Recent reviews by MercurysPhoenix

One of the best role-playing games of all time. The story itself is top notch, and even the side quests feel fully fleshed out. There's a hell of a lot to do in The Witcher 3 so it's not for people who can't spare the time to put into it, but none of it feels like a chore. The combat is so smart and fluid. You have to actually consider what you're fighting, prepare appropriately and then engage rather than just mindlessly hack and slash. The music and voice acting is wonderful. And Gwent is one of most addictive and interesting side games within a game I've ever played.

The game isn't perfect though. The horse riding can be a bit irritating when Roach just decides to stop mid-gallop. Clearing Skellige is a bit of a chore due to the amount of sea travel (and ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ harpies.) I've had a few crashes but nothing too troublesome. Overall, little ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ but they're worth it for such a high class game.

Also, Hearts of Stone is one of the best expansion packs I've ever played. The quests are on another level and it features some of my favourite characters from the whole series.

If you have the time for it, I'd highly recommend The Witcher 3. You won't regret it.

Marvel vs Capcom has always been a series I've had quite a fondness for. The gameplay is hectic but simple to get to grips with which means a semi casual like me can have fun without dedicating hours and hours to mastering it. At the same time, there's enough depth in the combo system to allow for more hardcore players to create complex and optimised combos.

Infinite follows that same ethos but there's one glaring problem right now: the playerbase is so small that casual players who can barely string together a combo are matched up against players who can take 75% of your health away in a combo from one hit. It's incredibly frustrating to play for someone like me who is willing to put time in to get better but there's no one really on my lower skill level to play against.

Part of that problem is because the game - unlike Street Fighter V - doesn't have Cross Play between PS4 and PC. Cross Play would have been to the benefit of both playerbases but it's unfortunately absent here.

I would say that this is a strong argument against buying this game on PC but that would do nothing to solve my biggest issue with it. The game needs more players.

And the game doesn't do the best job of training new players. You have a mission mode which teaches you basic controls and basic to complex combos for all characters, but not how to execute those combos properly or how to utilise them in a real game. You could be able to execute the most complex combos in the game but unless you know how to get in on your opponent and confirm your hits, it's all for nothing.

The sad part is that the core game is good. The gameplay is fun - the new tag system makes a nice change from the craziness of assists in Marvel vs Capcom 2 and 3 and opens up a lot more potential synergy between characters.

The infinity stones are something I'm a little on the fence about. I find the vast majority of the infinity surges lackluster which is why a lot of players gravitate towards the homing projectile of the reality stone which is far easier to get value out of. The infinity storms for all of the stones sound pretty useful but without changes to the surges, they will rarely be utilised.

The graphics need a major overhaul. The character models are rough for the most part. The character faces just seem... off. The UI is fairly basic and visually unappealing. And there's this haze to the game which makes everything look blurry. Compared to the heavily shaded comic book style of Marvel vs. Capcom 3, it's a major downgrade for a game with a lot more graphics power at its disposal.

The story mode seems like a wasted investment. I understand that story modes are big in fighting games at the moment but really, most people will play them once and then never touch them again. The mode is alright in Infinite but when you look at the lack of other single player content (like a more fleshed out arcade mode,) it does make you a bit resentful towards it.

The game controversially has also omitted any X-Men and Fantastic Four characters. Given that the characters - especially Wolverine and Magneto - are synonymous with the series, their absence leaves a rather large hole in the character roster. The roster currently comprises of mostly cut and copies from Marvel vs Capcom 3 with a few tweaks and additions to moves here are there, with only six of the characters from the base game being new additions. The available DLC characters are all newcomers but that does little to entice anyone to make that initial purchase.

Marvel vs Capcom Infinite is a fun, solid game with a lot of potential in a very unattractive and underwhelming package. It's almost like playing a game which is in beta, only I paid £40 for it and will need to keep paying to experience new content.

As it stands, I wouldn't suggest buying this game unless it's on sale for a decent price. I do hope the developers work to address some of the main complaints because the core of the game is great. A lot of work went into improving Street Fighter V post-launch. Let's see if Infinite will get the same treatment.