Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3

Review

Common Sense Media says

Chaotic fighting with crass language and skimpy costumes.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

AGE
11
QUALITY
 

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is no standard superhero game. It is a fighting game loaded with not only violence, but also loads of crass language and highly sexualized female characters in skimpy clothing. Online play is a highlight of the game, too, so be aware that children may be engaging in online bouts (complete with live voice chat) with random strangers. Common Sense Media does not recommend open online play for pre-teens.

  • Positive messages0
    Not much in the way of positive messages. It's all about fighting.
  • Positive role models0
    Some of the female characters talk about being strong women and tell male opponents not to discount them because of their gender. But at the same time, the vast majority of the female characters are dressed as sex objects.
  • Ease of play2
    The onscreen directions are far more complex and convoluted than they should be. While you can defeat easy opponents by the luck of random button-mashing, opponents that come later in the game are incredibly tough. And many moves must be pulled off by a complicated series of button combos.
  • Violence3
    This a fighting game in which teams of three battle each other tag-team style. In addition to punches and kicks, many characters blast various forms of energy at opponents and a good number use actual weapons like knives, guns, and bombs. There's no blood, but there are explosions like crazy -- sometimes so many that you lose track of the characters.
  • Sex3
    Female characters wear some of the skimpiest clothes in video games. There are massive amounts of cleavage. One character is basically nude except for thin strips of white material covering only her most sensitive parts.
  • Language2
    "Hell," "damn," "bitch," and "ass" are all repeated plenty of times in the "quips" the fighters throw at one another.
  • Consumerism3
    In addition to a slew of Marvel Comics characters, the game also features characters from other Capcom games.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking0
    Not applicable.
  • Privacy & safety1
    Creates privacy and safety concerns. You can play against random online opponents via Xbox Live or the PlayStation Network. Live voice chat may be available during such games, which means players may be exposed to inappropriate language and topics of conversation. Check your console's privacy settings to see how to disable live voice chat with strangers.
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What's it about?

ULTIMATE MARVEL VS. CAPCOM 3 allows players to engage in three-on-three tag-team battles featuring a slew of Marvel Comics heroes (like Wolverine, Iron Man, Ghost Rider, and more) mixed in with the protagonists from an array of Capcom games (like Resident Evil, Devil May Cry, and Dead Rising). While each character has his or her own ending in the story mode, there's no real plot to the game.

Is it any good?

 

The series has a lot of fans, so there are people out there who will definitely enjoy what Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 has to offer. But casual players who are looking for a cool superhero experience are likely to get frustrated by the byzantine control scheme and overly chaotic action onscreen. When there are so many explosions that you literally can't see where your fighter is, that's too much. The harsh language feels gratuitous and the levels of cleavage are not just distracting, they're also verging on silly.

What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about violence in games. How does it make you feel to play a game that is all about fighting? Is it cathartic? Does it agitate you? Do you think it makes you take violence less seriously when you see it in other types of media?

  • Parents can also talk to their kids about the depiction of women in the game. What kind of message does it send when characters talk about being strong, capable women, but are dressed like sex objects?

This review was written by Christopher Healy
Adult
November 21, 2011
AGE
10
 
I'm confused CS
Don't you guys normally base your scores of games off of how fun they are and not off of their content? You gave the original MvC3 a positive score and this is an improvement of it, so what's the deal?
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Teen, 15 years old
December 28, 2011
AGE
9
 
Really?
Come on Common Sense! Really? "Highly sexualized women"? It's rated T. I play this with my 8 year old brother and I have played as every character, and have never seen that girl with thin strips over her privates! This is NOT an adult game and has NOTHING innapropriate.
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Teen, 14 years old
April 1, 2012
AGE
13
 
Wow... just wow
Seriously CSM, this is ridiculous. Why is this two stars? It is an amazing game! Secondly, there are not that many explosions and even then, it is practically impossible to lose track of your character. It's hard to do that, so you must be quite the non-gamer. Thirdly, this is a FIGHTING GAME. You act surprised that there isn't any educational value in it, and there ARE some good role models! The hero characters(Iron Man, Dante, Zero, Spider-Man, etc.) are fighting to save their worlds from Galactus. It is also supposed to be complicated, and if you think that they should be simpler, go trade this game in and buy one of those kiddy games like Modnation Racers. Now that that's over with, a review of the game. At first glance this game seems daunting, almost threatening, and to a degree, scary. Going online within your first few weeks of play is not recommended, as you will get beaten. Play missions and training to adapt to the fast-paced, yet accurate way of playing. Arcade and Heroes and Heralds mode are hard, but you can set difficulty levels and gradually keep rising it. This can also be done in Training mode. Overall, UMvC3 seems challenging, but like everything else, practice makes perfect.
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Kid, 10 years old
April 25, 2012
AGE
10
 
What are they thinking.............
Don't read what they say it is nothing to worry about i don't know what they think it is soooo bad I have it for my 360 and puwhgojgo srsy....... what da oihjhoihijooijeriioe!
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This review was written by Christopher Healy
Topics:superheroes
Platforms:Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Available online?Not available online
Genre:Fighting
Developer:Capcom
Release date:November 15, 2011
Price:$39.99
ESRB rating:T for Violence, Partial Nudity, Suggestive Themes, Mild Language
This review was written by Christopher Healy
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.
Our child development rating guidelines

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