It’s almost cruel that Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 is coming out so soon. Fans waited for Marvel vs Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds for close to a decade, only to have the proverbial rug pulled out from under them with the announcement of a retail update coming within the same year. Was Fate of Two Worlds really that busted? Some felt that X-factor, the game’s hook, was broken. The cast was much smaller than Marvel vs Capcom 2’s, bypassing several fan favorites. There was endless bitching about Sentinel being overpowered, although Capcom at least caved to those complaints with a patch. This makes questioning unavoidable: if Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3’s biggest changes are additions to the roster and tweaks to the X-factor mechanic, did it really need to be a retail package? Luckily, Ultimate does its best to ease the sting some early adopters might be feeling. Some changes are incremental, but at least the game feels like more than a patch.

The biggest changes are immediately noticeable - namely, the frontend has been changed and expanded. The menus now have an even more lavish comic book appeal to them, and the new characters and stages are made apparent right from the get-go. Exploring the menus reveals some other addressed complaints: One of the common gripes about Fate of Two Worlds was the rather anemic gameplay offering - sure, the game was well crafted, but there wasn’t much to do if you weren’t planning on practicing day in and day out in hopes of joining tournament play. Ultimate addresses this with the addition of several quirky extra modes, including one that lets you play as Galactus. Much to the relief of online fighting fans everywhere, the game finally includes a spectator mode in multiplayer matches.

For many returning players or newly interested ones, the new characters are the biggest draw. Capcom’s side has added several familiar fighters, including everbody’s favorite photojournalist Frank West, and the appropriately zany Phoenix Wright. Marvel vs Capcom 2 favorite Strider Hiryu returns as well, rounding out the decidedly oddball new roster (Firebrand? I mean, awesome, but who thought that one up?). Marvel’s picks aren’t any less eclectic, either: Rocket Raccoon? Doctor Strange? Sure, some of these characters are popular, but their actions and powers certainly aren’t easily transferable to fighting game controls. The new cast members are definitely weird choices, but none of them feel half-assed - instead, most of them come across as inspired choices, digging around in both Capcom and Marvel’s canon to find interesting fighting game characters. New stages are a big shiny “new” thing to get excited about as well. These new stages are mostly excellent, particularly a few that feature muted color palettes and less background action that really let the characters and fights pop, rather than letting the whole screen get cluttered in a gaudy mess.

Of course, for many seasoned players, this kind of thing is fluff. The real questions are: how’s the balance? What tweaks have been made? How do the new characters actually play? Is this actually any different/better than regular-ass Marvel vs Capcom 3? For the record, my own Mahvel (not to mention, general-fighting-game) skill is intermediate, meaning that I own arcade sticks and watch streams and can generally understand what’s going on under the hood of a game, but I’m no expert, and I’m sure anything I say here can and will be refuted by better, more dedicated players down the line. However, strictly speaking as the average player: Ultimate’s changes do make the game feel different.

The elephant in the room - X-factor - has been tweaked significantly. It can now be activated in the air, but beyond that, it’s a tad less punishing to be on the receiving end of X-factored characters. X-factored hyper combos now scale, meaning that the damage each hit in the combo does exponentially less damage, instead of the full amount each strike would typically deal. Aside from X-factor, noticeable changes include the removal of the ability to block during an air dash, a feature (toggle-able, thankfully) that automatically super-jumps your character after a launching attack, and slightly more forgiving windows for performing special moves like crossover air-counters. I’m sure there are some folks scratching their heads at this (and maybe some more knowledgeable people laughing at me), but suffice to say, Ultimate’s gameplay does feel refined.

As for the new characters, only time will tell. There are some obvious interesting details, though: for one, Phoenix Wright is for crazy people, and I mean that in a good way. His moveset is both completely bizarre (one even involves sidestepping a dog running past him) and in keeping with his character. Both Wright and Frank West have stances that are only available after meeting certain conditions within each fight, making them incredibly technical to master but possibly devastating in the hands of someone who knows how to build up their power fast. Vergil of Devil May Cry fame has massive range, even with his normal attacks, and impressive teleport moves to boot. Rocket Raccoon’s traps and generally diminutive size (virtually the same size, hitbox-wise, as Amaterasu) make him an interesting choice for screen control. Overall, the new characters feel at home with the rest of the cast - who, it must be granted, have all been tweaked (some with new moves, even) to fit with the game’s balance changes and roster additions.

The rest of the game is… well, Marvel vs Capcom 3. The game still looks gorgeous, and features the same cheesy-but-fantastic-in-a-way soundtrack, with a few additions. Will it stand the test of time like Marvel vs Capcom 2 did? Is it, as the kids like to ask, balanced? It’s hard to say, standing here, but it’s also easy to wonder if Ultimate’s swift release answers those questions for the original Marvel vs Capcom 3 with a bit of a “maybe not”. The bigger cast and rigorous tinkering do hint at a brighter future for Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3, which stands as a great piece of software regardless of its wonky release timing. Is it the king of the Marvel vs Capcom franchise? It’s impossible to say right now. Is it a better product than Marvel vs Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds? Absolutely.