The Fun Factor 6.25.07: Marvel vs. Capcom 2
Posted by Cory Moore on 06.25.2007
What happens when you pit two of the greatest names in comics and video games against each other? It produces greatness, of course!
Last week's focus was Mortal Kombat Trilogy, so as usual I had some friends come over and give it a spin so I could do the feature justice. While we were at it, we said "what the heck" and popped in another fighting favorite of ours, Marvel vs. Capcom 2.
Before this week's column commences, I'd like to plug fellow 411er Steve McHugh's write-up of the game, because I think he perfectly illustrates why the game is so highly regarded. With that said, I'm gonna give my spin on it, too, because it definitely deserves it…
Marvel vs. Capcom 2
Arcade, 2000 Ported to Dreamcast, Playstation 2, Xbox
The Controlled Substance
Capcom first started distributing Marvel fighting games with 1994's X-Men: Children of the Atom. Along with Marvel Super Heroes, these games were one-on-one brawlers that incorporated many of the elements that made Street Fighter so popular. Seeing a golden opportunity, Capcom injected its Street Fighter characters into the mix in 1996, producing the two-on-two style of X-Men vs. Street Fighter and Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter. The series culminated with two more titles under the Marvel vs. Capcom banner.
MvC2 is the sequel to the highly-successful Marvel vs. Capcom, which pits the characters from Marvel Comics against the video game likenesses of Capcom's best franchises. Once again, the game follows Street Fighter's style of incorporating standard kicks and punches with special moves pulled off by specific button combinations. The game is also known for its power bars, which result in complex attacks that deal a massive blow to your opponent's health if performed with precision. MvC2 is also the only game in the Marvel/Capcom lineage to offer 3-on-3 battles, with tagging your teammates acting as a crucial key to success.
The Fun Factor
One of the first and most entertaining aspects of MvC2 that you will notice is its variety. There are a total of 56 playable fighters, 28 on Marvel's side and 28 representing Capcom's turf. Most of the franchise players from the best series (Street Fighter, X-Men) are present, but the game also pays homage to some obscure characters. For example, the giant green eye with tentacles known as Shuma-Gorath did not have a significant impact in the Marvel universe, but serves as a dominant figure in MvC2. Meanwhile, Capcom's former mascot Captain Commando is a throwback that longtime followers of the video game developer will appreciate. Best of all, each character is true to form, from Wolverine's claw-slashing style to Ryu and Ken's signature blue fireballs.
In some instances, developers tend to get lazy with a large cast, which leads to some characters being watered down. Thankfully, Capcom took their time and made a conscious effort to give each fighter his or her own personality. The variety really comes into play when choosing teams, because balance is essential to strategy. For example, if you have a quick team composed of Spider-Man, Mega Man and B.B. Hood, you're likely to get torn to pieces by a team headed by the sheer strength of Cable, Doctor Doom and M Bison. But if you substitute Akuma's balanced arsenal and throw in Cyclops' powerful laser attacks, you're much more likely to succeed. Teamwork is at a premium in this game, for all three team members need to mesh well to execute balanced combo moves. This may be an unpredictable button masher at heart, but you won't reap the rewards if you aren't thinking for the long term.
To top it all off, the game is beautifully designed. For a 2D game, Capcom put all of its best resources into making this the best fighter it could be. Make no mistake, MvC2 is flashy. But unlike many games that are flashy for the sake of being flashy, this title does it with style. When you pull off a special move, you know it by the spectacle put on. As your character winds up for the massive hit, the animations spin and swirl, time stops, and then everything moves at the speed of light. Only then will your friend's eyes glaze over while placing his controller on the ground very slowly, hanging his head in defeat. Yes, it's that powerful. I'm not kidding.
The 411
Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is a fitting culmination of what was a great series of Marvel games on the Capcom fighting engine. It set and has retained the standard for what 2D fighting should be nearly seven years after its release. I'd argue it's probably the best of its kind, and that's saying a lot.
This is the only game in the Marvel vs. Capcom crossover to be ported in its full form to U.S. consoles. Sadly, Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is out of print now due to licensing issues. This means the title can fetch a pretty penny on the internet. Even so, I highly suggest seeking it out just because I truly believe it is the pinnacle of 2D fighting. It executes on all cylinders, and that makes for an instant classic.
And now…
It's time for a new feature here at "The Fun Factor." This section includes my opinions, musings and anything else that I can spout my mouth off about. This will probably be a monthly feature, but could also pop up randomly from time to time. We'll see. For now, here's the inaugural edition of…
FUN OR FLOP
• Sports gamers looking for more out of their Wii rejoice! Madden 08 has been confirmed to support EA Nation, the online interface found in Xbox and Playstation releases. Better yet, it means the friend codes don't apply! Hopefully this will start a new trend. By all indications, this means Madden 08 on Wii will be FUN.
• This year's NBA Finals was supposed to be filled with drama and excitement, with Lebron James advancing for the first time in his young and promising career to take on the Dynasty-in-the-making San Antonio Spurs. It turned out to be anything but compelling. The Spurs had their way with the young Cavs, and showed Lebron needs another star to reach a championship, ala MJ/Pippen and Kobe/Shaq. Without a doubt, the unceremonious ending to the otherwise-exciting playoffs was a major FLOP.
• Summers have always been notorious for being lackluster in gaming circles, and 2007 (so far) continues the trend. Besides the whole Manhunt II controversy, quality news has been slow to trickle out and there were few noteworthy games released in the month of June. It's certainly been a good time to catch up on games I got and never had time to play in the school year. As always, the summer for games has been a FLOP.
• Just when you think Vince McMahon's well of ideas has run dry, he shocks us all again. The limo explosion on RAW a few weeks back was one of those "oh @#$^!" moments that wrestling fans love about the sport. It convinced me to tune in to ECW and Smackdown! later in the week, so it's gotta be FUN.
