The first new character I tried out in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 was Strider, and he plays just like he did in Marvel vs. Capcom 2. One change is Strider’s Vajra is mapped to the special button and Strider has two level three hyper attacks. Strider is still an agile fighter and a combo machine when you use the Ouroboros.
I didn’t spend enough time with Hawkeye, but my first impression is the Avengers archer feels like Taskmaster. He can fire arrows straight at an opponent using Quick Shot (QCF + attack) or make arrows rain on enemies using Trick Shot (QCB + attack). Ghost Rider whips enemies with his chains and can pull them over similar to Scorpion from Mortal Kombat. He can also breathe fire with Hellfire, which is a close-range move. His chain whips are Ghost Rider’s long range attacks and his Hellfire Malestrom super move takes up a lot of the screen. When you use this hyper combo, flames swirl around the screen while Ghost Rider spins his whip.
I spent the most time with Firebrand after producer Ryota Niitsuma said he was a technical character. Firebrand doesn’t just hover as he did in Gargoyle’s Quest. He can fly now, but only for a moment. When Firebrand "flies," he jumps backwards at a 45 degree angle. You can make him move up, but Firebrand cannot fly for an indefinite amount of time. While in the air, Firebrand shoot fireballs at a downward angle. Usually, these are a horizontal projectile. Firebrand also has a dash attack so you can rush enemies, take to the sky to evade attacks, and then come crashing down with a kick.
Here’s a look at the commands for four of the new characters in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3:
