Look, let’s be real. If you mention Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite in a room full of fighting game nerds, you’re gonna get a reaction. Half the room will probably groan about "shrunken heads" and "functions," while the other half will quietly admit they actually miss the tag system. It’s been years since that rocky 2017 launch, and honestly? The game is still one of the weirdest, most polarizing artifacts in gaming history.
It was supposed to be the glorious return of the king. Instead, it became a cautionary tale about corporate meddling and "synergy" gone wrong. But beneath the memes of a bug-eyed Chun-Li, there’s a game that—kinda shockingly—plays better than almost anything else in the genre.
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What Really Happened With the Roster?
The biggest elephant in the room was the lack of X-Men. You can’t have Marvel vs. Capcom without Wolverine. It’s like a PB&J without the jelly. At the time, Disney didn’t own Fox (the movie rights holder), and the rumors were that Marvel basically banned any character they didn't have full film control over. They wanted to push the MCU.
So, instead of Magneto and Sentinel, we got a heavy dose of Avengers. Captain Marvel, Gamora, and Ultron were the new stars. While they’re cool, they didn't fill the void left by the mutants. Then came the "functions" quote. Capcom's Peter Rosas famously suggested that fans don't care about the characters, just what they do—the "functions."
People hated that.
Fans want the soul of the character, not just an eight-way dash. It felt cold. It felt like the game was built by a committee of lawyers instead of comic book fans. Even the Capcom side felt a bit recycled, with very few newcomers outside of Jedah and Mega Man X.
The Infinity Stones Are Low-Key Brilliant
If you can ignore the visuals for a second—and yeah, the art style is a bit "mobile game from 2014"—the actual combat in Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite is incredible. They ditched the 3v3 format for 2v2 and replaced assists with the Active Switch system.
It’s chaotic in the best way.
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You can swap characters at literally any moment. Doing a super? Switch. Mid-air combo? Switch. This created a level of creativity that even Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 couldn't touch. Then you add the Infinity Stones.
- Power Stone: Good for the "unga bunga" players. It knocks people back and lets you wall-bounce them for easy damage.
- Reality Stone: It shoots a homing orb. It was super annoying at launch but essential for covering your approach.
- Space Stone: This one is a troll's dream. The "Infinity Storm" locks your opponent in a literal box, making them sit there while you mix them up.
- Time Stone: Best for fast characters. It lets you teleport through projectiles and cancel attacks.
- Soul Stone: The big comeback mechanic. It lets you bring a dead teammate back to life and fight with both characters on screen at once.
- Mind Stone: It grabs the opponent and fills your super meter instantly.
Why the Graphics Looked Like That
Budget. That’s the short answer.
Reports later surfaced that the budget for the entire game was less than the DLC budget for some modern fighters. Capcom was in a weird spot, and Marvel was being extremely protective of how their "cinematic" characters looked. This led to a "realistic" art style that just didn't translate well to 3D models.
Captain America looked like he’d been hitting the gym way too hard in all the wrong places. Dante from Devil May Cry looked... tired. It lacked the vibrant, comic-book pop of the third game. Even today, in 2026, the game still looks "brown" compared to the neon-soaked Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection or the upcoming projects people are whispering about.
Is It Still Worth Playing?
Actually, yeah. Especially if you’re on PC.
The modding community has been doing God’s work. There are massive projects like MvCI: Beyond that try to fix the balance and even mess with the visuals. Plus, the game has rollback netcode. This is huge. Even now, playing someone across the country feels way smoother than it does on older titles that used delay-based tech.
It’s usually on sale for pennies. If you see it for five or ten bucks, it’s worth it just to mess around with the combo system. You’ll probably spend two hours in training mode just seeing what kind of nonsense you can pull off with the Active Switch.
Actionable Next Steps
If you’re looking to dive back in or try it for the first time, don't just jump into ranked matches. You'll get washed by the three people who have been playing since 2017.
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- Grab the Steam Version: It’s the only way to access the community mods that actually make the game look and feel better.
- Learn the Active Switch: Forget "Point" and "Anchor" roles from the old games. Think of your team as one fluid unit. If you aren't switching every five seconds, you're playing it wrong.
- Check out the MvCI: Beyond Mod: Seriously. It’s a game-changer and breathes new life into a title that Capcom mostly abandoned after the first year.
- Watch old EVO footage: Look up the 2017-2018 competitive sets. The level of play was insane before the community moved back to UMvC3 or over to Dragon Ball FighterZ.
Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite might be the black sheep of the family, but it’s a black sheep with a really good jab. It’s a testament to how good gameplay can survive even the worst marketing and art direction.
How to get the most out of MvCI today
- Join the Discord: The "Gauntlet" and other community hubs are where the games happen.
- Focus on Synergy: Pick a stone that covers your character's weakness. If you're playing a slow character like Haggar, the Time Stone is your best friend.
- Ignore the Story Mode: It's a bit of a slog. Just unlock the stages and head straight to training.