Hey! Who left this in the fridge?
Fighting games have been few and far between lately, and
Marvel Vs. Capcom
2 is one of the best to come out in the last couple years...considering it
originally came out over two years ago
on
the Dreamcast. The PS2 version is a direct port of that Dreamcast version,
which in turn perfectly captured the arcade version. But as a result, we're talking
about a 2D fighter that's about three years old - not exactly the kind of game
to breathe life into the genre.
Thankfully,
though, it's still pretty cool. With scores of badass characters (56 total)
like Cable and Spiderman to pit against Capcom legends like Strider and Megaman,
MvC 2 is fun alone or with a friend. The huge three on three matches
and veritable pain storms that occur when characters like Dr. Doom and Cable
are summoned at once make this one of the most intense, exciting 2D fighters
games ever.
For the most part, you'll know how to play immediately as the game features
the same basic Street Fighter formula as other Capcom games. However,
Mvc 2 tweaks the gameplay enough to add some genuinely sweet flavor.
Gone, of course, are the medium attacks, which have been replaced with buttons
for calling in your cohorts, who can be called in separately or at the same
time. Compared to older Capcom games, there are all new moves and possibilities,
including the ability to link three hyper-combos together for some serious ownage.
This leads to my only problem with Mvc 2's gameplay - the ability to
send so much crap at somebody that they drown blocking the rocks and the fireballs
and the laser beams. Watching somebody hit the same three buttons and reduce
me to cinders using Megaman, Cable, and Dr. Doom wasn't fun the first time it
happened, much less the fifth.
Graphically,
Mvc 2 is fine, I guess. The sprites are bright and colorful, but painfully
dated. Several of the Street Fighter characters could use makeovers,
and the quasi-three dimensional backgrounds suggest a depth that isn't there.
I suppose that's what you get with a sequel to a game that's based on one of
the oldest (and most profitable) fighting games ever. But the framerate is nice
and steady, which keeps the action constant and intense.
Mvc 2 sounds much like every other Capcom game released in the last
three years, with wacky, fast-paced music and over the top announcers.
This is essentially is a perfect port of a great fighting game. But let's
be honest - if you have yet to play this game or the myriad like it, you're
choosing an odd time to start. In a world filled with Tekkens
and Virtua Fighters and Soul Calibur 2
(someday soon, I hope?), Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 just isn't the kind
of game that will have most people clamoring for a copy.
So why now has Capcom decided to release this for the PS2? This game could
have been released a year and a half ago and been received with far greater
excitement. While Mvc 2 may tide you rabid fighting fans over for a little
while, it's essentially a pre-chewed bone that has long since been digested
by most fans. So come on Capcom - throw us fans a new bone and stop repackaging
your hits over and over again.
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