Akting Out

In the same vein as Super Street Fighter 4, Capcom triumphantly presents Marvel Vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds. Keeping enough of its predecessors to remain fun and familiar while ditching what wasn’t necessary (and shedding too many characters, one can argue), Fate of Two Worlds is a welcome return to the team-based crossover franchise.

The crack-addicted gameplay of MvC2 has entered rehab and emerged a more managable game this time around. While hyper-jumps, air combos, and team-based play are still the title’s hallmarks, they’ve been toned down as to reduce the risk of epilepsy, placing greater emphasis on learning the timing of button presses and commands, rather than mashing away to victory.

Fate of Two Worlds boasts more better-looking characters than its prequels, thanks to thicker shading. The Super Moves are still gorgeous and have that “OH-SH*T!!” feeling if you’re on the wrong side of them, but again, this time, it’s not over the top. Minor tweaks benefit the gameplay, such as the ability to maneuver Ryu’s beam-like Shinkuu Hadoken. The devil is in the details and the animation is almost flawless; check out Deadpool’s exaggerated movements to see for yourself (Is he MOONWALKING?!).

The double-edged sword is in the roster; Capcom strove to introduce characters not previously seen in fighting games, which meant that some old favorites had to go. Say hello to Wesker and Chris Redfield from the Resident Evil series; say goodbye to Ken and Sakura from Street Fighter. Luckily, the new characters keep it interesting (Dante is a most welcome addition for players who want to invest the time into learning him), and old favorites like Wolverine, Spider-Man, and Chun-Li are present. Besides, with D.L.C., and the promise of Jill Valentine, anything’s possible. The sound, as it should, compliments the game nicely, and while I wish more work had been put into the characters endings, this is a minor gripe.

Overall, fighting game fans will be satisfied, longtime fans will be satisfied, this is a great game. It’s been too long, but it was worth the wait. If any of Capcom’s representatives are reading this (Thank you!!) please don’t make us wait ten years for part four.

NOTE FOR PARENTS: This game is rated “T” by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board, which means that it is typically okay for children over the age of thirteen to play this game. It does feature fighting violence, however, there is no blood spilled, and no bruising on the characters of any kind. If this was a movie, it would more than likely be rated PG-13. Remember this when your kids ask for it.

(c) Avery K. Tingle for Akting Out LLC

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How I hope this title heralds the end of bad-movie-based games. There were plenty of ways Raven could’ve effed up Wolverine, and blessedly, they avoided most of them. For Logan, aciton-game, and franchise fans, this may be the best sixty bucks you ever spend.

The game loosely follows the plot of the film, but doesn’t give anything away. Rather than stick to the blockbuster’s plot, the game branches off; you play through some of Weapon X’s missions, including an extensive escape sequence through the wintry Alkali Lake.

The audio/visual presentation is exemplary, in that they are gorgeous without being distracting. The screams of the dying (via one of Logan’s many methods) are horrifying, hilarious, and delicious.  Get to close to a woodland creature and it will scurry away–you’ll barely notice.You never get sick of the clean-sounding sound of Logan’s claws unsheathing, the transition between cutscene and gameplay is so difficult to discern that you’re not sure (until you start getting shot) when you’re back in control. Finally, if you really want to know how much trouble you’re in, you don’t have to watch your health gauge; the damage is physically reflected on Logan’s body with eerie detail.

The gameplay is really where Raven came through. Combat sequences are frenetically smooth, thanks to an intuitive control scheme. Wolverine kills people; tell him what you want him to do, and he’ll figure it out. And there are so many ways to kill people; enough to make Ryu Hayabusa look like a switchblade-wielding noob. Hack your opponents into tomato-like soup. Impale them on whatever happens to be in the area. Show them what a horrible mistake it was to engage you on high ground. Most impressive is the Lunge feature, which allows you to leap onto your opponents from a great distance and send them into the next world with a series of pummeling strikes. The scream as you land on them (they see you coming) is priceless.

You’d think with Wolverine’s healing factor, this game would quickly get boring. Guess again, and this is truly where Raven dug deep. As Wolverine takes damage, his health (and appearance) decreases. Take enough damage, and his vitals are exposed. When your vitals reach zero, you’re dead. This is where the gameplay strikes an excellent balance of hack-n-slash fun with simple strategy; kill them before they kill you. As you progress through the game, you unlock items and skills that allow you to boost the speed of your healing, and the damage of your special moves. Feral senses is a great way to find your way if you get lost, and should be incorporated into most adventure games.

The boss battles tend to get a bit repetitive, as it comes down to dodge-lunge-hack-repeat. The collision detection can be a little spotty at times, and I found myself handcuffed to debris every so often. Enemies can get lost behind scenery and hold you up from time to time. None of this keeps the title from being great.

Overall, this is a lightning-fast, beautiful action game that isn’t mindless. Easily a candidate for game of the year, and well worth the price of admission.

(c) Avery K. Tingle for Akting Out LLC

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I have to admit something, and I’m gonna eat a little crow here.

When Hugh Jackman was initially selected to portray everyone’s favorite “moody little cuss”, I was skeptical. Wolverine is short and stocky, Hugh Jackman is not. What really sent off the alarms was a scene in the first X-Men when Wolverine and Storm (Halle Berry) had an exchange. Wolverine asked her; “You sure you’re on the right side?”

Call me nitpicky, but Mr. Jackman enunciated that sentence much more than Wolverine would have. I walked away with mixed feelings.

Watching Mr. Jackman take on Wolverine’s Berserker Rage in X2 swayed me a bit. He also seemed a little more at home in the role. I haven’t seen X-Men 3 enough to make an opinion (shameful, considering I own the movie).

But in X-Men Origins, even the most cynical naysayers are laid to rest. Mr. Jackman, aided by a well-written script (in most places) turned out the most plausible Wolverine I’ve ever seen on the big screen.

Gavin Hood’s direction is taut and carries the film well, and he handles Logan’s emotional grapples as skillfully as the action sequences. I was finally glad to see Mr. Jackman get lines that fit the character, and he delivered them perfectly; Logan’s words seem to fight their way out of his mouth, and most of his speech is low, and grumbly; Wolverine never did need words to make his point.

The biggest surprise, for me, was Liev Schriber in the role of Wolverine’s arch-nemesis. The man nailed the role, no questions asked; as Victor Creed, he was just plain menacing, and I think fans will love every moment of it.

The movie has a great opening sequence and it’s final battle is honestly something I hadn’t seen before. Hugh Jackman and Liev Schriber play off each other very well.

The only disappointment, if I could call it that, was that Gambit felt like an extra, more than a supporting character. Even then, he didn’t get nearly enough screen time.

Overall, I loved this movie, I want to see it again, fanboys shouldn’t be disappointed, the wait was well worth it. Great movie.

(c) Avery K. Tingle for Akting Out LLC

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