Marvel vs. Capcom 2

"They killed my Street Fighter! Jerks!"

Before I delve into this game, I would just like to complain. WHAT was Capcom thinking when they put some of the Street Fighter characters in here? They totally killed off some of my favorites, and made several members of the Street Fighter cast useless. Guile sucks, Cammy shines (and I mean that literally, do her Arrow Kick and she glows), and I won't even go into Chun-Li. Therefore, when playing this game, I strongly suggest Street Fighter fans be prepared to master some new characters. Now, without further ado, my review for Marvel Vs. (Everyone outside of Street Fighter)Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes.

Graphics-- 6
Although the 3D backgrounds are amazing, some of the sprites are downright UGLY. Look at Morrigan! It looks like someone took a black marker and traced around her! Apparently, Capcom got lazy and gave some characters their old sprites. The Marvel side looks great, but the Capcom side is SHABBY. Only a few characters get revamped for Capcom (that aren't new to the game, of course), and even those pale in comparison to the Marvel sprites. Sabretooth, for example, looks great, and exactly like he should. Sadly, the animation isn't all that great. It's not horrible by any means, and I can understand why it's not fluid like SFIII:3S (the enormous roster), but it's still not great. The 3D backgrounds aren't all that great either. They look pretty, but are static and don't animate. However, this game is about fun, not graphics, so it doesn't really matter.

Sound-- 8
I LIKE the ''I wanna take you for a RIIIIIIDE!!'' song, and I've put in over 60 hours in this game. It's catchy, and although it gets repetitive, I think it's funny! Add to that the jazzy music, which I think is so very oddly fitting, and you've got a pretty decent soundtrack to play to. Although I think a hip-hop, techno type thing might fit the game a little better, the jazzy stuff works fine for me. The character voices sound appropriate when they grunt and announce their attacks, although a few are overdone (Cast in point; Storm sounds like a man.)

Controls-- 9
Everything is very tight and responsive as far as controls go, and my only real problem is that to pull off some of the combos, my hands have to move in unflattering positions. Other than that, the control is great, and feels exactly like it should. I wouldn't mind having middle-kick and middle-punch options available, but it's not that big of a deal.

Gameplay-- 8
This game is extremely combo-friendly, however, I don't think it's a button mashing game. Although it is possible to button mash and do well, a player with experience can squish a button masher. Here's an illustration of what I mean:
Button Masher: Haha! Look, ma, I pulled off a fifteen hit combo!
Experienced Player: Look, dummy, I pulled off a 122 hit combo!
My problem with the game is not that it's combo-friendly and button masher friendly, it's the fact that some characters are immensely overpowered. Iron Man, for example, can do an infinite combo, and give you no chance to stop him. It's just plain cheap, no doubt about it. Also, as I've stated before, Capcom made some of the Street Fighters suck horribly, beyond repair. Chun-Li, one of my favorites, is so awful that there HAS to be something wrong with the engine. For the world's strongest woman, she sure does suck. Also, what's the deal with Cammy FLASHING when she does her Arrow Kick? Hell, Ryu has a shoryuken that's bigger than he is. For me, it's inexcusable, and I was going to give the gameplay a 6. Fortunately, I can play as all my favorite X-Men, and that helps the hurt go away.

Replay-- 10
Let me just say that I believe the way you unlock characters in this game is truly remarkable, and should be the way all games that have giant rosters allow you to unlock characters. You earn points in all modes of the game, including Practice Mode, and then can spend them on characters that you want. By the time you've unlocked every character, every alternate costume, and every stage, you'll have put in well over 40 hours. It's that deep! Replay IS what this game has going for it the most, and once you start playing you'll be hard-pressed to stop.

Overall-- 8
If you're looking for a fighting game that is very easy to hook friends onto, look no further. If you're looking for the ultimate fighting engine, look elsewhere. If you're looking for a great game that'll keep you coming back for more, buy this game NOW. Despite a few flaws in balance, this game is still a blast to play, and highly recommended.

Buy or Rent-- Buy
This game is definitely worth the price tag attached to it, and should not go overlooked, especially by fighting game fans. If you can't find it in a store, buy it on the Internet. You won't regret it! Renting it is pretty much useless, as you'll only get to the tip of the iceberg in one rental period. Highly recommended.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/21/01, Updated 07/21/01