Marvel vs. Capcom 3 | A-

 This latest installment retains the feeling of an arcade-style fighter and is one of the best fighting games to date.

The first thing players will appreciate about Marvel vs. Capcom 3 may actually be before the fighting begins. The graphics are absolutely stunning. The developers were obviously aiming for a comic book feel, and it works spectacularly. Characters look incredible, and special moves are bright and colorful displays.

Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is complicated — button mashing is not an effective strategy. It can be difficult for players unfamiliar to the genre to get started, but Capcom attempts to curtail this feeling by giving the option of choosing a "simple" control scheme. As the name implies, this type of control makes it easier to execute flashy combos at the cost of losing access to a portion of a character's move pool. The game encourages players to learn the normal control scheme, but simple mode is an effective handicap to introduce people to the game.

The character roster itself consists of 36 characters, half representing Marvel characters and the other half representing Capcom. Furthermore, the collector's edition of the game includes two additional characters, Shuma-Gorath and Jill Valentine.

At face value, it may appear as though this number is a downgrade from Marvel vs. Capcom 2's roster of 56 characters. This is not entirely true, as each character is genuinely unique, instead of modified versions of other characters. More importantly, the characters are pretty balanced against one another — no one seems particularly over or underpowered. Though the roster plays well, there were a few odd choices in terms of character inclusions and exclusions. Mega Man, for example, is Capcom's most iconic franchise, yet he does not make an appearance. Capcom put Zero from Mega Man X into the game, but he is not a substitute for the company icon.

There was also an Internet movement by fans to push for an appearance by Phoenix Wright from the Ace Attorney series, but he too was not included. Though some of the omissions were disappointing, there is still hope for DLC. The collector's edition characters will be released on PSN and Xbox Live at the end of March. Its frantic pace and excellent competitive gameplay make up for a lack of game-modes, making Marvel vs. Capcom 3 overall a very fun game.