Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes

"Super Hero fighting to the MAX!"

Fighting games have been a part of video gaming for years. Konami brought us the... artwork that is Mortal Kombat, while Capcom graced our screens with Street Fighter II (there never was a first one, for some bizarre reason). Today, we have Tekken and Soul Calibur to entertain ourselves. There are several other titles across the systems, and while many of them are rancid (Primal Rage, anybody?), there are some gems amongst the lot.

One such gem is the game Marvel Vs. Capcom. Anyone of some moderate age will remember this game from their local arcades a few years ago. The game featured the heroes that we know and love from the Marvel Universe; Captain America, Spider Man, Venom, the Hulk, and of course, the X-Men. The Capcom side focused on the Street Fighter ensemble, but of course what's a game without Mega Man?

The fighting was fully cartoon; for it's time, the graphics were nothing to be proud of. Still, they weren't BAD; it maintained a certain comicbook perspective. It was also Two-Dimensional, in accordance with how Street Fighter used to play.

The battling is just like the newer street fighter titles, with normal attacks, special attacks done by button combinations, and then super attacks that can be used when your meter has been filled.

Those of you who played the arcade game will remember that you can team up with another person and tag-team the battle to victory. Unfortunately, this isn't the case on the PSX version. There is a tag-team mode, but the standard Versus mode and Story mode include only one character. However, there is a halfway compensation. You DO get a second character, but you're not tag teaming the battle. Instead, your partner can be "summoned" to perform a combination attack with you that will undoubtedly kill the opponent in a flash of white light.

Battling games have never been the best genre; still, this game isn't half bad, and you're sure to get a good time out of it, from time to time.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 07/25/05