MARVEL VS. CAPCOM 2: New Age of Heroes
FAQ Version 0.9 (Last updated 04.26.00)
FAQ © 2000 The Notorious J.K.N. (ranchanny@aol.com)
FAQ © 2000 The Dali Ramas (nemesisx@att.net)

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GOODIES IN THIS FAQ
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I. - LEGAL MUMBO JUMBO
II. - VERSION UPDATES
III. - FAQ KEY
IV. - INTRODUCTION
V. - NEW STUFF/OLD STUFF
VI. - CREDITS
VII. - CHARACTER FAQ'S

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I. LEGAL MUMBO JUMBO
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MARVEL VS. CAPCOM 2: New Ages of Heroes © 2000 CAPCOM CO., LTD.
MARVEL © 2000 MARVEL Characters, INC.
CAPCOM © 2000 CAPCOM CO., LTD.
STRIDER © Moto Kikaku
Dreamcast © 1999-2000 SEGA CO., LTD.
All rights reserved.

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II. VERSION UPDATES
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0.9 - (04.26.00) - Guile FAQ (0.1) finished. Hayato FAQ almost complete.
0.8 - (04.21.00) - Further editing done. Added something extra in section V in regard to "4 Main Buttons." Sorry for the delay on the Hayato and Guile FAQ's, but they are being worked on. Also edited Strider Hiryuu's FAQ (0.6) and Spider-Man's FAQ (0.5). Added names more to section VI.
0.7 - (04.19.00) - Spider-Man FAQ (0.4) revised. Hayato FAQ in the works. Added something extra to section V in regard to "Stages."
0.6 - (04.11.00) - Strider Hiryuu FAQ (0.5) and Spider-Man FAQ (0.3) revised. Expect Hayato and Guile FAQ's soon. Added more people to section VI. Added "Team Management" to section V.
0.5 - (04.09.00) - Strider Hiryuu FAQ complete.
0.4 - (04.08.00) - Added "Negative Edge" to section V. Spider-Man FAQ completed by The Dali Ramas.
0.3 - (04.06.00) - Finished editing. Strider Hiryuu FAQ almost complete.
0.2 - (04.04.00) - Finished sections V to VI. Character FAQ's soon to come, one by one.
0.1 - (04.03.00) - Initial structuring, based on the Dreamcast version. Roman numeraled sections I to IV complete.

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III. FAQ KEY
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This FAQ assumes you are the first player with your character facing to the right.

B - Back
F - Forward
U - Up
D - Down

U* - Up* (i.e. UB - Up and Back)
D* - Down* (i.e. DB - Down and Back)
T* - Tap* (i.e. TB - Tap Back)
H* - Hold* (i.e. HB - Hold Back)

WP - Weak Punch
WK - Weak Kick
FP - Fierce Punch
FK - Fierce Kick
AA - Assist A
AB - Assist B

* ; * - In Series (i.e. WP ; WK - Weak Punch, then Weak Kick)
* + * - Simultaneous (i.e. FP + FK - Fierce Punch and Fierce Kick)

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IV. INTRODUCTION
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Those wily people at CAPCOM produced yet another addition to the famed "VS. Series." The fourth installment, MARVEL VS. CAPCOM 2, promises many elements of its predecessors that made the series a hit, along with numerous changes and twists that give the game a fresh appeal.

The story, like the former games, is pretty weak since it has the difficult task of recruiting various characters from different series. However, this "Armor of Erosion" supposedly wreaks havoc by changing ecosystems and threatening lives. The "New Age of Heroes" come together in order to search for a hopeful conclusion.

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V. NEW STUFF/OLD STUFF
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So, why shell out money, or quarters for that matter? To check out all the ingenious (and maybe not-so-ingenious) features that CAPCOM has added to this intense fighting genre.

