Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Price: ₹2499 on PlayStation 4, ₹3,999 on Xbox One
It's going to be hard not to compare the latest Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite game with DC's successful Injustice 2, which launched earlier this year. Both are fighting games, and both are based on successful comic books and comic book movies. While Injustice has been around for a few years, Marvel vs. Capcom has a pedigree, coming from a long line of games starting way back with X-Men vs Street Fighter and now culminating in the latest Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite. It’s the crossover of our dreams where characters from Capcom's roster of games meet Marvel's superheroes and villains in an all out fireworks display of action.
What's it about?
Ultron, the villain from the last Avengers movie is back and this time he's quite literally, joined forces with Sigma, the main bad guy from the Mega Man series. They’re fused into Ultron Sigma, a robotic super being that brings together two universes in order to stop it. Infinite sees a crossover of heroes from Marvel, all relevant from their recent hit movies, like Thor, Dr. Strange, Spiderman, Black Panther and even Rocket Racoon and Gamora from Guardians of the Galaxy . From the Capcom side of things there's the usual Street Fighter characters like Chun Li and Ryu, as well as classic characters like Mega Man and Dante make an appearance.
The story itself is a stretch, which is part fan service to encompass all the characters, while giving enough time for both universes to shine. There’s a special focus on the Infinity Stones, which is the crux of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the focus of the new Avengers: Infinity War . As a result, the story is a mess, and does not make too much sense as it keeps jumping between universes, but it’s entertaining nonetheless. You get to see Spiderman wisecrack and Hulk smash in a cinematic story mode.
How does it play?
The Marvel vs. Capcom series have always been known for their screen-filling special attacks and their over-the-top fighting moves. What they are also known for is their tag team fighting system, which is fantastic in Infinite, as you can select a team of two heroes and you can tag them in mid-match for special attacks.
This allows you you to create continuous combos by seamlessly switching in characters, chaining special moves one into the other. Alternatively, if you are on the receiving end of a tag team trashing, you can choose to tag your character in to break the combo with the new counter switch move. What Infinite does throw into the mix are the Infinity stones, which you can select one at the start of the match, and these imbue your team with a special power called Infinity Surge. There’s also the Infinity Storm that triggers an attack or speed boost depending on the stone selected.
So the gameplay is smooth and most of all a lot more enjoyable than most fighting games out there, including Injustice 2. Where Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite really looses out are the graphics. The characters and backgrounds look very boring, with a lack of detail or graphical style. Sure, the game has tried to shoot for a very Overwatch-like look. But the latter had character in the form of animation and style, which Infinite lacks .
Should you get it?
If you are a fan of Marvel and Capcom universes as well as the crossover series of games, you will love Infinite. But only if you can look past the lacklustre graphics and character design. There’s a fantastic fighting game beating at the heart of Infinite.
Julian Almeida is a tech and gaming enthusiast who hopes to one day finish his sci-fi novel
