Depending on who you ask, Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite is either the worst game in this crossover series or a good entry that wasted its potential. Regardless of who you ask, they will all say it's worse than Marvel vs Capcom 3 and it’s hard to disagree with that, given everything Infinite did.
Most fans point out that the game failed for not having any X-Men or Fantastic Four characters. However, I think this fighter could have succeeded without these heroes, it just needed more new faces to balance out everyone who was cut.
For those who aren’t familiar, Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite came out when Marvel was trying to devalue their X-Men and Fantastic Four characters. Because their movie rights were with Fox, developers weren’t allowed to use them in their games. Infinite wasn’t the only game to suffer from this, as Marvel’s Avengers and LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 didn’t get to use these characters either.
The roster of Infinite didn’t inspire hope either. As if the lack of favorites like Wolverine and Storm weren’t depressing enough, a lot of the roster had leftovers from MvC3. Sure, cool characters like Dante and Hawkeye made the final roster cut, but they also included unpopular fighters like Arthur for some reason.
While there was a decent amount of new characters in Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite, they didn’t make enough of an impact on fans. Captain Marvel was a decent powerhouse with command grabs, Gamora had a cool mix of sword and gun attacks, and Jeda was a cool pick from Darkstalkers. There's also the move-sets of several characters, giving Iron Man repulsor blasts and letting Thor throw around Mjolnir.
Even with all of these restrictions, we feel that Infinite could have done well if there were newer characters with more dynamic move-sets. A character like Ms. Marvel would have been able to stretch her limbs for cool attacks like Luffy or Dhalsim. Black Bolt from the Inhumans would have also been a great choice, thanks to super strength and a voice that can literally shatter buildings. If the companies wanted to keep that MCU synergy, Loki would have also been a fun choice.
click to enlargeVisually, this game is also just plain ugly. Opting for a slightly realistic art style just made these characters look terrible. Some fans make fun of Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 for its art style but everyone looks vibrant and colorful in the Switch exclusive. If Infinite opted to look more like the third Marvel vs Capcom game, things would have been great.
Gameplay-wise, Infinite is a pretty fun time. Switching between characters mid-combo can lead to some really fun attacks. The Infinity Stones also added plenty of variety, making these heroes and villains feel more powerful than before.
Fighting game fan Maximillian Dood has tried to salvage this game, working with a team of devs to make Infinite look and play better via the Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite - Beyond mod. While the fighter doesn’t have new characters, it does boast a more colorful art style and a much better soundtrack. This is definitely the best version of this fighter, though it doesn’t run well on Steam Deck right now.
Hopefully, everyone involved learned their lesson, and Marvel vs Capcom 4 will eventually get announced.
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