Marvel vs. Capcom 2
GameRatio Review
DC

In the beginning, Capcom gained the license from Marvel Comics to produce X-Men: Children of the Atom (1994). This title served as more of a "Who would win in a fight" game. Hidden in the shadows of this title was the street fighting legend Gouki (Akuma). Capcom took this Street Fighter cross over a little more seriously, and in 1996, released X-Men Vs. Street Fighter. X-Men Vs. Street Fighter gave us the ability to pit some of our favorite Street Fighter characters against Marvel Comic's X-Men. Capcom did not stop there. In 1997, Marvel Super Heroes Vs. Street Fighter was released. This title ultimately failed because the majority of the characters were Ryu clones. Another bold step by Capcom, as they released Marvel Vs. Capcom in 1998. This time, the execution was flawless. You could play as 8 Capcom characters or 7 Marvel Comics Trademarks, in lightning fast tag team battles. Fans cried out for a sequel. As to not disappoint, Marvel Vs. Capcom 2:New Age of Heroes hit the arcades in 2000. In fall of 2000, this was later ported to the SEGA Dream Cast.

Marvel Vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes redefines how we see fighting games in so many ways. Primarily, Capcom ripped out the old 2on2 combat system from X-Men Vs. Street Fighter, and instituted a grand 3on3 tag system, which allows assists (as introduced in Marvel Vs. Capcom) as well as tagging to one of two characters in reserve. Like its predecessors, MvC2 allows you to use team super combos (now dubbed "Hyper Combos"). You can team up with one or both of your reserve characters in an all out onslaught of mayhem. In addition to the ability to team up for a synchronized hyper combo, you may also string along hyper combos, ensure more damage. Each time you execute a hyper combo, you much input the motion for the hyper combo of the next character. Your characters will automatically be switched in battle, allowing a fresh fighter to tear the opponent to shreds. In addition to this tag system, the assist system allows you to choose the behavior of your reserve fighters when called for momentary relief. After selecting a character, you much choose between 3 different types of assistance they will give. Assistance ranges from taking out aerial fighters to healing your current fighter.  This proves very useful and strategic.

I really have nothing bad to say about the environments this MvC2 has to offer. The backdrops are produced in stunning CG. With expert cell shading, the character sprites and the environments merge very well. The majority of the backdrops seem unique to the game, while there are those that have tie-ins to the characters themselves. For instance, one of the backdrops is Ruby Heart's Pirate Ship. (Note: Ruby is an original character for this game) The announce seems to keep a certain level of excitement going throughout the fight, however his trivial announcements in-between fights can prove annoying.

Capcom has a well rounded cast this time, which is more than I can say for some of their other games. In a normal Capcom fighting game, you tend to have at least 3 fighters with the Ryu style of fighting. This becomes increasingly annoying, but in MvC2, there is only Ryu. You may later unlock Ken, Akuma, Dan, and Morrigan who use the same style, but Capcom has found a way to make each character play differently. Also, on the Marvel side of the roster, you find the classics as well as new faces. From the beginning, there is Cyclops, Wolverine, and Psylock from Children of the Atom. Capcom also added Marrow and Cable as well as may other classic Marvel characters. In the beginning, there are only 25 characters. 12 Marvel and 13 Capcom. You have the option to unlock over 50 unique players. (Now granted, some have the same moves, but due to the games engine, no two characters have the same feel) To keep the cast rounded out, Capcom instituted a grading system. Characters are graded by speed, power, and endurance. This enables them to have Ken and Ryu play very differently. Ken has more power than Ryu, where as Ryu is faster than Ken. Then Akuma has more Endurance than both Ken and Ryu. It is this diversity that keeps the fights going and the match up possibilities seem endless.

On the down side of life, I was disappointed that Capcom did not include fiendish favorites like Vega(Balrog in Japan). I would have loved to match the Spanish slayer up against Canada's own, Wolverine. Qué Será, Será. This was only a minor draw back. The other was the purchasing system. You must purchase extra outfits for characters. I find this very annoying, since I do not care if my selected team is color coordinated or not. The VMU applet allows you to view and shop only. I would have liked to be able to play a mini-game that allowed the user to earn more points to unlock additional characters and stuff.  I am also disappointed that there is a lack of movement for the matches. In previous Versus games, you could slam your opponent through the roof, floor, or a side of the fighting arena and continue the brawl in a new environment. This is not so with MvC2.

Despite my disappointments, I really enjoyed this game. I think it deserves a perfect 10 our of 10. My disappointment spawns from my high expectations for gaming. All together, I believe once you play this game, you will never look at cross-overs the same.