Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite is a fighting video game developed and published by Capcom. It is the sixth main entry in the Marvel vs. Capcom series of crossover games. Like previous installments, players control characters from both the Marvel Comics and Capcom universes to compete in tag team battles. Infinite features two-on-two fights, as opposed to the three-on-three format used in its preceding titles. The series' traditional character assists have been removed; instead, the game incorporates a tag-based combo system, which allows players to instantly switch between their two characters to form continuous combos. It also introduces a new gameplay mechanic in the form of the Infinity Stones, which temporarily bestow players with unique abilities and stat boosts depending on the type of stone selected.
Infinite was announced during Sony's PlayStation Experience event in December 2016. Capcom initially lost the use of the Marvel license in 2012, after The Walt Disney Company decided to focus on self-publishing its own gaming titles; however, Capcom was able to reacquire the license after Disney dissolved their console gaming division. Infinite was designed to be more accessible than previous Marvel vs. Capcom games, resulting in several changes to the series' fundamental mechanics. The game also features a larger emphasis on storytelling, with the series' first cinematic story mode. The plot follows the heroes of the Marvel and Capcom universes, who must work together to save their merged worlds against a new threat, Ultron Sigma.
Infinite was released in September 2017 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows. The game received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised its new gameplay elements, but criticized its presentation and character roster.
Story:
Death is visited by Jedah Dohma, who proposes an alliance to achieve equilibrium between life and death on both their worlds. Needing the six Infinity Stones to do so, Death deceives Thanos and Ultron into aiding her, granting Thanos the Space Stone and sending Ultron to retrieve the Reality Stone from Abel City. Sigma intercepts Ultron, and the two forge an alliance. They betray the others and use the Space and Reality Stones to merge the two dimensions and fuse themselves into a single being named "Ultron Sigma". To wipe out biological life, they begin unleashing an evolved form of the Sigma Virus that turns organic creatures to synthetic beings under their control. An alliance of heroes from both worlds is formed, and they rescue Thanos from imprisonment. They secure him in a containment field at Avengers Tower, but Thor becomes infected and escapes. To gain their trust, Thanos reveals the locations of the remaining four Infinity Stones, and teams of heroes are dispatched to find them.
In Valkanda, Ryu and Hulk are captured by Black Panther and Monster Hunter, but are interrupted by Captain America and Chun-Li's arrival. Panther refuses to surrender the Time Stone, but Ultron Sigma's drones arrive and spread the virus, infecting a Dah'ren Mohran. Ryu and Hulk defeat the creature, and Panther agrees to give them the Stone. Dante, Arthur and Doctor Strange travel to the Dark Kingdom, where Ghost Rider and Morrigan Aensland are pursuing a soul-stealing thief. Morrigan leads them to Jedah, who is using the Soul Stone to feed souls to a Symbiote creature, hoping to use it against Ultron Sigma. The heroes battle Dormammu and Firebrand, but Jedah escapes with the Stone.
Chris Redfield and Spider-Man infiltrate an A.I.M.brella facility. They run into Frank West, who is performing his own investigation, and discover M.O.D.O.K. turning people into bio-organic weapons at Jedah's demand. The heroes free Mike Haggar from containment and defeat M.O.D.O.K.'s enforcer, Nemesis. They take the Mind Stone, but are attacked by Jedah and his Symbiote. On Knowmoon, Captain Marvel, Rocket Raccoon, Gamora, Nova, Strider Hiryu and X defeat Grandmaster Meio and rescue Zero from his control. Upon taking the Power Stone, the station ejects its core, which falls towards New Metro City carrying a massive Sigma Virus payload.
While Doctor Light, Iron Man, Spencer and Hawkeye build a weapon to harness the Infinity Stones, Ultron Sigma attacks Avengers Tower. In the carnage, Thanos is released and attacks Ultron Sigma, cracking the Reality Stone and forcing him to retreat. As Chris’s team is pursued by the Symbiote, the heroes return to repel it. They use their Stones to destroy the Symbiote and the falling core, but are infected in the process. With hours left until they are turned, the heroes head for Xgard. While one group distracts Ultron Sigma, the rest infiltrate Sigma’s laboratory to finish their weapon, the Infinity Buster. When Thanos learns of Death and Jedah’s partnership, he becomes enraged and betrays the heroes, creating a mechanized gauntlet that absorbs Ryu’s Satsui no Hadō before departing. Dante returns to the Dark Kingdom and reclaims the Soul Stone from Jedah. He arrives in Xgard and pretends to surrender the Stone, but because they have no souls, Ultron Sigma is overwhelmed by the Stone and transformed into Ultron Omega. The Soul Stone purges the Sigma Virus within Thor, returning him to normal. The others appear and install the Infinity Buster into X, who uses it to destroy Ultron Omega.
