Marvel Vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes

Ok, so if you don't already know my opinion of this game from my previous reviews... well, you're just not paying that much attention then, are you? Nearly 10 years after its debut in the arcades, Marvel Vs Capcom 2 returns to the gaming public but there's good news and bad news. The good news is, it's exactly how you remember it. The bad news is, it's exactly how you remember it.

Marvel Vs Capcom 2 was the last fighting game that Capcom produced before losing the license to use Marvel characters... and it shows. With 56 playable characters, half of them Marvel characters and the other half from the Capcom stable of properties, you choose your favorite three and fight against another threesome (not that kind of threesome, perv) in an "everything but the kitchen sink" battle to the death. Unlike most fighting games, there really isn't a cohesive story (or a story at all) to be found in the game... save for the one ending you get while the credits roll (the same one for every character!).

But if you're playing for the story, you're playing the wrong game. Where Marvel Vs Capcom 2 shines is its frenetic battles. With a three on three fights, it feels like controlled chaos... like the chaos builds and builds and just when you think all hell is about to break loose, one team is defeated and the fight ends. It's that craziness that makes the game so much fun to play, especially against another player.

And one of the few updates to this nearly decade old game is the addition of online multiplayer. That's right, you can now get your ass handed to you by people around the world. You can create or join a lobby with up to five other players and either participate in or watch one the fights. For the most part, the fights are smooth as silk, but from time to time I did notice a little lag and some of the more complicated moves that involved multiple button presses didn't quite produce the expected results. But it didn't happen enough where I became frustrated with the game.

The other major update to the game are the visuals. Instead of a standard 4:3 aspect ratio, the screen has been enhanced to fit today's widescreen tvs. However, the field of play is still 4:3 which leads to some interesting visual artifacts like characters smashing up against invisible walls on either side of the screen and sprites that abruptly end an inch away from the edge of the screen. When you're playing you probably won't notice it but in watching other people play, it does become more noticeable. Although the sprites themselves haven't been given a graphical overhaul like Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, you do get your choice of two filters to make the characters look less pixelated. While I would have liked redrawn sprites, I realize if Capcom put the time and effort into it, the game probably would cost at least four times more than it does and would come out Christmas of 2025.

One of the drawbacks of this particular release (and it's actually debatable) is the fact that all the characters come unlocked. In the arcade and previous console versions of the game, you started out with a limited number of characters and new characters would be unlocked over time, either by waiting or by collecting points to purchase new characters. Having all the characters available is probably better for newer players, but I miss the challenge of unlocking the characters and being forced to use characters that I'm not so familiar with.

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