1) 3 ON 3
2) CHARACTERS
3) 4 MAIN BUTTONS
4) 2 ASSIST BUTTONS
5) VARIABLE ASSIST
6) TAGGING
7) SNAP BACK
8) VARIABLE COUNTER
9) HYPER COMBOS
10) DUAL/TRIPLE HYPER COMBOS
11) LINKABLE HYPER COMBOS
12) PARRIES
13) SUPER JUMPS
14) RECOVERY ROLL
15) NEGATIVE EDGE
16) TEAM MANAGEMENT
17) STAGES
18) MUSIC
19) SOUNDS
20) GAMEPLAY
21) SECRET STUFF
22) TAUNTS

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1) 3 ON 3. What's more to say about this? A major reason why the VS. Series has been a success was the 2 on 2 system. Players could come up with different combinations of teams and styles, and matches would be fast and furious. So, with 3 characters to select, the possibilities are that much greater. In fact, with some skills in probability, you can figure out the number of combinations!

This has a drawback too! Dear lord, 6 health bars?! Hey, I might need to use that useless Infinite Time option! Seriously, matches take long, and if you goof around and don't go in for the kill, you might find yourself winning/losing by time. If that's your strategy, by all means, go for it. Try picking 3 Kobun's and getting the majority of your wins without using time! Fun!

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2) CHARACTERS. The sheer number of characters in this game is crazy. This'll make SNK people quit with any character advantage jeers. With 56 characters (some needing to be unlocked), the game boasts veterans of the VS. Series and some newcomers as well. Most notable are Ruby Heart and Cable, which seem to be the front runners for each side. Other newblood include Jill Valentine from CAPCOM's BIOHAZARD/Resident Evil series, and Anakaris from CAPCOM's Vampire Hunter/Darkstalkers series. I'm positive fans out there will rejoice since Psylocke and Guile are in the game.

What's extremely cool about this are the many themes you can create. I already have my "Crips Street Team" which includes a blue Strider Hiryuu, a blue Hayato, and a blue Jin Saotome. Besides the obvious colors they sport, all characters are offense oriented and have swords (Jin Saotome reveals his sword in one of his victory poses).  To counter this, The Dali Ramas uses his "Bloods Street Team" which consists of that red/orange Strider Hiryuu, dark red Spider-Man, and the blood red Hayato (another crazy offensive team).

Bottom line: Have fun with this! Just think about the pink Dan, pink Jin Saotome, and pink Captain Commando! I call them "Cotton Candy."

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3) 4 MAIN BUTTONS. Has CAPCOM gone insane? To reduce the legendary six button controls to something that seems more oriented toward a crappy 3D fighter? What's going on? It seems as though CAPCOM made this change, eliminating the MP and MK (Medium Punch and Medium Kick), in order to allow the gameplay to run smoother. Realize that with 3 characters, Variable Assists, Dual/Triple Hyper Combos, Variable Counters, etc., mashing on certain buttons simultaneously can get confusing.

What does this mean? Well, with only WP, WK, FP, and FK, you have to adjust. Characters now only have the extremes available to them, unless they start comboing (in which the MP and MK animations pop up). In a nutshell, you have to get used to the lack of 6 buttons, and relearn some combos and strategies. Not too bad, and the benefits outnumber the momentary awkwardness.

It also has been brought to my attention that CAPCOM decided to implement the 4 buttons because of future plans. Since the highly anticipated SNK VS. CAPCOM lurks in the horizons, CAPCOM probably wanted its gamers to get used to both the controls and engine. The controls of MARVEL VS. CAPCOM 2 are similar to SNK's fighting game controls (A, B, C, and D), so it is good preparation for the heated rivalry that is to come.

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4) 2 ASSIST BUTTONS. I call them AA and AB (Assist A and Assist B), because they have to do with the two sidelined partners (AA with Partner A and AB with Partner B). Used to activate Variable Assists, Dual/Triple Hyper Combos, Variable Counters, Snap Backs, etc.. Try not to use them as FP and FK anymore!

