HYPE

With a DLC drip feed derailed thanks to the Tohoku Earthquake / PSN outage double whammy, not to mention an allegedly rushed release to balance up a lacklustre fiscal year, Capcom strikes back with increment update Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3. Expect character balancing, neater netcode, new stages, online lobby tweaks and additional fighters. Announced in this vid are Ghost Rider and Hawkeye for Marvel; Strider Hiryu and Firebrand (Red Arremer in Japan, the hero of Ghosts n' Goblins's Game Boy spin-off Gargoyle's Quest) for Capcom.

Roster rooters over at NeoGAF have also dug up info and character art for eight further fighters on the sneaky: Marvel fans can expect Dr Strange, Nova, Rocket Raccoon, and the Immortal Iron Fist; Capcom drafts Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney, Frank West, Resident Evil 3's Nemesis, and Dante's twin brother Vergil from Devil May Cry 3. Nose around online and you can pre-order this shameless cash-in / desperately craved recalibration for under £25.

Yipes vs Marvel vs Capcom 3

For the faithful, here's twenty five minutes of just-dropped thoughts on Marvel vs Capcom 3 by motor-mouthed contender Yipes. Mr Mendoza talks us through his Marvel vs Capcom 2 mains Magneto and Storm, as well as tips n' tricks for newcomers Dante from Devil May Cry, and Spencer from Bionic Commando.

If none of this means nothing to you, Yipes was fighter community famous for smack-talk Marvel vs Capcom 2 combo vids brimming with nonsensical insults. His Mahvel Baybee! clip even enjoys some meta referencing in Marvel vs Capcom 3, with both Magneto and Sentinel available in the alternative colour schemes featured in that video. Fuck the Knicks!

HAGGAR!

Zangief's continued absence from Marvel vs Capcom 3 announces was starting to get a little worrying. It just wouldn't be the same if players couldn't mangle Marvel's finest with a gruff Soviet wrestler. Although it doesn't look like the Red Cyclone will be making an appearance, Capcom have lined up the very next best thing - Metro City Mayor, Mike Haggar. It's a welcome return for Final Fight's moustached one, the character having dodged drafts for both the Street Fighter Alpha series, and Street Fighter IV. Fighting games have missed his absurd, leather belt brawn.

via Kotaku

Highly Skilled Lawyer

The latest character tease for Marvel vs Capcom 3 reimagines She-Hulk as a high-impact female wrestler, equally adept at stratospheric elbow drops and weaponising careless SUV drivers. As an interesting aside, did you know Marvel raced to create a female Hulk character in the wake of the The Bionic Woman TV show? Comic execs were worried that show's success would prompt CBS to introduce a similar lady lead into their own The Incredible Hulk television serial; Marvel raced ahead on that curve so as to own any potential character.

Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing

I'm not sure Marvel vs Capcom 3's character roster can get much more awesome. Joining the likes of Super-Skrull and Viewtiful Joe, the game's latest additions include the redrafted Bionic Commando, Sir Arthur from Ghosts 'n Goblins, and, best of all, Tales of Suspense superstar MODOK. Getting to solo a team of video game mainstays with a jet-powered, grossly mutated, Jack Kirby created, science-head is a bit of a dream come true frankly.

HENSHIN A GO GO BABY!

Hideki Kamiya's Red Hot Man has been drafted for studio represents in Marvel vs Capcom 3. Viewtiful Joe was conceived as a culture clasher between American average joe superheroics and Japanese tokusatsu TV battling, so his presence here is verging on meta.

Dude! Jackpot!

Thanks to E3 we have a glut of Marvel vs Capcom 3 gameplay vids. Here's my fav. True to series roots, it makes you dizzy. Watch as Capcom's biohazard ox Chris Redfield expertly manhandles The Incredible Hulk with just his mitts, an electrified cattle prod, and an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink arsenal. Can't shoot a Hulk-quake though can you?

Newer Age of Heroes

It's been ten years since Marvel vs Capcom 2 first hit arcades. Ten long years without a triple A license pile-up fighter. Ten excruciating years since players were allowed to have a plucky Soviet bear-wrestler pack a fifteen foot Sentinel between his legs, and just go buck wild.

There have been a few vague contenders: Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe stunk up the joint, with neutered brand power and sloggy anti-fun; Capcom themselves delivered the perfectly serviceable Tatsunoko vs Capcom in 2008, but it just wasn't the same. The match-ups made too much sense. Where was the exasperating incongruity of a tentacled sky-God battling a yuck-yuck Chinese parable? Had we forgotten the delirious thrill of culture clash? Since 2000, the Marvel license has been on a developer merry-go-round, making any further vs installments seem deeply unlikely. We needn't have worried! A cash-money reception for a recent HD port of Marvel vs Capcom 2 has reignited bean counter interest in this half-forgotten mangler. Back to the well! Marvel vs Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds is expected sometime next spring. About time!