Outside of the fighting game community, most saw Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 as an overpriced DLC pack for the original game. While that argument wouldn’t necessarily be wrong, it was moot in the eyes of the competitive community. Marvel vs. Capcom 3 was a game that was scorching hot at tournaments, but contained a number of flaws that stopped it from living up to its full potential. This game addressed all of those faults, from a shortage of characters, to the dreaded DHC glitch. For someone like me who had played hundreds of hours of the original and still hungry for more? This was excellent.
Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 for me is the refinement I was really looking for. There were a lot of viable characters and the lack of an X-Factor or DHC glitch made things a bit more honest. My Wolverine/Storm/Sentinel team may not have been as cheap, but it made my wins all the more honest against likes of Zero, Vergil and MorriDoom.
This is a game I can always go back to. The thrills that come with playing an Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 match are damn-near unparalleled. Also, years after the fact, I learn new things about the game each time I play it. Until Capcom announces a new installment, this will probably stay in my regular rotation for many years to come.
In Third Person 
I played the non ultimate version a bit when it came out, but could not get my friends away from street fighter 4. I really like the teams and combo perspective. Maybe I should go get the ultimate version and try again? Also, I am curious what fight stick (if any) you use. Thanks.
Thanks for the comment!
If you still have an interest in playing Marvel and want to get some online matches in, definitely consider grabbing Ultimate. At the very least, you’ll have the benefit of an active online community, which probably left vanilla MVC3 a while ago.
As far as fightsticks go, I own two MadCatz TEs (one 360, one PS3), a Hori Tekken fightstick that came with the limited edition of Tekken 6, a Hori fightstick for Nintendo Wii and a Qanba Q4 RAF (cross compatible with 360/PS3). I definitely prefer the TEs and Qanba over the lower-end sticks for their overall build quality and precision controls. Do you use a fightstick?
I have the hori street fighter one. I like it a lot, but now that I’m into the next generation I guess I’ll be shopping for something new (and ps4 compatible.)
You may not have to depending on the game.
http://www.eventhubs.com/news/2013/oct/30/sony-ps3-joysticks-and-such-will-work-ps4-if-developers-allow-it/
Well that is cool. Unfortunately, my fight stick is for xbox 360. :c