Back in the
summer of 2000, when the Sega Dreamcast was still alive and kicking, the
game that I played more than any other was Marvel vs. Capcom 2. More
than two years later, MvC2 still stands as my favorite 2-D fighting game
and now Playstation 2 owners get a chance to experience one of the
fastest, most chaotic, and downright fun fighting games out on the
market.
Even
though there is some unwritten rule that says remakes and ports should
receive a lower score than the original, Im still going to honor Marvel
vs. Capcom 2 with a trophy. The PS2s installed base is about ten times
greater than that of the Dreamcast, so there are millions and millions
of gamers who missed out on MvC2 before that will be enjoying the game
for the first time. If you already have
MvC2 on the DC, then the PS2
version doesnt have anything new to offer you. But, if you are one of
the millions of people who ignored the Dreamcast in favor of Sonys
black box, Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is definitely worth checking out.
Fans of
the recently released Capcom vs. SNK 2 should enter Marvel vs. Capcom 2
with an open mind. CvS2 is a pure 2-D fighter without too many bells and
whistles while MvC2 is notorious for 100+ hit combos, huge special
effects, and an overall high level of on-screen craziness. Marvel vs.
Capcom 2 pits characters from the Marvel universe against characters
from all things Capcom plus a handful of original characters. The fights
themselves are 3 vs. 3 and you are allowed to switch characters at any
time and even call your teammates in to help you for double and even
triple team attacks.
The thing
that really sets MvC2 apart from all of the other fighters is the hyper
combos. Each character has several different hyper combos that can deal
out combos that can easily reach 100+ hits. On the bottom of the screen
there is a Hyper Combo Gauge for each team that fills up whenever a move
is performed. If you are patient, you can fill up your gauge to level
five and unleash several hyper combos at once. Level one allows one
character to do a hyper combo. Level two allows two characters to
perform their hyper combos at the same time. Level three allows all
three characters to perform their hyper combo simultaneously. You can
also perform delayed hyper combos where each member of your team
performs their hyper combo one after the other to rack up even greater
hit counts.
During a
match, you can also call your teammates to help you. When you first pick
your characters, you can determine what type of assist each one will
offer you. There are projectile attacks, anti-air, dash, throw, and many
others. Some characters can also run in and heal your character. Ryu
throws fireballs, Wolverine slashes with his claws, Spiderman ties up
the opponent with webbing, and Jill from RE comes in and heals your
character with a green herb.
Marvel
vs. Capcom 2 has deceptively simple controls, but dont assume this game
is merely a button masher. Novice players will find the game extremely
easy to pick up and play because mashing buttons does usually end up
with a spectacular result. In the hands of an experience player,
however, MvC2 is a work of art. Capcom did away with the traditional
six-button control setup in favor of a simpler four. Heavy and light
punches and kicks are all that you have at your disposal now. The
shoulder buttons call in your partners to perform their assist. The
controls sound simple, but pit a button masher against an experienced
player and the results will always favor the experienced player. It is
easy to bust out huge moves with any of the characters, but those
willing to invest the time to really learn the intricacies of the
fighting engine will be handsomely rewarded.
Now onto
the real draw of Marvel vs. Capcom 2: the characters. There are 56
different characters in Marvel vs. Capcom 2 and all of them look great.
Marvel favorites like Spiderman, Captain America, most of the X-Men, and
others are available. Classic Capcom franchises are also well
represented by Mega Man, Jill from Resident Evil, Tron Bonne, and
several characters from the Street Fighter universe.
One
complaint I have is that the characters arent very balanced. Characters
such as Omega Red, Spiral, and Venom can only be considered cheap. The
AI takes advantage of these characters extra long reach or ability to
grab and throw you pretty much at will every chance it gets. Other
characters, especially Roll, are at a distinct disadvantage due to their
size. On top of all of that, some characters simply pack a bigger punch
than others and can turn a match around with just a couple of fireballs
or laser blasts. This seems like a minor complaint, but it really
whittles the 56 characters down to a smaller group of 45 or so that are
fun to fight with or against.
When
you first start playing MvsC2, only 24 characters are unlocked. The way
you unlock the other 32 is by playing the single player modes and
earning points that you use to buy new characters, levels, character
artwork and new character colors. It takes a long time to unlock
everything so this game can, and probably will, keep you entertained for
quite a while. One thing I noticed is that each time you enter the
Secret Factor area from the main menu, there will be different items
available at different prices each time. If you are going to purchase
Cammy, for example, it is possible to enter and exit the Secret Factor
mode several times until you find a lower price. I bought my first six
or seven characters before I realized this and wasted a ton of points
that could have been spent elsewhere. Oh well, the game is fun enough to
keep me coming back until I unlock everything.
The
graphics are simply amazing. The game uses 3-D backgrounds behind the
traditional 2-D sprite based characters. The result is beautiful and is
a refreshing change from what 2-D fighters typically offer. The
animation of the characters is also spectacular. Movement has never
looked so smooth and seamless, and special moves are impressive to
watch. The graphics havent been improved at all from the Dreamcast
version, but the game already looked pretty darn good back then and
still holds up very well today.
The
sound in Marvel vs. Capcom 2 has been the subject of much debate over
the last two years. The sound effects and voice samples when a character
performs a special move all sound great, but the music isnt quite what
youd expect from a fighting game. Of course, that is what everyone else
says. Personally, I love the jazzy, lounge lizard, upbeat music. Where
is it written that all fighting games have to feature guitar heavy
techno beats? I applaud Capcom for choosing to be different instead of
following the same path that they themselves had forged. Of course, the
music could have been better if they had included some themes from
classic Capcom games, but they probably left that out because it would
make the game seem biased against Marvel since there arent any easily
recognizable Marvel theme songsaside from Spiderman. Overall, the sound
in Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is great. Some people will still be puzzled by
the music, but after a while you get used to it and wouldnt want it any
other way.
Marvel
vs. Capcom 2 isnt like any other fighting game on the planet. Because
of its fast and chaotic gameplay and easy to learn controls, it will
probably appeal to the mainstream gamer much more than other 2-D
fighters. Im not saying that Capcom vs. SNK 2 isnt a great game,
because it is, but Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is flat out more fun to play and
manages to appeal to just about everyone. MvsC2 offers a surprising
amount of strategy when you consider that you can tag in and out at any
time, call for an assist at any time, and bust out hyper combos almost
at will. Despite its goofy appearance and button masher first
impressions, Marvel vs. Capcom 2 offers a lot of depth and stands as one
of the best 2-D fighting games available.
With the release of Marvel vs. Capcom 2 on PS2 and Xbox, I am finally
ready to let go of the Dreamcast. The only big name titles that havent
been ported yet are the Power Stone series and Seaman, but every other
A+ title has already either been ported or a sequel has been released on
either the Xbox, PS2, or GC. With Soul Calibur 2 looming on the horizon,
the Dreamcast can finally rest in peace. You were underrated and under
appreciated, but there were a few million of us around the world who
loved you. So long, old friend.