Marvel vs. Capcom 2

"One of the best"

I'd like to start off by saying that I've played almost every fighting game out there... fighting games are my favorite genre, by far. I've played an beaten many recent and older fighting games on every difficulty, and even won some local Street Fighter and Dead or Alive III tournaments. So when I say that this game kicks A LOT of butt, I mean it.

Control - 8.5 - I really do like how this game handles. Combos aren't too hard to pull off, 'cause you don't have 10 million buttons to worry about. And I like the option of being able to switch between analog and d-pad. Makes this game *VERY* good for beginners.

Sounds - 7.5 - Compared to some recent fighting games (Mortal Kombat 5 & DOA 3) the music in Marvel VS Capcom 2 isn't all that bad really. I like that they've used some vocals in some of the background music... even if the lyrics are odd. The reason I'm rating this 7.5 is mainly because the music doesn't annoy the pi$$ out of me. Though the person who came up with the character selection music should be shot.

Character Selection - 8.9 - I didn't want to give this category a 9, and here's why. While there are **A LOT** of characters to pick from, some of the seem just plain pointless. Characters like Roll, Ken, and Charlie are just there for show.. after all, Mega Man is virtually the same thing as Roll... same goes for Ken and Ryu, and Charlie and Guile. Now given, they all have some differences, but not enough. It just seems that they tried too hard to fit too many people into this game. HOWEVER, despite this, they did do a kick butt job in developing each of the characters. People like Marrow, Strider, and ServBot don't seem like they should be in this game, but the developers do a good job of working them in.

Difficulty - 7 - I'm not saying that the hardest mode is easy... that's not the case. But I feel that for a beginner, the easiest mode isn't TOO easy. Which isn't a big deal, but I think that would probably turn off potential fans who are just getting into fighting games.

Replay value - 9 - All fighting games have a great replay value.. simply because there's multiple people, and many ways to beat the game. This game has exceptional replay value. With the # of characters, and the 3 on 3 fighting, this game can you busy for hours either by yourself, or with friends. With so many people to unlock, it's easy to get lost in the game, figuring out whose moves work best in conjunction with whom?

Overall - I really do enjoy this game quite a bit. I didn't feel it was as innovative as DOA 3... and I wish there was a 1 on 1 or 2 on 2 match option... simply for the heck of it. Or a survival mode... but oh well. Despite those flaws, I would recommend this game to anyone who enjoys fighting games. It's just too much fun to pit your favorite Marvel people against street fighters, and other capcom people. As someone who truly enjoys fighting games, I'd say this is one of the best ones out there right now.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 05/25/03, Updated 05/25/03