PLEASE NOTE:
You are currently viewing an archival version of GF!

Click here to return to the current GamesFirst! website.

Reviews
 
Articles
 

GF! Archival Version Copyright 1995-2004


mvsccircle.gif (30040 bytes)

star06.gif (4104 bytes)star06.gif (4104 bytes)star06.gif (4104 bytes) star06.gif (4104 bytes)

by Capcom

Snapshot
Ups: Killer characters; chaotic, Capcom action; cool partner system.

Downs:  Tag-team play simplified for PSX.

System Reqs:
Sony PlayStation

 

*Screens shown are from Sega Dreamcast version


jinsup-01.jpg (7617 bytes)Now, we all have friends who have Marvel vs. Capcom on their Dreamcast. They love it, rave about it and taunt you with it and, if you’re a lowly owner of a soon to be dead Playstation console, there’s that twinge of jealousy, the urge to say ‘Alright, I’ll go and buy the damn thing’, but thankfully Capcom decided to be generous and fill their pockets with some more of our cash and, for this title, I’d dish it out to ‘em. I don’t want to turn this into Playstation vs. Dreamcast, because, really, in most categories we all know the Dreamcast can and does out perform the Playstation (of course until the PSX2 hits this Fall, ending the brief and comical era of Sega).

megasuper.jpg (6975 bytes)Like many Capcom classics, which this most definitely is, there are plenty of characters, each with their own skills, attributes and weaknesses, to choose from as well as the 2D perspective—a very standard interface. As you can imagine, the group of characters are pulled from two worlds (reflected in the title) and include, to name a few, the Hulk, Strider, Spiderman, Venom, the anti-Spiderman, Megaman, Chun-Li, etc. You get my point. If you’ve played this title on the Dreamcast, which I have, there doesn’t seem to be much of a difference as far as the actual game play; the only difference is that the graphics, if you were to sit the games next to each other, are more crisper and fluid on the Dreamcast than the PSX, but this is to be expected. Still the bright cartoon colors and the comic-book detail in the arena’s various backgrounds are up to par.

MvC-0028.jpg (6618 bytes)A bulk of the appeal for M vs. C is the uniqueness; no fighter out there will pit you against another company’s and genre’s cast of characters like M vs. C does. It wouldn’t surprise me if other companies (the big ones, with lots of money wishing to fill their pockets more) began doing this with their titles. You know, it’d be cool to have a Tekken vs. Soul Caliber or Mortal Kombat Vs. Samurai Shodown. It’d be a definite money-making franchise, as Capcom recognizes slating a sequel to M vs. C for the near future.

MvC-0042.jpg (6805 bytes)On the more technical side, M vs. C gives you three different fighting modes: battle, you and the CPU go at it until your done with the tournament; versus, you know what this one means; cross over, from the arcade, allowing you to fight tag-team style. Another nice feature is that once you’ve started your game you can select from various play modes (manual, easy, beginner), speed (normal, turbo), Partner Heroes (other heroes you could have selected from) and Special Heroes (ones who only come in during certain special moves). For awhile I was selecting Partner Heroes, but soon realized that there are perhaps more benefits from the Special Heroes, at least I saw them more often when I did my special moves.

MvC-0066.jpg (7877 bytes)There’s nothing like giving the smackdown to Captain America, Spiderman or Iron-man. Soon I became Marvel-biased when the I learned the true nature of one of Capcom’s characters, Jin. If you play the game long enough you will learn that he seems to be the most powerful out of all the character, of course Strider can be damn cool, too. Now that you’re itching to save your cash for a Playstation 2 (totally bypassing that Dreamcast frenzy from months ago) I’d say splurge a bit and get this title—and, if anything, you’ll be able to play it on the PSX2 when it releases. You did know the system is backwards compatible, didn’t you?

--Matt Baldwin