Marvel vs. Capcom 2

"Worth The Five Billion Dollars It Auctions For? You Bet Your Sweet Ass It Is!"

The last time I seriously played a fighting game was around 1996. The game was Killer Instinct. It was rapidly losing popularity, as most of my friends were shifting over to the 3-D fighters, such as Virtual Fighter and Tekken. It just wasn't my thing, so I focused more on whipping them throughly in sports games.

Marvel vs. Capcom 2 has changed all of that.

Marvel vs. Capcom 2 has renewed my faith in the fighting game genre, even if it is a throwback to the old, 2-D fighting game days. It features all the depth that 3-D fighting fans scream for, while still providing fast and simple gameplay that any novice can understand after a few hours of play.

In Marvel vs. Capcom 2, you control a team of three fighters from the Marvel and Capcom universes. It's tag team action, as you can tag your partners in and out, and use them to launch or block combo attacks. With OVER fifty different characters to unlock and choose, the possibilities for teams are nearly endless.

Name a character from a Marvel comic book or a Capcom game, and he or she is probably in the game. Spiderman, Iceman, Wolverine, Magneto, Jill Valentine, Mega Man, Roll, and even old favorites Ken and Ryu are crammed in. There's even a few completely new characters. Any gamer can find three characters that they personally enjoy with the huge roster of Marvel vs. Capcom 2.

Of course, not all these characters are available right at the start of the game. You must unlock them, in a rather simple process as compared to other games. No ''beat the game on the hardest difficultly level with only the low kick button'' crap here! For each fight you win, you receive Secret Factor points which can be used to purchase new characters, new character colors, or new stages. This simple option makes each play of Marvel vs. Capcom 2 valuable.

The actual gameplay is everything you'd expect from a Capcom fighter. The controls are simple, and can be changed at will. There's a light and heavy punch and kick, along with a dash, partner assist, and partner tag buttons. The default control scheme is a bit difficult, but with a little customization, you'll be banging out tags and hyper combos like nobody's business.

Ah, yes, hyper combos. Another one of Marvel vs. Capcom 2's appeals. You have a meter at the bottom of the screen, known as the Hyper Gauge. When it fills up, your combo meter goes up one level. By executing the proper command, you can launch a huge multihit combo for massive damage. Once you learn how, you can even combine with your partners to unleash three hyper combos in a row for utter destruction.

Character balance is a bit of an issue with Marvel vs. Capcom 2. High flying characters, such as Doctor Doom and Storm, are nearly unbeatable in the hands of skilled players, due to their ability to stay in the arm. No matchup in the game is impossible, but a few of the characters are in there just for laughs. Namely, Dan (a.k.a. the Pink Ryu), Roll, and BB Hood.

Marvel vs. Capcom 2 looks like a comic book. That's high praise, considering the game's roots. It almost seems as if Stan Lee himself had a hand in the game's animation. Characters move fluidly across the screen, and there's almost no slowdown, a must-have for a fighting game. Some of the hyper combos are visually stunning, and most gamers will play as each character at least once just to view all of their combos.

Musically, Marvel vs. Capcom 2 isn't horrible, but it is a fighting game after all. You'll hardly notice the faint techno theme in the background as you're mashing buttons. Likewise, the game has some nifty sound effects and voices, but you tend to phase them out after a game or two. Some more character voices would have been nice; it sometimes seems like Wolverine and Cyclops were the only people they bothered sampling.

Overall, Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is an outstanding fighting game. If you're even a remote fan of Marvel comic books, Capcom fighting games, or fighting games in general, then this game has something to offer to you. Most gamers have already released this. The quality of the game, combined with the scarcity (don't ask me why Capcom didn't release more copies; it's one of the Dreamcast's best games) have driven prices up. A used copy without a manual can fetch over fifty bucks. However, even with the high cost of playing, it's still worth it.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 04/14/02, Updated 04/14/02