Tatsunoko vs. Capcom never escaped the shadow of the earlier Vs. games. This is sad because last year's Wii-only fighter is Capcom's most balanced tag-team effort to date. New mechanics such as Mega Crashes allowed people to burst out of combos and find clever ways to avoid punishment. Other fast-paced slugfests like Guilty Gear and BlazBlue share these techniques, which allow for greater balance than the chaos of Marvel vs. Capcom 2.

Marvel vs. Capcom 3 has none of its predecessor's safety nets. If you mess up, you're going to pay dearly. And the experience is better for it.   

Instead of reusing TVC's mechanics, Capcom went the opposite route: Characters fire projectiles at an alarming rate or dole out massive amounts of damage. Even journeyman challengers can sap an entire life bar under the right conditions.

This can turn some matches into a crapshoot. I currently use She-Hulk, Trish, and Amaterasu as my main team. Sometimes, getting up close with She-Hulk is impossible. Minutes later, I'll nail my foe with a devastating combo, catch him or her with a grab, and eliminate the poor soul within seconds. If I use Amaterasu, I either pull out a victory with her versatile weapon stances or die quickly due to the wolf deity’s low health.

And let's not forget X-Factor, a once-per-match technique that often decides a battle. It not only grants your team a boost in power and mobility, but activating it also recovers health, speeds up projectiles, and negates block damage. Its brutality and duration increases as you lose teammates, which mean powerhouses like the mutant-hunting Sentinel can obliterate opponents with a few button presses.

Will the big damage turn off some people? Definitely. I've heard plenty of complaints about lengthy chain attacks and the loss of the Mega Crash system. But the over-the-top damage gives Marvel vs. Capcom 3 something that Tatsunoko vs. Capcom never had: an identity.

Tatsunoko vs. Capcom's biggest sin was its Wii exclusivity. Also, Mega Crash made everything flow at a conservative pace: Saving up the two super meters it required was more important than using each character's signature move. Tatsunoko vs. Capcom didn’t appeal to the older entries' fans, who liked the high-stakes combat. It also had to compete with other anime-inspired franchises that already had dedicated followings.  

Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is frustrating at times, but it’s unique among its peers. Every match is a gamble, and you only get one round to beat your opponent instead of the usual three. Each character you lose drastically reduces your chances of winning, but a well-timed use of your X-Factor can turn the match around.

Is Marvel vs. Capcom 3 as good as its predecessors? Will I still like it if high-level play amounts to abusing glitches and infinite combos with a handful of characters? Who knows? It’s too early to tell. Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is crazy when it comes to risk and reward, but that’s what makes it stand out in today’s market.