.  I’ve probably played around 20-40 hours of Marvel vs. Capcom 3 since it came out.  I have over 500 games recorded by the game.  There was certainly a large chunk of time spent in Mission and Training Modes.

     While Marvel versus Capcom 3 isn’t a perfect game.  It is one of the most unique and innovative fighting game ever made.  While it certainly bares the same name and some of the same mechanics from the Marvel versus Capcom 2.  Marvel versus Capcom 3 takes those conventions and changes them into something completely new and different.  This game has been in my XBOX 360 this year more than any other game.  So for that reason alone, I can say that this is an excellent game and one every fighting game fan should own.

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4 Steps Forward and 1 Step Back(Dragon Age 2 Review)

      Dragon Age 2 is a very different game from Dragon Age Origins. The goals of the game seem to be more about understanding the world of Dragon Age and the characters that inhabit that world than to focus on a main story that may or may not have a descent pay off at the end.

     The player begins the game by choosing a male or female Hawk; Warrior, Mage, or Rogue. All the classes give the player a fun and unique experience, depending on talent choices and specialization. Some of the more obvious changes are that there are no duel wielding Warriors, no way to switch weapon sets on the fly, and Rogues must make the hard choice of whether to go ranged or melee practically at the beginning of the game.

     While this certainly bares resemblance to Mass Effect 2 it also is a necessity in a game focused so much on telling a story rather than the player making a bunch of choices that would impact that story. This story seems to be pretty linear but considering there is nothing saying the player has to do all the quests in the game; whether player does them or not effects the way the player views the world.

    These choices may seem somewhat arbitrary when they are made; but these choices can matter more than one might think in the end. There are pivotal points in the story that may make one wish different choices were made in the beginning. But no matter what one chooses the experience will still be fun and engaging.

    The story in Dragon Age 2 is a winding tale that takes place over many quests and side quests that inform the world. Very rarely is a quest highlighted as either main or side except if one were to actually look at their journal. I only rarely ever opened my journal in all my hours of gameplay. And then, only to actually check if I had to do a quest. Also going from one area to the next is much easier than in the previous game as everything on the map is marked with with quest or quests one has to choose from in that area.

    Unlike in the first game there is not some kind of end goal that is trying to be achieved. At least not at first anyway. Although there is no big bad to defeat; the culmination of all the side plots and storylines end up being much more effective in the end. Unlike in the first game where only one or two characters were completely fleshed out. In Dragon Age 2, I was really attached to every character in the game. Especially my own, which was informed by the fact that this time he/she was a voiced character.

   Dragon Age 2 as a whole is more dramatic and compelling game than the first one. The first game wanted you to be interested in your companion character's stories, in this game, you are usually a big part of those stories. I really liked the improved Friend/Rival system. There was nothing more annoying than saying the wrong thing in the first game and ending up losing a key party member. I loved the way this game handles your romances and characters that are your friends. They just show up in your house to ask you for help or to bring you a quest. I think the dialogs that the main character has with them are some of the best written in the whole game. While some of the models are not exactly my cup of tea(why are all the women so bosomy?) Other than that Bioware has really stepped up it's game making these interactions more realistic than ever. That is awesome.

   Although in Dragon Age 2, the developers found their own way of making grouping characters a challenge. Do you put the mage hating elf with the mage advocate? Do you put two party members that are basically swindlers and thieves with the captain of the guard? Oh and the best of all, I hope you didn't need that person for anything, cause your losing them(either permanently or for a few quests).

   My main problems with Dragon Age 2 are that the developers decided to drop the ability for the player to pick the armor and equipment for their party members. While one can change some of their accessories; their armor or weapons cannot be changed. This certainly limits the amount of strategy that can used when equipping party members.

  Also, I wasn't too big on the tactics system from the first game. I felt like it was a waste of time. In Dragon Age 2, they haven't changed anything. Not that the tactics system is needed on the lower difficulties if your playing a mage or don't mind dropping health potions during battles. But if the difficulty is increased and probably even closer to the end of the game on Normal, tactics are going to need to be set properly. All of this can be effected by class and the party makeup. However, even with tactics set perfectly there are going to be instances where characters die for no reason. Or any reason that can be determined once they are dead.

   The audio in general in Dragon Age 2 is amazing. Everything from voice acting to background music hits the mark every time. The voice acting is exceptionally good. While the Dragon Age Origins cast was really good, these folks are great. Many of the interactions in the game play out so well, based solely on the inflections in the actors voices. This is a wonderful touch that is usually reserved for animated movie hits.

   The graphics in this game are great, with all skill animations having different and interesting effects. I wasn't very impressed by some of the rune animations. Some appeared, some did not. It was hit or miss, much different than the flaming or frozen swords in Dragon Age Origins. This only occurs when the weapons are enchanted by a spell, rather than a rune. While this is a draw back, it didn't significantly impact the game.

   While I do find some of the game to be tediously linear especially on a second play through. I also find that this tedium is mitigated by the excellent combat and voice acting. Also with the different responses possible through the conversation wheel, it makes it easier to play through a boring section over again.

   With a game as long as this one, I think having an unreliable narrator was an interesting and unique way to go and because of this decision Dragon Age 2 had none of the open world or individualized main character options that Origins had. But considering how well this story came off, I'm more interested in something like this than a game where I can create my hero from scratch and name them whatever I want.

 

  Dragon Age was never trying to be in the same genre as a Elder Scrolls, Two Worlds, or Fable. They are looking more towards games like Mass Effect 2 and Uncharted 2 in terms of storytelling. As this game is potentially just as long as the first, I would say that the developers did a much better job of handling the different situations presented in the game.

What I love about Dragon Age 2 most, is that it tries very hard to talk about how the lower classes are squeezed into crime and unlawful behavior by the higher classes or in this case the government or quasi-government. There is a lot of meat on this bone, and while people can compare this to tons of political and social situations in our world. It's a great way to think about incredibly complicated situations in a less complicated or fantastical way. That's why this game is most important to me. While Origins certainly laid similar ground work and you can even see hints of all this in the novels. It is never better represented than it is in this game. My suggestion to any player is to play all of the side quests to get the full effect of this social commentary.

I would say that with downloadable content this game could be playable for years. As setup of the game certainly lends itself to additional content and add-ons would be quite easy to accommodate. This game is more than worth the money at the retail price, it will provide the player a complete and fun experience for at least 30+hours for one play through. Probably even more if another play through is involved.

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Catherine Officially coming out in North America! This Summer!

   Yes even after all the denials and worry.  The game is coming out here after all. So now, the choice XBOX 360 or PS3?

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