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5) VARIABLE ASSIST. Let's pretend you've selected your team to be Strider Hiryuu, Hayato, and Jin Saotome (my personal favorite). While Strider's in first, hitting AA will call in Hayato temporarily (labeled as Partner A) for a Variable Assist. Hitting AB will call in Jin Saotome. What is a Variable Assist? Just the new term for that helper command that was found in MARVEL VS. Street Fighter and MARVEL VS. CAPCOM. The called partner will come and perform a designated command (decided previously at the select screen), then exits. You maintain control of your original character in the meantime.

Each character has three possible Variable Assists, labeled Alpha, Beta, and Gamma. Your choice is finalized for each character at the select screen (think Street Fighter ZERO/Alpha 3's *-ISM's). For instance, select Jin Saotome as your character with an Alpha, and he will do his Saotome Typhoon as a Variable Assist. Pick Beta, and Jin will perform his Saotome Dynamite.

How does this affect gameplay? Well, remember how you had a limited number of helpers in MARVEL VS. CAPCOM? As long as your two sidelined partners are alive and well, you can call upon them as much as you like. Of course, CAPCOM would not let this be too perfect, otherwise matches could get very cheap and cheesey. Unlike the helpers in MARVEL VS. CAPCOM, your partner has a great amount of lag (a taunt animation before they hop out), in which your opponent can deal quite a bit of damage. Even though your partner will then have the opportunity to heal the red portion, your opponent may have something else up his sleeve, such as a Snap Back. So, it's better to use Variable Assists wisely, instead of blindly abusing the system.

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6) TAGGING. Tagging remains the same essentially, because it requires you to simultaneously hit two buttons. With the same model, hitting WP + WK will tag in Partner A, and hitting FP + FK will tag in Partner B. Your sidelined characters will still recover any red portion of their health bar. If you hit your opponent with the tagged partner, instead of knocking them back, it pops them up really high. As they twirl head down back to the ground, feel free to do as you please.

I assume this was done because in the previous games, opponents would sometimes skillfully force to make you tag. Knowing that it was coming, a simple block and a Hyper Combo later, you'd find yourself wishing your never tagged at all. Now there is an equal advantage to the person tagging, since it opens the opponent to combos as soon as the character comes in.

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7) SNAP BACK. A cool addition to the array of moves you can do. Inputing D ; DF ; F + AA or AB, your character will pause and wind up for a split moment. Then, unleashing a very powerful hit, it will cause the opponent's character to be knocked off the screen, forcing another one of his characters in. This takes one Hyper Bar, and the Assist button you choose will decide which of your opponent's characters come in (AA will bring in his Partner A and AB will bring in his Partner B).

Obviously, if you don't like the opponent's character, you can try and knock him out to deal with him later. Its prime use is against a sidelined character who is busily healing a red portion of his health bar. Let's say your opponent's Morrigan was constantly being helped by Variable Assist from Hulk (Gamma Charge!). Annoying as it was, you managed to deal a considerable amount of damage to Hulk with Hyper Combo. Rather than let Hulk heal it all and let your efforts go to waste, perform a Snap Back and send Morrigan packing. Hulk has now been forced to come in, and the red portion of his health bar will no longer be available. Proceed to snicker at your own pace.

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8) VARIABLE COUNTER. A cheesy imitation of a ZERO/Alpha Counter from the Street Fighter ZERO/Alpha series. While blocking, quickly input B ; BD ; D + AA or AB to switch to a partner. The partner comes in qucikly, executing a counter attack while your original character hops out. A relatively safe way to switch characters without the risk of a blocked tag, but it costs 1 Hyper Bar. Don't you have better things to do with that?

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9) HYPER COMBOS. Same idea, but a few differences here and there. The biggest difference is that some characters require more Hyper Bars for a particular Hyper Combo. For instance, Ryu's Shin Shouryuken and Shuma Gorath's Chaos Dimension now require 3 Hyper Bars. Another difference is the amount of damage a particular Hyper Combo does (some have been toned down, while others deal more). Another differece is the timing of Hyper Combos, and how it affects your strategies and combos. For instance, Chun Li's Senretsu Kyakuu no longer catches a person after they have been swept. There are also more button tapping Hyper Combos, with characters such as Anakaris, Ruby Heart, and Hayato. Check out Hayato's Level 3, and how much he torques his body!

