Copyright © Capcom, Inc.

Every once in a while a game comes along that makes you glad that you haven't given up console gaming. When the Dreamcast first came out, there was MARVEL VS. CAPCOM which, unfortunately, didn't live up to my expectations. I was disappointed. Here it was, a game called MARVEL VS. CAPCOM, and yet the characters were some of the lamest or most tired from the two universes. (Did we really ever need to see Captain America again? No...)
So when I first heard about the sequel, I wasn't that impressed. Until I heard who was going to be in it. The cast list for this game is impressive. While you start with 21 characters, it is possible to unlock a number of secret characters until your total playable characters is 56. On the Marvel side, there're pretty much everyone who has ever been in a Marvel game. All the way back from X-MEN comes Iceman, Colossus, and Spiral and even Silver Samurai. The bad guys are there too, with the likes of Shuma Gorath, Magneto, and Sabretooth. And playable for the first time ever (without special cheats) are Doctor Doom and Thanos.
The Capcom side, having more games to choose from, still has just as much variety. There are the quintessential STREET FIGHTER favorites—Ken, Ryu, Chun-Li, Cammy, and others. And there are a few characters from DARKSTALKERS as well—Morrigan and Felicia come to mind. Then, there are the strange characters: Rockman (new Megaman), Roll, Kobun (the little yellow robot guy from the ROCKMAN games), Strider Hiryu, Captain Commando, and the like.
There are also new characters as well. Joining the ranks for the Marvel side are the ever-popular Cable and the baffling choice of Marrow. On the Capcom side, they have created two new characters: Ruby Heart, a female Pirate with some rather unique moves, and Amingo, a sort of cactus-man character who is as much comedy relief as serious fighter. In fact, the screen is so crowded that it's hard to tell which characters are which just from the tiny little pictures on the board.
But how do you get all these secret characters? Capcom comes up with an ingenious solution. There are several different types of points you can get by playing the regular Dreamcast game, playing over the Dreamcast network, and playing the arcade game. All these points are saved in your VMU, and with these points you can purchase additional characters, additional costume colors, and additional stages. It's a great idea but there's just one problem—how are people who play this game in the U.S. going to overcome this? Well, there are hacked VMU files out there, and it's basically the only way you can get all the characters if you're playing the Japanese version outside Japan. The U.S. release of this game, scheduled for June, overcomes this problem by having all the characters on "time release." Meaning, play for X number of hours and you get Character A, and so on. But that's going to be a lot of playing time.
As for the game itself, graphically it is superior. Smooth and fluent with bright colors, beautiful special moves and all the speed expected of a Capcom fighter. The backgrounds are a mixture of 2D and 3D animation, and they are very nice to look at.
The game mechanics have changed a bit, however. The three punch and three kick system has been replaced with two punches and two kicks, the medium having been removed. However, it is still there. If you hit the weak punch or kick button twice in a row, you get "weak-medium" rather than two "weaks." Mostly this is good for putting combos together and it works relatively well, but I miss the medium punches of some of the characters.
While previous VERSUS games gave you two partners to tag out, and most recently a third character to be used in "helper" capacity, MARVEL VS. CAPCOM 2 gives you three characters that you can switch between. And you can call on either of your other two characters for an "assist" move at any time. Of course, there're also degrees of super combos with two and even all three of your player characters if you know the right buttons to push and have your meter charged up enough.
When you select your characters, you have to choose between three types—alpha, beta, and gamma. This determines which type of assist attack these characters will do when called, and what moves they will perform in a hyper combo with other characters. Of course, some are more useful than others, so experimentation is the key.
The final boss, in typical VERSUS game fashion, is ultimately cheesy, but not too hard to beat with a little practice. As always however, the real fun comes in trouncing your friends, enemies, and anyone who would dare take up a control pad against you.
With the wide variety of characters available, this game has a lot of replayability. You can play as the X-Women Storm, Psylocke, and Rogue (or Marrow), or as members of the Avengers (Hulk, Captain America, and Iron Man). Play your favorite STREET FIGHTER trio, the DARKSTALKERS set, or the kids from ROCKMAN. Whatever you like, there are a lot of possible combinations.
One thing that really isn't so great about this game is the music. Frankly, it sounds like the soundtrack from a 70's anime. It reminds me a lot of some of the LUPIN music, and I just don't think it was the best choice for this game. But it's not a fatal flaw... If worst comes to worst, turn down the volume on the TV and put on your own music.
The other minor annoyance is the announcer at the end of the rounds. As your winning (or losing) poses are displayed, he says cheesy things like "I almost had a heart attack." It's cute the first couple of times, but a few hours later and you wish he actually would.
MARVEL VS. CAPCOM 2 has a lot going for it. It's original and unique, and boasts more characters than probably any other fighting game. It's the game that you've been waiting for if you can still enjoy something as "old" as a 2D fighter. And, according to Capcom, the domestic version should be available in the United States in June. So start getting those fingers in shape.

Rating: 9.5/10

Sega Dreamcast
Fighting
1 to 2 Players
T-1215M
¥ 5800
Available Now in Japan
Available in June in the U.S.A
Where to buy