Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 Can Finally Be Enjoyed Online Via Parsec
By Christopher “BabaGhanoush” Baghdadlian
The year was 2011, and Marvel vs. Capcom 3 was about to drop in the month of February, giving the franchise a fresh new installment in the series (the first since February 24th of 2000 with Marvel vs. Capcom 2). Coming from a Marvel vs. Capcom 2 background, I was thrilled at the thought of trying all the new characters as well as testing out the new game mechanic changes. However, the thing I was most excited about was having a new Marvel vs. Capcom game integrated with online multiplayer for the first time in the series. Unfortunately, the actual online experience did not match the hype.
Upon initial gameplay, the game was everything I had hoped for. However, when it came to the game’s netplay, it was extremely disappointing. No matter how good the players’ internet connection was, it was nearly impossible to have a seamless match while playing online due to frame rate drops, desyncs, and more. That forced the competitive scene to remain completely offline for the game’s lifespan. Even with the game’s Ultimate update released in November 2011, the new netcode didn’t improve the online experience whatsoever.
Fast forward to the beginning of 2019 and here I was, still not playing UMvC3 online along with other fellow competitors simply because it was not possible to pull off any of the execution heavy combos that were needed to play the game efficiently. That is until I came across a Twitter post that showed me the light that is Parsec. I didn’t think a game sharing program could achieve its promises to give you the couch gaming experience online with minimal lag. With a continued sense of disbelief, I wondered, “could this be the answer to finally playing UMvC3 online with my best friends?”
I quickly shared the tweet and sent out the distress call to all my fellow competitors asking if they were willing to try Parsec with me that same night. Most of them had questions, the common one being “what is Parsec?” to which I happily answered with their mission statement and what they were promising to deliver. The one who answered the call to try Parsec with me was none other than Kevin Ha. For those who don’t know, Kevin Ha was the individual who was keeping UMvC3 alive by hosting and streaming the game weekly at Wednesday Night Fights for a few years on the Level Up Series. To my absolute surprise, Kevin and I were playing UMvC3 seamlessly online through Parsec. We were pulling off the game’s most difficult sequences, such as Dr. Doom’s TAC infinites or Firebrand’s wall cling fireballs with great ease.
From then on there, Kevin and I set on a crusade of telling all our fighting game peers about Parsec and how it made it all possible for us to enjoy one of our most beloved fighting games online. I personally will continue to spread awareness of this amazing service at any fighting game events I attend, and I’m hoping to bring some of the fun of these offline events online. Through Parsec, I hope we’ll be able to grow our friendships and practice in between in-person events.