"A Masher's Dream"

I walked into an arcade and saw a 10-year-old brat insert some coins to play Marvel vs. Capcom and since Tekken Tag Tournament was already surrounded by a crowd of fanboys cheering at button-mashers, I thought it'd be cool to watch someone play the first major cross-over title. I had previously heard different views of it but as I always liked to see things for myself first, I decided to set aside the 'tis game rOxOrs meh boxors' or 'tis mash xxx teh megaman art hah' and looked on.

What I saw was a sorry but rich momma's son pick Venom and Spider-Man (probably because he didn't know the code to pick Roll) and get his sorry butt kicked in fashion by a smiling Zangief who is pretty weak as a CPU opponent. How surprising A dejected kid then walked away from the machine but not without kicking it first of course. Talk about a violent pedigree !

After going to check whether the damn TTT machine was free only to find it even more surrounded and with 2 guys claiming that 'King grapoule ownz yer Paul fist fool', I felt that maybe a token wouldn't be lost in MvC just for a kick. As soon as I had inserted my token and fiddled with the half-broken Start button, who do you think comes up but the spoiled brat ! He also inserted his token with his foul-looking hand and stared at me as if he was going to rip through my flesh and feed on me like a zombie if ever I dared to beat him. He picked Megaman. And at the same time, my friend's wise words flashed through my brain again : 'tis mash xxx teh megaman art hah'.

Strong punch, strong punch, strong punch, strong punch, strong punch, strong punch…Was the core of the battle while a dejected Ryu just blocked and an even more bewildered Strider Hiryu jumped in for barely 30 seconds before being sent back to his overly computerized world. Jumping amidst the array of blue fireballs that came my way would result in Ryu or Ken eating a powerful beam earned by my pal's constant pressing of that strong punch button which must surely be broken now.

And hence the most persistent news about Marvel vs. Capcom had been verified. And you know what, I saw that kid playing Soul Calibur later and he lost in the very first match although he used one of the best characters in the game (Sigfried). Too bad for him mashing still requires some thought in the aforementioned title. MvC is a masher's dream. MvC doesn't require skill. MvC will sharpen your button-slapping skills. 'tis mash xxx teh megaman art hah'.

But it is not in my habits to rely only on first impressions, so I thought it'd be cool to try it again and look upon the game engine for myself. Game engine ? Where ? If it was in there, then I must have missed it. Welcome to a game where all you need to do is jump and tap whatever button your hand is next to. Should you miss, don't worry, you just have to punch the machine right away, rotate the joystick once or twice and watch the screen shine with big projectiles and possibly a well-placed counterhit.

Because, face it or not, this game has absolutely no depth. Where is the technical masterpiece of very old titles like Super Street Fighter II Turbo ? Where is the amazing balanced system of SFII : Champion Edition ? MvC requires nothing and will give everything to any newcomer as long as the latter can repeatedly press a button. No need to look at the screen, you will still win ! Hell, I even read a book and played it once and won by a good margin !

The stinking Aerial Raves don't change anything either besides their flashiness And speaking of flashy, might as well use the term for the whole game. Capcom apparently cared only about making everything colorful and flashy enough to attract all those innocent by-standers. A Megaman transformation along with a card-throwing Gambit will earn more respect than a complex Ryu combo. Emphasis has been put on graf-x at the expense of everything else.

Because graphically, MvC is a stunning masterpiece, still unequaled today. 'Marvel is in, so why not give it an anime look ?' thought Capcom. And an anime look it was ! Even too much though ! I do not play a fighter to marvel at booming fireballs or Captain Commando's big-ass monitor. Yes, it is a welcome addition but that alone doesn't make a game fine and worth playing. Actually, MvC can be fun. If you are a scrub or if you don't mind about the blatant lack of a real complex system.

Most characters seem really alive and the Marvel characters have enjoyed a superb transition while their Capcom counterparts look as good as ever. There are a few noticeable glitches during some moves and some frames are dodgy but overall, everything is well-done and I don't have any complaints as to the visuals. The backgrounds are as exhilarating with a baffling variety of settings. Onslaught's stage is unequalled with all the countless details in the background while that cheapo himself simply looks 'refined'.

The resolution of the whole game is literally overwhelming and this may very well explain why people like to watch other playing MvC so much. If I hadn't played the game myself and seen how it was overrated, I would perhaps be among them too. This is brilliance in its purest form but don't forget, this is only the packaging.

As far as music is concerned, most of you will perhaps find MvC great but I, personally, was in for a huge let-down. Because the music in this title is **** compared to what Capcom usually does. Sure, they may be as enjoyable as can be and add to the crazy and fast-paced atmosphere of the game (as seen by on-lookers and scrubs) but there is not a single one that's even memorable. Sound effects are very common and don't provide anything new either except Megaman's voice which gets pretty irritating after a while.

And if you think that MvC is based on a good engine and is actually strategic, then you will enjoy it but let's just say that maybe you don't know much about fighters. The hidden characters and endings are great and add to the replay value and I am certain you will find another poor Capcomer to abuse and to make the more skilled player despise this game.

As a matter of fact, MvC is more of a mixed case. It depends on what type of a gamer you are. I know a lot of people who do play fighters a lot but find Marvel vs. Capcom great. But I also know even more scrubs who play only this title and always use the same damn characters. Overall ? A decent title without proper balance and ruined by a crappy game engine. '25-hit combo in yo face, sucka !'

- Overall : 4 -

Reviewer's Score: 4/10, Originally Posted: 03/06/02, Updated 11/09/02