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10) DUAL/TRIPLE HYPER COMBOS. Made much simpler, this is when two or three of your characters pop up and initiate one of their Hyper Combos at the same time. Hitting both AA + AB will activate it, and depending on how many Hyper Bars you have will decide whether a Dual or a Triple is initiated (3 or more = Triple).

Obviously, certain character's Hyper Combos go well with others (Ryu's Shinkuu Hadouken, Cyclop's Mega Optic Blast, and Gouki's Messatsu Gou Hadou), while other combinations seem piss poor (Psylocke's Psi Malestrom, Jin Saotome's Saotome Cyclone, and Sakura's Midare Zakura). Why piss poor? This combination doesn't maximize hits or damage, as each character does their own thing. Psylocke spins straight up for a miss, Jin Saotome twirls around uselessly, and Sakura goes forward and knocks them away which defeats the point. Pay attention to which Variable Assist (Alpha, Beta, or Gamma) you pick, because that decides which Hyper Combo that character uses during a Dual/Triple.

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11) LINKABLE HYPER COMBOS. These seem to be deadly variations of that ability CAPCOM added to Sony's crappy, PSX conversion of the VS. Series. Basically, the first Hyper Combo is interrupted as the next partner comes in to execute his Hyper Combo, while the first character jumps out. Do this as many times you please, or your Hyper Bar allows.

How do you do it? It's not rocket science. Let's say you have Strider Hiryuu, Sakura, and Guile. Strider's in, and you just executed Legion. While all Strider's friendly robotic animals come out to play, simply execute Sakura's Midare Zakura. She will pop in and nail your opponent as Strider's Hyper Combo dissipates. Then while she starts to pummel the opponent, you can then execute Guile's Sonic Hurricane. Yay, the school girl hops out and is replaced by Guile, and the opponent's torture continues. Keep an eye on those Hyper Bars though. That is, if you can still see clearly after all the colors and bright flashes that appeared on the screen.

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12) PARRIES. Huh? Should Street Fighter III fans celebrate? Nah, it's only the same VS. Series parrying that was in the original. While blocking, simply hit WP + FP and your character will push back your opponent, to give you some breathing room. Nothing new, although some people know it as an Advancing Guard.

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13) SUPER JUMPS. Duh. Me like video games. Uhm. Even if you haven't played a VS. Series game, couldn't you figure out what this does? By TD ; U , your character will launch higher than usual, forcing the screen to scroll upwards. I don't think I need to explain why this is useful. This is the usual stuff.

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14) RECOVERY ROLL. Once again, not a new concept. If you're knocked around and you would rather not let your opponent crowd around your fallen character, then simply roll away. Executing B ; DB ; D + any P or K will make your character roll and get up a distance away.

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15) NEGATIVE EGDE. I found this out by accident, but CAPCOM had this in the Street Fighter ZERO/Alpha series. Basically, it's an alternate way to execute any type of move that involves a controller/joystick motion with buttons.

For instance, take Ryu's Hadouken. To do this the normal way, one would input D ; DF ; F + WP or FP. To do a Negative Edge, one would HWP or HFP ; D ; DF ; F + Release. Ryu will still execute the Hadouken, even though you pressed the punch button before the controller/joystick motion. I don't know which is easier or more comfortable, but it's just an alternate way to do things. You can even do this with Hyper Combos.

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16) TEAM MANAGEMENT. In the old VS. Series games, holding down all three punches at the "VS." screen would switch your lead off character (i.e. If you picked Venom first and then Morrigan, then Morrigan would lead off). Now with two sidelined partners, you need to use the Assist buttons. Holding AA during the "VS." screen will make Partner A become the lead off character, while holding AB will make Parnter B become the lead off character. Simple enough.