In the aftermath, the virus is neutralized, but since the Reality Stone was cracked, the universes cannot be separated again. The heroes agree to protect the new world and split the Infinity Stones between them to keep them safe. In a post-credits scene, Jedah tells Death that he has another plan, but Thanos arrives seeking vengeance against them. Believing the Satsui no Hadō is capable of killing Death, he attacks them with a Hadouken.
Gameplay:
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| Soul Stone Infinity Stone locks the opposition into a box that limits their movements |
Infinite also implements the Infinity Stones as a gameplay mechanic, similar to Marvel Super Heroes, where each stone grants unique abilities. Before the match begins, each player selects one of the six Infinity Stones – Power, Space, Time, Reality, Mind, and Soul – which bestows one ability that can be activated at any time, known as the "Infinity Surge". For example, the Power Stone produces a knockback effect when used, while the Space Stone pulls an opponent closer to the player character. A second, stronger ability called the "Infinity Storm" can be activated after a player fills their Infinity meter at least halfway, giving them a significant boost for a limited time, similar to the X-Factor system from Marvel vs. Capcom 3. The boost is determined by the chosen Infinity Stone; for example, the Power Stone increases the user's damage output and combo ability, while the Space Stone traps an opponent within a confined area that severely limits their movement.
The game offers various offline and online single-player and multiplayer game modes. The offline features include Story Mode, a two-hour cinematic story campaign; Arcade Mode, a classic arcade game experience where players fight against several AI-controlled opponents before confronting the final boss characters Ultron Sigma and Ultron Omega; Mission Mode, where players can complete tutorial missions and character-specific challenges; Training Mode, where players can practice their fighting abilities and adjust various training field parameters; Versus Player 2, where two players can battle against each other locally; Versus CPU, where players can battle solo against an AI-controlled opponent; and Collection Mode, where extras unlocked through gameplay are stored, including story cutscenes, character and stage information, concept artwork, and audio tracks. Online multiplayer includes ranked and casual matches, global leaderboards, replays, and eight-player lobbies with spectating. The online mode also introduces the Beginners League, a special league designated for low-ranking players to compete for graduation into higher ranks.
Playable Characters:
New characters to the franchise are listed below in bold.
| Marvel characters | Capcom characters | ||
|---|---|---|---|
^§ : Available as downloadable content.
Downloadable Content:
The "2017 Character Pass" includes six DLC fighters: Black Panther, Black Widow, Monster Hunter, Sigma, Venom, and Winter Soldier. Black Panther, Monster Hunter, and Sigma will be released on October 17, 2017, while the rest will come before the end of 2017. Players can also obtain the Superior Spider-Man alternate costume by pre-ordering Spider-Man: Homecoming through the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One online stores before October 24, 2017.
The Verdict:
As most of you guys know, I royally suck at the Marvel vs. Capcom games. I have mentioned that time and time again, but I wanted to give my impressions on this game as I actually enjoy watching it being played at high level on the competitive tournament scene.
Gameplay Modes (Story Mode, Arcade Mode, Mission Mode, etc.)
Right off the bat, I want to give my impressions of the actual gameplay system here in play. Gone are the assists from the last few MvC games and teams are back down to a 2v2 format, along with the Infinity Gems... err Stones from Marvel Super Heroes are back. At first glance, I thought the Stones were a bit lame but they definitely serve to balance out particular weaknesses and shortcomings with particular characters. You want a quick get out of jail card? Use the Time Stone for handy teleport/air dash. You want a better projectile? Use the Reality Stone for a homing projectile that's just as good, if not better than Sentinel drones. Want a free wall bounce? Use the Power Stone for easily knockback move that set your opponent up for an easy wall bounce. Mind Stone gives you a funky grapple move that stuns your opponent for easy follow-ups (think She-Hulk's command grab from MvC3). Space Stone controls space (naturally) by drawing your opponent near you (think Magneto's Attraction special from UMvC3). Last but not least, the Soul Stone can siphon health from your opponents while the Infinity Storm can revive a fallen teammate. So there's a lot to think about in terms of selecting these Stones to benefit your potential teams. Speaking of teams, I like that this game took a page from Street Fighter X Tekken and encourages players to keep tagging in and out. That way you make moves safer on block and could potentially mix your opponent up to open them up to even crazier combos. That's the main thing I love watching about seeing matches of this game in competitive play, but actually playing this and being on the receiving end of those tactics sucks majorly. It's still the same feeling of helplessness as someone "styles" on you in the previous MvC titles with the touch of death combos where you just watch your entire lifebar deplete. There's no X-Factor either, so comebacks are a lot harder to come by in this game. One could argue that the Infinity Storms make comebacks possible, but after you lose a single character, it's rough battle to turn the title back into your favor unless you're running with the Soul Stone and can revive a fallen teammate. It just makes me sad that beneath the surface of so many other shortcomings with this game, there's actually a pretty damn good system mechanic behind this game. It's a damn shame too as more people would be willing to give this game a fair chance if Capcom/Marvel didn't make this into the ongoing joke since it's initial announcement.
