Marvel vs. Capcom 2

"Fun and fast--just the way a crazy fighting game should be"

Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes is a port of the arcade game of the same name. Just like all other arcade ports, this is almost a direct port, with the same generic extras. The game is a fast-paced fighting game, packed with a large range of characters from both Marvel and Capcom series. If you have played the original Marvel vs Capcom, or even any other Capcom-made "Marvel/X-Men vs" game, you should already know what to expect from this game. The arcade version was a great game, to many, but does its Dreamcast counterpart live up to the same attributes?

One of the first things you'll notice is the sound. The music doesn't seem exactly fitting for the game. It is loud, which is rather good, though it's the only real good point for the music. The lyrics for the character select screen are memorable, though the song is only one line, repeated constantly, which personally got on my nerves, after a short while. The rest is reasonably forgettable, and could have been much less boring. Sound effects are done excellently. Explosions and hits sound like they should be coming from that specific attack. Other miscellaneous effects, such as the sound of Wolverine's claws, at the start of each match, sound just like they would in the actual series they originated from. Characters' voices are the same as their original voices, and new characters' voices suit the characters well. I found myself getting bored with the announcer's voice, however. For some reason, Capcom found it appropriate to make the announcer say "Capcom," when you press start, during the game introduction, which seemed rather tacky. If the announcer's voice was only used during the intro, title, character select, and game over screens, it would have been less irritating.

As said, this is a fast-paced fighting game. Crazily fast-paced. Even without the turbo speed setting, it can get pretty insane. Don't take this as a bad thing, though. The game is extremely fun, because of this, and the moves for each character are very fitting to the feel of the game. Button presses have quick reactions, and the control scheme is very easy to get used to. Those who expect Street Fighter-like control schemes (three attack strengths) will be disappointed, but will eventually get used to playing with the different attack styles.
The controls have also been adapted to the new 3-on-3 system that is used in this new Marvel vs Capcom game. There only real problem is when you may, on the odd occasion, have a finger slip, and press one button, instead of two simultaneous buttons, though that's not a huge problem.
With a huge list of characters, and various styles to chose from, you won't get bored, and will spend plenty of time exploring each character, as well as their three individual fighting styles. Unfortunately, some styles don't change too much for certain characters, meaning they won't seem very different, but with others, you will certainly notice a change from one style to another. Each character has a style marked as "Recommended", so beginners won't feel overwhelmed with confusion.

With a load of new characters, comes a load of new special attacks. The different attacks can vary from looking cool, like Hayato's multiple slashes, or downright silly, like Tron Bonne's 41 Servbots, racing to get their lunch--which is both hilarious and satisfying, when used. There seems to be no slowdown, when using special attacks, even when there are several characters on screen at once. It's also visually pleasing to see all your characters, or even the opponents' characters, out at once, performing their super attacks simultaneously. Characters don't seem to be missing any animations, and their attacks flow very well. Projectiles look beautiful, and small touches, like wind from Wolverine's swipes, make battles much more pleasing to watch. Backgrounds suit the game's feeling, and their animations are a nice touch. Although some colours are bright, they all seem to work well together, and provide something else to look at, if you're between rounds, at the pause menu, or just not interested in fighting.

With all the characters, levels, and colours to unlock, you will be spending a lot of time, trying to accumulate enough points to "finish" the game. Points take a long time to accumulate, and a lot of the rarer characters are quite expensive, meaning you will want to save as many points as you can, to afford your favourite unlockable character. These unlockables have a strange way of being encountered for purchase. In the options menu, there is a "shop," where three items can be purchased. Whenenver you go into the options menu, the shop lists several random items (colours, characters, and levels), and each visit to the shop will randomly select a few items from that list, for purchase. To get what you actually want, you might have to enter the options mode a few times. This can sometimes cause frustration, though it also provides a strange feeling of relief, when you finally purchase said item.
Along with Arcade and Training modes, there's also Time and Score Attack. These two will help you learn how to beat opponents quickly, and what can be done to rack up a wholesome amount of score points. The Score Attack is more of a challenge mode, if anything, as it has no real benefit towards your fighting, unless you have real trouble accumulating combo points. Time Attack, however, will help you get past enemies in the quickest time possible, as your main objective is to beat the fastest time on the leaderboard. These can be real challenges to newcomers, or people who simply button mash, though it can help those to learn how to be useful and terrifying, without resorting to breaking your fingers across the controller.

This game is definitely great fun, but its main appeal is when you get friends to join you in the insanity, and make a party out of it. Single player lasts a very long time, and even after you've unlocked everything, you'll be spending a lot of time experimenting with characters, fighting styles, combos, and even plain old practicing.
Multiplayer, being a big thing in all fighting games, is the biggest attraction for this game. Once you've challenged a friend to play the game, there's no doubt you'll be playing for a long time, and your sportsmanship won't matter, as you'll be laughing and having great fun.

In short, if you're looking for a great party fighter, this could be the best game for you to buy. It outranks any other multiplayer mode, in terms of enjoyability. As a single player fighter, you could go for better, but this is, by far, the best fast-paced fighter for any console. If you want something with a lot of strategy, there are much better games, though if you just want something fun, you'll still be playing this years after completion.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 04/25/05