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17) STAGES. Wow. I love CAPCOM. They have created totally new stages for the matches to take place, which is a huge refreshment (previous VS. Series games have rehashed old stages and changed colors). Stage backgrounds are beautiful and there are many 3D elements to them. The Carnival Stage will cause people with that damned clown phobia to convulse (there's a huge 3D clown balloon in the center). In another stage, a thick mist lingers about the beginning of the match, only to clear up later to reveal more of the gorgeous scenery. My words do not do justice, so check them out ASAP.

On a quick note, it has been brought to my attention that on the "Clock" stage, it will tell the correct time! The large clock will display the Dreamcast time, which should be the correct time (unless you've decided to choose otherwise). Just another example of the detail CAPCOM has put into its stages.

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18) MUSIC. Hey, what's this? CAPCOM actually has "music" in this? That's right, CAPCOM decided to replace the usual theme song tracks (I didn't need to hear Ryu's remixed theme for the 238979839th time anyway) with musical scores. With a cool, jazzy feel, you might be surprised that you're playing a fighting game. Oddly enough, the music, though at first sounding weird, goes well with the action taking place on the screen. A game soundtrack that will be worth the money (much like the Street Fighter III soundtracks).

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19) SOUNDS. Ugh, what the hell happened? Where are the bone crushes and harsh impacts? I don't know if it's me, but all of the sounds that occur when characters are getting the crap beat out of them seem muffled and toned down. Try a few Hyper Combos that you know should be painfully loud (i.e. Gouki's Shun Goku Satsu, Hulk's Gamma Crush, and Captain America's Final Justice). These are the types of moves where you're supposed to hear the damage being dished out. Other than the weak hit sounds, the voice samples are clear and true (RockMan is still squeaky and annoying). The announcer thankfully sounds nothing like the Street Fighter ZERO/Alpha 3 announcer ("You can't give it up!"). It's nothing special, and most of the time his voice is gargled with a watery echo when he comments you on your wonderful 999 hit combo.

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20) GAMEPLAY. I thought this game was going to be "Scrubfest 2000" (aptly named by a good friend of mine), but it surprised me. Sure, this game still retains all the flash and the hype, with suped up graphics, explosive speed, and mind numbing effects. Constant repetition of Aerial Raves and Chain Combos still have their place. I can even forsee cheesiness with certain character combinations and Variable Assists, but then again, every fighting game has faults that people can abuse.

Yet, I like this game more than any other of the VS. Series. CAPCOM has added enough features to mask its rehashing of the tried and true gameplay, making it addictive. I still hold Street Fighter III's fighting engine as my favorite, but MARVEL VS. CAPCOM 2 has raised by opinion of the VS. Series.

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21) SECRET STUFF. Better known as, stuff people knew before the game even came out. Yeah, a lot of the characters have to be unlocked, and there is a point system in which you need to follow. D-Points (earned from the Dreamcast), V-Points (earned from playing against Networkers), and N-Points (earned from schooling people in the Arcade) will allow you to access things like characters, more colors, and stages.

Which causes a slight obstacle for some people. If you bought the import of MARVEL VS. CAPCOM 2 (shame on you!), then please purchase a plane ticket to Japan. How else are you going to rack up on V-Points and N-Points? Luckily, you can take apart your VMU like a toaster oven and fiddle around with it to unlock the secrets. Or you can download save files from the internet with the proper cables. Or you can go and humbly beg someone who has done either options already, and get them to give you their data.

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22) TAUNTS. And to end on a lighter note, by hitting Start + WK, your character will help boost your ego and go through a taunt animation. People better start fearing Dan Hibiki's Chouhatsu Densetsu! OYAAAAAAJIIIII!!

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VI. CREDITS
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This FAQ was written by The Notorious J.K.N. and The Dali Ramas. Both avid CAPCOM fans, we would like to give due credit to the appropriate sources. If you would like the contribute to this main FAQ, or any of the character FAQ's, please contact either of us!

GameFAQs (http://www.gamefaqs.com)
For obvious reasons. This site is hot. Bling bling. This FAQ can be found there.

