Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite Two universes, one brawl

The big change here is the 2v2 format. Instead of picking a trio, you build a duo, one Marvel hero and one Capcom legend if you want, and swap or call them in mid-fight.

The roster runs from Captain Marvel, Iron Man and Captain America to Ryu, Mega Man X and Morrigan, with faces like Chris Redfield and Ultron rounding it out. Half the fun is the matchups themselves. Chris Redfield, a man who punches boulders, standing across from Captain America is the kind of crossover this series exists for.

Before each battle you pick one of six Infinity Stones, and it stays with your team the whole match. Each stone grants its own abilities and a powerful surge effect that can swing a losing round back your way.

That choice is a real strategic layer. Two players can bring the same fighters and still play completely different games depending on the stone they chose. Do you take the stone that bails you out of trouble, or the one that lets you press an advantage? It is the kind of decision that keeps matches fresh long after you know your combos.

For the first time the series gets a full cinematic story mode, staged like a film with cutscenes and CG scenes. Ultron and Sigma have fused into Ultron Sigma, a single machine-obsessed villain using the Infinity Stones to merge the two worlds and cybernetically infect every living thing in them.

So the heroes of both universes unite, and the campaign walks you through a long line of the roster, everyone from Hawkeye to Mega Man X getting a turn. The story is campy and fast rather than deep, and that is part of the charm: this is a comic book plot that knows it, with heroes and villains forced onto the same side.