That being said, let's talk about the rest of the features in this game...
In terms of the Story Mode, I found the usage of these characters and their worlds from both sides of the spectrum were criminally underused to their full potential to say that the so-called Story Mode was the biggest part of the marketing for this game when it only has like maybe two-three moments that I genuinely enjoyed.
In terms of the narrative, I appreciated some parts of it, such as the Civil War shoutout with Ironman, Captain Marvel, and Captain America butting heads throughout the story, the fastball special between Hulk and Ryu, the clash between Dante and Jedah, Gamora and Strider teaming up for space ninja action, Ironman inventing the "Infinity Buster" for Mega Man X, and of course - the moment with Thanos stealing the Satsui no Hadou from Ryu. The rest of the Story Mode just comes off as poor writing and a lot of head-scratching moments, especially with the ending where everyone just goes "Fuck it, we'll just keep the two universes combined and don't try to use the Infinity Stones to fix everything." It makes me think that Capcom and Marvel got more Story Mode content on the way down the road as it seems pretty stupid to leave the door open with the worlds still combined, along with Thanos taking the Satsui no Hadou without any consequence. The latter makes me think that Akuma will be added as DLC at some point without a shadow of a doubt. Then again, that would probably be the perfect excuse Capcom would use to make a new expansion, much like the recently announced Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition.
To make a long story short, the Story Mode here is much like the one from Injustice 2, whereas you play through it once and really don't care about it. Unfortunately, this Story Mode only has one set ending and not two separate endings with branching/alternating paths and/or character choices like Injustice 2's Story Mode featured.
In terms of the narrative, I appreciated some parts of it, such as the Civil War shoutout with Ironman, Captain Marvel, and Captain America butting heads throughout the story, the fastball special between Hulk and Ryu, the clash between Dante and Jedah, Gamora and Strider teaming up for space ninja action, Ironman inventing the "Infinity Buster" for Mega Man X, and of course - the moment with Thanos stealing the Satsui no Hadou from Ryu. The rest of the Story Mode just comes off as poor writing and a lot of head-scratching moments, especially with the ending where everyone just goes "Fuck it, we'll just keep the two universes combined and don't try to use the Infinity Stones to fix everything." It makes me think that Capcom and Marvel got more Story Mode content on the way down the road as it seems pretty stupid to leave the door open with the worlds still combined, along with Thanos taking the Satsui no Hadou without any consequence. The latter makes me think that Akuma will be added as DLC at some point without a shadow of a doubt. Then again, that would probably be the perfect excuse Capcom would use to make a new expansion, much like the recently announced Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition.
To make a long story short, the Story Mode here is much like the one from Injustice 2, whereas you play through it once and really don't care about it. Unfortunately, this Story Mode only has one set ending and not two separate endings with branching/alternating paths and/or character choices like Injustice 2's Story Mode featured.
While I appreciate that this game has a basic tutorial within the Mission Mode to help newcomers learn the basics, I felt that there's not enough core mechanics explained for helping newcomers get past amateur hour. I know the "hardcore" players will say that you can always watch YouTube tutorial videos made by the community to level up your game, but not everyone is going to go that extra mile and would actually like to have those resources within the game. I would go onto saying that I found this game to be harder than its predecessor to get the hang of. The individual character missions actually are helpful this time around (MvC3's were completely impractical for actual player matches) to understanding when and where you should active switch to extend combos with your teammate, so you get a better sense of what you would need in terms of team building and combo creation. Is it too much to ask for a few advanced techniques to be included in the tutorial too? The game doesn't inform players of vital information that they could benefit from, such as the fact that you can hold down the Active Switch button to Counter Switch when you have two bars of meter on the Hyper Combo guage to swap characters to break combos or actually can control both characters individually during the Soul Stone Infinity Stone by holding the Active Switch button. It's omissions like these is quite puzzling to me if Capcom wanted this game to be more accessible to newcomers and veterans alike.
