Hey! Who left this in the fridge? Review

Hey! Who left this in the fridge?

Fighting games have been few and far between lately, and Marvel Vs. Capcom

2 is one of the best to come out in the last couple years…considering it

originally came out over two years ago on

the Dreamcast. The PS2 version is a direct port of that Dreamcast version,

which in turn perfectly captured the arcade version. But as a result, we’re talking

about a 2D fighter that’s about three years old – not exactly the kind of game

to breathe life into the genre.

Thankfully,

though, it’s still pretty cool. With scores of badass characters (56 total)

like Cable and Spiderman to pit against Capcom legends like Strider and Megaman,

MvC 2 is fun alone or with a friend. The huge three on three matches

and veritable pain storms that occur when characters like Dr. Doom and Cable

are summoned at once make this one of the most intense, exciting 2D fighters

games ever.

For the most part, you’ll know how to play immediately as the game features

the same basic Street Fighter formula as other Capcom games. However,

Mvc 2 tweaks the gameplay enough to add some genuinely sweet flavor.

Gone, of course, are the medium attacks, which have been replaced with buttons

for calling in your cohorts, who can be called in separately or at the same

time. Compared to older Capcom games, there are all new moves and possibilities,

including the ability to link three hyper-combos together for some serious ownage.

This leads to my only problem with Mvc 2‘s gameplay – the ability to

send so much crap at somebody that they drown blocking the rocks and the fireballs

and the laser beams. Watching somebody hit the same three buttons and reduce

me to cinders using Megaman, Cable, and Dr. Doom wasn’t fun the first time it

happened, much less the fifth.

Graphically,

Mvc 2 is fine, I guess. The sprites are bright and colorful, but painfully

dated. Several of the Street Fighter characters could use makeovers,

and the quasi-three dimensional backgrounds suggest a depth that isn’t there.

I suppose that’s what you get with a sequel to a game that’s based on one of

the oldest (and most profitable) fighting games ever. But the framerate is nice

and steady, which keeps the action constant and intense.

Mvc 2 sounds much like every other Capcom game released in the last

three years, with wacky, fast-paced music and over the top announcers.

This is essentially is a perfect port of a great fighting game. But let’s

be honest – if you have yet to play this game or the myriad like it, you’re

choosing an odd time to start. In a world filled with Tekkens

and Virtua Fighters and Soul Calibur 2

(someday soon, I hope?), Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 just isn’t the kind

of game that will have most people clamoring for a copy.

So why now has Capcom decided to release this for the PS2? This game could

have been released a year and a half ago and been received with far greater

excitement. While Mvc 2 may tide you rabid fighting fans over for a little

while, it’s essentially a pre-chewed bone that has long since been digested

by most fans. So come on Capcom – throw us fans a new bone and stop repackaging

your hits over and over again.