Among many other announcements for PlayStation Experience 2016 was one that was rumored but not quite believed by many (myself included!) - Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite has been announced as the next game in the classic fighting game series. It's expected to release in Late 2017, and some details about the game have been posted to the official PlayStation Blog.
Let's start off with the characters we've seen featured in the game's cinematic reveal trailer: Mega Man X & Ryu make an appearance from the Capcom side of things and Marvel is represented by Captain Marvel & Iron Man. The two sides duke it out in a short battle in the reveal trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpQ_l1XHL_g
No gameplay was shown at the initial reveal, but that's not to say they don't have any to show - they're saving the reveal of actual gameplay for during the Capcom Cup. An extended trailer will be shown December 4th during an ESPN broadcast of the Capcom Cup.
Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite will feature Arcade, Training, and Mission single player modes. In addition, a Story Mode has been announced, although what exactly it entails hasn't yet been revealed. As for multiplayer, there will be both ranked and casual matches, global leaderboards, and a spectator mode. The specifics of the different multiplayer modes haven't been detailed other than the fact that the battles will be 2v2 partner battles. A press release states that the game will be for 1-2 players, so for the moment it doesn't seem likely that we'll have any four player battles in the game.
The Infinity Stones will not only be a plot element but a gameplay factor - players can integrate usage of the mystical stones from the Marvel Universe into their gameplay strategy. Ryu takes hold of a purple stone during the trailer which means it's either the Space Gem (based on the comics lore) or the Power Stone (based on the Cinematic universe). Considering that Ryu didn't teleport around much (an aspect of the Space Gem), it seems to be leaning a bit more towards the Cinematic Universe's lore (at least in regards to the Infinity Stones/Gems).
As for other elements of the story, all we know is that the two universes are colliding (yet again) and will be fighting some overarching supreme villain.
Additional screenshots were featured with the blog post as well as supplied via a press release:
[gallery columns="4" size="full" link="file" type="slideshow" ids="114694,114695,114696,114697,114698,114690,114691,114692"]
On a final note, I authored a piece a few days ago titled "Will We See Marvel vs. Capcom 4 at PSX? Probably not". Any and all evidence we had prior to this announcement was either rumor, speculation, or faked screenshots (none of which appear to match up to the actual product that we can now see today). I believed it was better to take a more cautious stance given the lack of hard evidence and I stand by my original piece with consideration for the evidence that was available at the time. I was nonetheless wrong in my call, but I'm quite happy about it - I'm keen to see how the next game in the series will turn out!
Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite releases on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One sometime late in 2017 for $59.99 or your regional equivalent.
What do you think of Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite? Do you think it will be able to continue the legacy established by its forebears? Who do you hope to see featured in the game? Let us know in the comments below!