In the video below, you can watch me botch my way throughout Arcade Mode throughout my first playthrough of that mode when I rented this game from Redbox. The mode ends with a battle against Ultron Sigma and Ultron Omega as the final bosses. Sadly, there's nothing to see after completing this mode other than the ending credits. I don't know what is Capcom's deal in terms of doing the bare minimum when it comes to character endings.
From the few matches I played of this before taking my rental back to Redbox, I have to say this netcode is amazing for the most part, especially for Week 1 when I was playing it after launch. The best thing that their online component has is the ability to rematch immediately following a match. Ranked it's only limited to roughly best out of three bouts, but Player Matches you can rematch instantly and go straight back into the action without all of that hassle of going back to the main lobby, reselecting characters and stones, and getting back into the match. This is a welcome addition for players who wish to do long sets with friends or randoms. I wish Tekken 7 had this feature to be quite honest. It's quite jarring to me that this isn't a standard feature in fighting games now. So in regards of the Online component, thumbs up.
Unfortunately, I can't speak too much about the Beginner League as I didn't dabble in that for long, but I found myself getting wrecked players in that regardless, despite their lower rankings. I'm going to chuck that to everyone being low ranked in the week of the release, so I guess that barrier of entry seems like it wouldn't be like walking into a brick wall the longer this game is out and the veterans level up and hit higher ranks to boot them out of Beginner League. That's merely me speculating, so your experience may vary.
Visuals
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| From left to right: Chun-Li (post-Day 1 patch), Chun-Li (before Day 1 visual patch), Dante (Devil May Cry 3 appearance), Dante (MvCI appearance) |
Need more proof? Look at Ghost Rider's Level 3 Hyper Combo in this game in comparison to his previous one in UMvC3. If that's not bad enough, it's the same story across the board for a lot of the returning cast members.
Sound
With all of the visual shortcomings, the music in this game is pretty top notch, especially for Marvel's side of the cast. Captain Marvel and Gamora's themes stand out for sure as some of the best, while you can't sleep on Strider's stylish remix of his theme from his most recent title.
Other things I would change/improve on the sound though, would be the add more impact to the hit sound effects. For some characters, it sounds fine but others it's like meh off the impact off some of their attacks. I dunno, as a guy coming from playing Tekken 7 and Injustice 2, it seems like those two games did a great job of making every attack feel like it had an impact. On top of that, they need to redub some of the character lines because a lot of the voice actors here sound either bored or uninterested in playing these characters. Perfect example? Compare Nova's lines here compared to his lines in UMvC3. It's like day and night.
Buy It or Don't Bother?
If you're a "Mahvel" fan or rather a hardcore MvC player of the crossover Vs. games from Capcom to this point, then this is going to be right up your alley as you'll feel right at home after a few matches. The new tag mechanic takes some getting used to, same for the new magic series layout, but in no time you'll be back to your staple combos (with some adjustments, of course) and strategies from MvC3/UMvC3.
If you're a fan of Marvel Comics and their narrative storytelling, then this game might not be for you in the least. Casual fans will get some fun out of beginner league and being able to do some flashy stuff in matches thanks to auto combos and easy hyper combo inputs that were included to help out newcomers, but that asset goes out of the window instantly when versed against a seasoned player who knows what they are doing. If you're looking for a lot of single player content then you're going to be painfully disappointed here. There's just the Mission Modes (with individual character trials and a very basic tutorial), Story Mode, and Arcade Mode (that doesn't even have any individual character endings at all). Somehow Capcom managed to cook up a retail release with just as much bare bones content as Street Fighter V... No wait, I take that back, at least this game has a Story Mode at launch, so that's one positive in that regard.
Like I mentioned in the early parts of this review, there's a rewarding system mechanic in play for this game that many players will enjoy if they are willing to overlook the negatives with this game. Sadly, that's a lot to ask for a lot of players. At the end of the day, each player is going to have to ask themselves is it worth the $59.99 price tag (plus the price of the Season Pass for all future DLC) to invest in something they potentially might not like or are they willing to bite the bullet and scrap in for the long haul with this game?
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