February 15, 2011 Comments (0) Views: 6488 Comics, Videogames

Nerdgasm: Phoenix in Marvel vs Capcom 3

Hi, my name is Tuck and I nerdgasmed when Phoenix was announced for Marvel vs Capcom 3.
It’s not an easy admission to make given the amount of enmity that most people harbor towards my favorite red-headed superhero. The origins of this ill-will are nebulous at best. Repeated deaths aren’t so much a strike against her character as an entry on her curriculum vitae that she shares with most modern superheroes. And let’s be honest, she hasn’t died that many times. Twice. Three times at most. Magneto has that many retconned deaths every week.
Let’s ignore the haters for now and focus on what makes her an awesome addition to the already stellar lineup of MvC3.

First, it’s about damn time. I’ve been waiting for Jean to make an appearance in a quality fighting game since Children of the Atom came out. That means I’ve been fantasizing about tossing people with telekinesis since I was 8, which was 17 years ago. 17! My longing is almost legal! I am honestly surprised it took this long. She has instant name recognition, a great backstory and awesome powers. Seriously, who hasn’t wanted to fling stuff around with the power of thinking? You always win the fight, never break a sweat and therefore come out looking like a class act.
That brings me to my second point: she’s up to her ears in traits that make for an interesting play experience: abilities that make for a killer ranged fighter, power levels that are off the charts, and the ability to resurrect herself. While this sounds like it would make for the unholy love child of Street Fighter 3’s Gill and MvC2’s Storm, Capcom wisely gave her the vitality of a fruit fly. This not only makes her really interesting to play as – high risk, high reward – but also fits her comic history perfectly. She is at once the most cosmically connected of the X-Men (courtesy of the Phoenix Force) and the most human (you try taking a Proton Cannon to the face and not keeling over).
Finally, Jean’s just a supercool cat.
Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:
This is how you kick ass.

And last, but definitely not least, Exhibit C:

Putting Professor X in his place? Priceless.
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