Produced by: Capcom
Genre: 2D Fighting
Players: Two
The first Marvel Vs. Capcom title, like the X-Men Vs. Street Fighter and Marvel vs. Street Fighter before it, was a 2D masterpiece. However, the Dreamcast conversion was a little disappointing - and it hardly pushed Sega's hardware to the limit. This was mainly due to the fact that the arcade version was already two years old by the time the DC version was released, and Capcom made no effort to improve the visuals with the port-over. However, Marvel Vs Capcom 2 (MVC2) does not make the same mistake - Capcom have designed the game with the DC in mind.
The arcade version, released almost simultaneously alongside the domestic (Japanese) version, runs on the DC-based Naomi hardware, meaning that the home version is pretty much identical in terms of appearance. Capcom have taken full advantage of the hardware's power - the game features gorgeous 3D backgrounds (similar to those seen in King Of Fighters Dream Match 99) and flashy 3D effects for the Hyper combos and specials. The game itself is still 2D, of course, but these 3D trimmings really add to the overall look and feel of the game. It looks years ahead of the original - you'd think the two games were on different consoles, such is the improvement.
I have to mention the backgrounds again - they really are stunning. The game uses a higher resolution than the first, and this gives the backgrounds a very solid feel. In fact, the backdrops are so well built it makes the 2D fighters seem very flat and boring. The fighters do not seem to have been improved that much from the original - a few extra colors and frames of animation seem to be the only additions. It would have been nice to see the sprites match the standard of Street Fighter 3, but I suppose that would change the "cartoon" feel of the Vs series.
Gameplay is what you'd expect from Capcom - measured, refined, action packed and most of all, lots of fun. Several new gameplay additions have been made to keep the series fresh. There's Delayed Hyper Combos, which allow you to interrupt one characters hyper with another's, there's the "Snap Back" move that allows you to knock your opponent's fighter out of the play area and force another of his characters to enter, and most importantly, there's the new three on three tag feature. You now pick three fighters, rather than just two, and these two other characters can be tagged in as normal, or used to perform assists and three stage Hypers. You could say it gets a bit hectic at times, but that would be a huge understatement. Sometimes all six fighters can be on screen at once - with no slowdown. This is what 128-bit power is for.
In terms of sound, things are pretty dire. The sound effects themselves are nice and punchy, but the music is possibly the worst I have ever heard. After hearing the superb soundtrack of Street Fighter Alpha/Zero 3 I thought Capcom would finally start giving their fighting games "kick-ass" music to go with the action. However, upon booting up MVC2, any hopes that the high-octane on-screen action would accompanied by a blistering music track were dashed. Instead, we have an awful Soul/Jazz fusion to go with the 51-hit Hyper Combos. Some of the tracks are what can only be described as love songs! IN A FIGHTING GAME! Just picture the scene - you're just about to unleash a delayed Hyper Combo that will finish off your final opponent, and then you hear the words "You gotta heartache" flowing from the speakers...doesn't inspire visions of over-the-top combat action, does it? I've never been as swift to reach for the volume control...
Now you may have heard about the amount of characters MVC2 has. 52 is the magic number. New faces include Hayato from Star Gladiator/Plasma Sword, Anakaris from the "Vampire" series, Jill from Resident Evil, Guile, and Son Son from the age-old arcade game of the same name. However, getting all 52 is not as easy as it should be. To gain secret fighters, new fighter colors and extra stages, you have to earn D, V, and N points. D points are attained by playing the game as normal, in both one and two player mode, and in the training mode. V points can only be gained by playing the arcade game (and in this case, only the Japanese version of the arcade game) and N points are earned by playing the game against someone online. It's nice to see that Capcom is making use of the DC's internet abilities, but it leaves many people in the dark. I know for a fact that not everyone who owns a DC in Japan is using the internet connection, so many will be missing out. Also, making you pay extra money to play the arcade version of a game you're just bought to earn these V points is bit harsh as well. Obviously, my beef is that I can't get access to a Japanese arcade version of MVC2 and I'm not connected to the Japanese server, but I realize that Capcom of Japan did not intend for me and other import gamers to play the Japanese version.
Overall, MVC2 is a big improvement over the first game, and it really shows what developers can do when they code with the DC in mind. This is surely the start of a new age of 2D fighters, and with King Of Fighters 99 Evolution out now and SNK Vs. Capcom just around the corner, the future of 2D games seems to be bright. If it wasn't for the abysmal music and the rather annoying method of unlocking the other characters, I'd recommend this right away - however, I can only speak for the import version, and these niggles may be rectified for the Western release, fingers crossed. If you own an imported DC and you're a 2D fighting fan, don't hesitate to get MVC2 - but just be aware that you may not be able to get the full roster of fighters.
4 out of 5
