To be fair, it is better than what I expected after playing early demos of the story but it’s still so far off from being a “must play” game mode.
In addition to sitting through countless heroes deliver flat lines even when the moment is supposed to be as intense as it can possibly get, the story just feels rushed and uninspired. Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite could have also gone without its story mode completely. It seems like more and more fighting games are making the stages an important part of each battle but Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite settled for stages that look great but serve no real purpose or provide an additional layer to the gameplay. Almost every stage seems to underscore the lackluster appearance of the heroes that have landed there. The only real disappointment in terms of stage design comes from the absence of interactables. It’s also odd that so many characters look subpar but the stages in the game are crafted with vibrant colors and packed with personality. Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite gets rid of this utility pick and replaces it with an actual utility mechanic. For many Marvel vs Capcom players, the third character was typically more of a utility pick than anything else. Infinity Stones are actually an exemplary replacement for the third character that would have been spending most of their time on the bench and eagerly waiting for a chance to pop up for an assist before returning to the shadows. Without the addition of new mechanics like Infinity Stones, it’s hard to say if Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite would have had anything about it that truly stood out in a positive way.ĭespite all my skepticism, the Infinity Stones truly shine as a welcomed change. The latest addition to the Marvel vs Capcom family doesn’t offer a third character on your team but it does offer a collection of six Infinity Stones - Space, Time, Mind, Reality, Soul, and Power. While Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite comes with tons of goodies to offer in its gameplay, it’s also filled to the brim with distractions that come in the form of inconsistent art direction, an average character roster, and a story that’s deserving of all the dark, cold shade that has already been thrown its way since the early previews. It’s just an unfortunate situation when solid gameplay is drowning in a sea of missteps. The very foundation of Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite is a solid fighting game that introduces new, worthwhile mechanics, and is best enjoyed via matches with friends or other players online.
But, after spending some time with the full release, it’s clear that Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite, at least in one area, manages to deliver a vastly improved fighting game experience while other aspects of the game are backsteps that are difficult to ignore. It just didn’t really feel like a particularly progressive step forward either. E3 demos of Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite offered up gameplay that felt shallow and made it difficult to move beyond the now 2-on-2 battles that no longer allow for assists from characters on the bench without actually swapping out completely.