The moment we've all been waiting for. Ever since Marvel vs Capcom 3 was announced, the demand for one particular lawyer has been rabid. While I'm sure She-Hulk has quite the number of saucy nerds clamoring at her every release, she isn't the attorney fans were looking for, and unfortunately Matt Murdock was left in the dog house once again. For a long while it looked as though Phoenix Wright would be joining him behind a desk, checking the time cards of MvC3's other contestants... and then we were introduced to Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 over a couple of drinks and a karaoke machine.
Capcom's Ace Attorney was one of the dozen of new characters being added to the game's updated release, but for months we were left largely in the dark about just how he would play. Many feared that he would play as a joke character, like Servbot and Norimaru before him, while others argued that Wright was capable of handling himself as a competent fighter. Well, earlier today, Capcom finally gave us our first look at Phoenix Wright trading blows with the all-star assembly of comics and gaming's greatest heroes.
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| And yes, he does the point. |
And the verdict is: joke character. Unfortunately, Wright isn't even a serious player with amusing looking moves, he's simply an oddball with very little serious thought put into style or use. I can't even tell where most of the hitboxes for his attacks are, which is never a good thing. Sure, it might make him less predictable to your adversaries, but if you don't know if what you're doing is going to hurt somebody or not, then it's almost as useless and even detrimental as the invisibility cloak in Super Smash Bros. Melee.
A large portion of Wright's moves are confusing gestures that are so subtle, you can't really tell what they're doing. Most of the time he's writhing like a dressed up caterpillar that doesn't quite know what the hell to do with his mysterious, limb-like growths. So despite all the potential, Wright really isn't too hot.
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| Luckily, Maya's got that covered. |
While some of his attacks, such as the paper flinging move, actually look like some thought went into how they would balance out in a fighting game and with the roster as a whole, most of Phoenix Wright's moves are a melting pot of jokes, puns, laziness, and blatant cash cowing. I'll stop tearing him apart myself, and let you guys be the judge.
But I won't lie, I dig what's going on with Wright's character theme. And that's not the only one. Capcom also showed off Marvel superhero Nova, essentially Marvel's answer to the Green Lantern, and his sweet sound. Unlike Wright, Nova is built up as a serious contestant, with a lot of thought going into his attacks and how to distinguish him from the other characters. In my opinion, it looks like Marvel requested Capcom pay extra special attention to making Nova look just as, or more, awesome than their other heroes, because he is looking fantastic.
With these two reveals, that leaves just a pair of characters left to show off: Dead Rising's Frank West, who will most likely be bringing over his Tatsunoko vs Capcom style of resourceful adversity, Guardian of the Galaxy Rocket Raccoon, whose inclusion has prompted massive backlash from the gaming community. Even though I'm a little miffed that he nudged out Howard the Duck as Marvel's go-to anthro, I have to admit to being a bit curious about how he'll play. He reminds me of Fox McCloud quite a bit, but we'll see how it goes. Either way, I'm hoping Capcom licenses the Beatles' "Rocky Raccoon" as this furball's battle anthem.