Jeff "CJayC" Veasey (cjayc@gamefaqs.com)
I read his FAQ on MARVEL VS. CAPCOM 2 and I was impressed by it's authority and information. It can be found on the GameFAQs site (duh). I double checked myself on some of the added features that CJayC had made note of, and generally used his FAQ to get a handle on playing the game.

Batsu Ichimonji (batsuichimonji@aol.com)
A good friend of mine who happens to be very knowledgeable in the ways of CAPCOM. Helping me out with some of the kinks that are in "Scrubfest 2000," he never ceases to amaze me. We both agree that Dan Hibiki, with his Air Dankuukyaku, will kick major ass. "My dad could beat you, and he's dead!"

Gouki's Page of Whatever (http://www.gpow.com)
Shoush'! I was overjoyed when the new staff took over and started updating again. Always a good place to check on what's what with games, it brought much important information to my knowledge in regard to MARVEL VS. CAPCOM 2.

Al Amaloo (vgstrategies.guide@about.com0
The Webmaster of "About.com Guide to Video Game Strategies" (http://vgstrategies.about.com), where this FAQ can be found at.

Jamie Long (jamie@gamesdomain.com)
The Webmaster of "Games Domain" (http://www.gamesdomain.co.uk), where this FAQ can be found at.

Ken (liquidfists@hotmail.com)
The Webmaster of "Street Fighter Grand Archive" (http://www.geocities.com/liquidfists), where this FAQ can be found at.

Thomas Shin (arlieth@west.net)
I referenced his Yang FAQ (Street Fighter III: Third Strike) when making a comment about Hiryuu's Teleport. I needed the name of Yang's teleport move.

Jared Karklins (kronovortx@aol.com)
Jared is the one who told me how the clock displays the correct time. I don't think I ever would have noticed that, so thanks!

Airisu (airisu@earthlink.net)
Airisu is the one who had a good explanation on why CAPCOM changed the controls from 6 buttons to 4 buttons. Long live CAPCOM in SNK VS. CAPCOM!

Rob (kays8yrold@hotmail.com)
Rob had his two cents to add to my Strider Hiryuu strategy against Abyss (3rd form). Kick ass.

Guy Bird (strider_hiryu156@yahoo.com)
A Strider enthusiast who has been trying to convince me that I have mispelled Strider's name and sword (Hiryuu / Hiryu and Cipher / Sipher). The notice can be found on the Strider FAQ.

Steve (getgrimy@aol.com)
Steve is the one who hooked me up with a VMU that had all 56 characters, colors, etc.. Thank you, Steve.

The Chuugokujins (bura@aol.com, midomiko@aol.com)
Thank you to Molly, for giving me moral support and advice with the game. Thank you to Megs, who gives me a lot of discounts on games.

A.D.S.T.W.H.U.I.T.P. (Any Damn Source That We Have Used In The Past)
Seriously, this section could go on forever if we listed every possible thing that contributed to the things of this FAQ. We have lived and breathed CAPCOM games in the past, and that helped us greatly to piece this FAQ together without many outside sources. We're no experts, but we do like to think that experience from playing CAPCOM games (enthusiastically at that) stands for itself.

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VII. CHARACTER FAQ'S
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This section is obviously going to be the most in-depth and complicated. In fact, the FAQ's for the characters will be separate files, but rest assured, are to be read as if they were contained on this main FAQ. We've got our work cut out for us, but we plan to create a solid, useful FAQ for each character. Think of this as little (but worthwhile) FAQ's inside the overall big one that you've been reading all along. 

We'll be adding characters slowly, so we ask you to be patient for the revisions (we are concerned with quality, not quantity). Anyone can do a simple FAQ with a move list and a few combos that you could have figured out yourself (you are playing the game, right?). We're not about that.

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FAQ © 2000 The Notorious J.K.N. (ranchanny@aol.com)
FAQ © 2000 The Dali Ramas (nemesisx@att.net)
BOTH BLAZIN' INTO THE NEW MILLENIUM LIKE WHOA!

No portion of this FAQ can be replicated or reproduced without our consent. Thank you for not resorting to cowardly tactics. If you need to use something, simply ask or give us due credit.
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