Marvel vs. Capcom

"The pinnacle of Capcom's Crossover games."

Marvel Vs Capcom is a 2 player fighting game that was released for the Dreamcast in Japan on March 25, 1999. This review is based on the Japanese version.

Capcom's Versus series has always been unique, and at times, weird. It all started with X-Men Vs Street Fighter, a game that I was 100% positive was a joke when I first heard about it. X-Men Vs Street Fighter is crazy enough in concept, as these two franchises that had nothing at all to do with each other would be in the same game. Somehow, Capcom pulled it off, and the end result was amazing. What you got was innovative gameplay with a new Tag feature, amazingly beautiful stages and wonderfully animated characters, and a fast paced fighter. The Street Fighter cast had to be put on par with their X-Men counterparts, so now the Street Fighters had special and Super moves that were greatly exaggerated. Ryu's fireball was HUGE, and his Shinkuu Hadoken was changed from a multi hitting regular fireball to a massive beam-like projectile. All the SF characters received dramatic overhauls. In the end XVsSF was a truly spectacular game.

Capcom followed up XVsSF with a sequel (or perhaps it was an upgrade?) in the form of Marvel Super Heroes Vs Street Fighter. The title was certainly a mouthful, and was as good as the first, and in some cases much better. The most obvious change was that the X-Men were replaced with characters from Capcom's other fighter, Marvel Super Heroes (strangely enough, Psylocke , Iron Man, Juggernaut, and Magneto were all missing, even though they were in MSH. It's also strange that Cyclops and Omega Red were in this game although they were never in MSH). And who could forget wonderfully annoying dweeb Norimaro? The gameplay and combo system were refined to limit the use of infinites and other cheap tactics. The backgrounds were altered and modified, and a partner could appear on screen briefly to perform an Assist. This game also had a new end boss, Mech Gouki; this the cheapest incarnation of Gouki ever seen in a fighting game. MSH vs SF was and still is a very good game.

And now we have the third game in the Marvel crossover series: Marvel Vs Capcom. This game eschews aside the franchise specific X-Men, MSH, and Street Fighter titles and pits the creator of the said franchises against each other. What we get here is new characters, new backgrounds, new gameplay elements, and one of the finest 2D fighters ever to grace a home console. Without further ado, on to the review!

Graphics: 10

This is by far one of the best looking 2D fighters for the Dreamcast. This game is arcade PERFECT right down to every last detail. The colors are vibrant, the animation is smooth, and the sprites are large. There are literally tons of activites going on in the background stages, and the Dreamcast handles it without a hint of slowdown. There is incredible detail put into the presentation of the characters, like Strider Hiryu's scarf flowing in the wind and Venom's incredibly imaginative special moves. It has to be seen to be believed. I highly suggest playing this game on a VGA monitor to get the absolute best resolution and visual quality. This is a first generation Dreamcast title and it still holds up today. This is by far the best looking game in the Versus series.

Sound and Music: 10

The soundtrack to this game is excellent. This is the best music in the Versus series (MVSC2's jazz wasn't bad, but it doesn't hold a candle to the audio in MVSC) by far. Each character has their own unique theme, and many of them are remixes of classic character themes. For example, Ryu's theme is a mix of the classic Street Fighter II intro. The music is appropriate and blends in perfectly with the action. The announcer is cool, although he is definitely less ''masculine'' than the previous two announcers in the Versus series. The sound effects and voice samples are sharp and couldn't be any better. Capcom has excelled once again.

Control: 10

You have seen it many times before in other reviews, but I'll repeat just in case you didn't know: Capcom's controls are PERFECT. The classic 6 button layout is here and in full effect. The controls are tight and incredibly responsive. Special and Super moves come out with ease.

Gameplay: 10

The most important aspect of any game, and this is where MVSC shines. Capcom improves upon the previous two Versus games by allowing you to choose a special partner. In addition to choosing a main character and a tag partner, a new special partner is selected at random (or via a code) . The special third partner can only be used a certain number of times and can be incorporated into combos. Another new feature for MVSC is the Variable Crossover Combination, which allows you to control both characters on your team simultaneously for a limited time period. You are also allowed unlimited Supers during this time period. There is also a Crossover mode in the main menu where 4 players are allowed to participate. The addition of these new features are what makes MVSC radically different from it's predecessors and one of the most entertaining 2D fighting games ever.

The variety of new characters also make the game incredibly unique. The new characters include a revamped Strider Hiryu (his new look has certified that he is one of the most popular characters in the Capcom universe), Captain Commando, Jin, Morrigan, and Rockman. The Marvel side has the newcomers Venom and War Machine. Here to replace Apocalyspe as the huge ass end boss is Onslaught, with two forms. There are also tons of cameos by characters from the Capcom and Marvel universe, including Arthur, Devilotte, Psylocke, Iceman, Sentinel, and Shadow.

<b.Presentation: 10

The presentation in MVSC is truly awesome. The character select looks wicked and the entire interface is done with amazing style. Good job Capcom!

Replay Value: 10

As with any fighting game, most of the replay value is found in human competition. And MVSC is no different. There are a staggering amount of different teams that can be formed by combining different partners. For those who prefer to play solo, all the characters have new individual endings (most are hilarious). And there are secret characters abound in this game. Roll makes her debut as a fighter in this here, and her theme song kicks ass (it even has vocals)! To put it bluntly, you will be playing this game for a very long time. This game is a true classic.

Overall: 10

This is my favorite game in the Versus series for so many reasons. The game excels in every area and is a must own for anybody who has a Dreamcast or who even likes 2D fighting games. Marvel VS Capcom is where the series reached it's peak. Although I consider MVSC2 to be a very good game, it doesn't seem to have the flair, charisma, charm, or presentation of MVSC. This was the last game in the Versus series to use a 6 button layout, to utilize 2D backgrounds, to have a kick-ass soundtrack, and to incorporate truly innovative and revolutionary gameplay. Marvel Vs Capcom took the Crossover series to the next level.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 07/29/03, Updated 07/29/03