bit-tech Shopping: Capcom Marvel vs. Capcom 2 (PS2)

• Analog Controller
• Digital Controller

Rating: 8

Time with product: 4 Years

Strengths: Huge variety of characters. Almost limitless combinations. Quick and easy to learn the basics. Very high replay value.

Weaknesses: Huge imbalance between characters.

Summary: Marvel vs. Capcom 2 has certainly stood the test of time. Despite its great age, it is still widely played today and is frequently seen in fighting game tournaments. There are so many ways to play this game. Being able to make a 3-character team from over dozens of fighters (each fighter in turn having 3 different team assist settings you can choose) makes for almost limitless combinations for playing. Like most fighting games of the current genre, MvC2 is quick and easy to learn, but can be very time-consuming and difficult to master. It is a very intense and high-paced game that is great for both casual and competition play. One of the downsides to the game is the huge imbalance in characters. There are some who are extremely powerful (or have a move or two that some may consider as cheap) who can be deadly in even the hands of a beginner, and there are characters who are utter crap in comparison, no matter how good you get with them. People who are very familiar with the game tend to sort the characters into tiers based on how good/powerful each character is. Top tier characters include (but are not limited to) Magneto, Sentinel, Cable, and Storm. Most hardcore players tend to have one or more of these characters in their bread & butter team. A team of Ken/Ryu/Guile (very respected characters from the Street Fighter series) as almost zero chance against a team of Cable/Sentinel/Captain Commando or Magneto/Storm/Psylocke if both players are of roughly the same skill level. It's also of note that almost all of the upper tier characters are from the Marvel side while the Capcom side looks like a bunch of pawns on a chessboard. This can turn away new or casual players just playing to have a little fun. While the game as a whole is fun, it can be a little discouraging to a casual player when someone on the hardcore/competition level comes in and wipes the floor with them using a top-tier team. The game as a whole is great though. If you can get by the lingering imbalance, it can be a lot of fun. A very great party/social game. Very highly recommended for fighting game enthusiasts or fans of the series.

Rating: 10

Time with product: 1 Months

Strengths: Classic 2D fighting game available for PS2

Weaknesses: No online play, very hard to find!

Summary: Marvel vs Capcom 2 was originally an arcade and Sega Dreamcast game. This PS2 port is virtually identical to those incarnations, and that is a good thing. This is a classic 2D fighter (with nice, even for 2006, 3D backgrounds). You fight as a team of 3 Marvel or Capcom franchise characters against either another person or the computer. The animations are well done and the action is always hectic. You need to learn how to perform combos, super combos, assists (from your other 2 characters), and many other techniques to truly master the game. The game is very deep and it will take a lot of work to master it. There are two knocks on the game. Originally, online play was promised but that was dropped from the U.S. release, though that may not be such an issue 4 years after the game came out in any case. Also, and this is not a problem with the game itself at all, but, this game is VERY hard to find now. Even used copies go for quite a bit. If you see this game for $40 or less, snap it up ASAP!

Rating: 8

Time with product: 3

Strengths: Great multiplayer, Great 2D fighter, Excellent collection of characters, Easy and fun to learn gameplay.

Weaknesses: Limited run copies, which means that the price is a bit high. Music a bit dull, Sprites doesn't hold up well against other 2D fighters of this generation.

Summary: Marvel vs. Capcom 2, a game that has been a gem in many peoples' game collection. This game delivers on many points, but falls short on others. The gameplay is the best part. Tagging your partner, team moves, and just the overall feel of an old school 2D fighter on a PS2 is just great. Though the one player mode does get a bit bland after a bit, bring some friends over and you'll have a blast beating the crap out of each other. Music is an important part of a game. Marvel vs. Capcom 2 however, has terrible music. The menu music is repetitive, and some music just seems like it doesn't fit with the stage its set on. Overall, the game is excellent. The price may be a bit too high for it though, but if you can find a nice copy for a cheap price, go for it. It's possibly one of the best 2D fighters on the PS2. In an age where 3D dominates, MvC2 shines through them all.

Rating: 8

Time with product: 5 Days

Strengths: Huge cast of playable characters both from Marvel and Capcom.

Weaknesses: Sometimes it results in who can press the buttons fastest.

Summary: Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is an easy game to pick up and automatically start playing but it's also a game that is very hard to master.The animations and designs look awesome. Capcom's artists really have a flair for making the characters look larger than life. The only downside is that the 2d graphics are not that sharp and look pixelated especially when played on a big,widescreen tv.The action is fast and intense so prepare yourself for a thumb workout.

Rating: 8

Time with product: 2 Years

Strengths: Huge character roster (50+), three-on-three fighting system, tired and true Street Fighter controls, lots to unlock, endless two player fun.

Weaknesses: Some 2D pixelation, music can get quite annoying (especially at the character select screen), nothing new added since the DC release.

Summary: Let me just lay it out there right now: I love this game. I loved it in the arcades, I loved it on the Dreamcast and I still love it here, three times around. MvC2 is exactly what it sounds like: characters from the Marvel world and the Capcom world duke it out in over-the-top 2D graphics. With over 50 different characters to choose from (including Cable (from the X-Men universe), Jill Valentine (from Resident Evil), and Tron Bonne (from Mega Man Legends), among others), part of the fun is just coming up with new and different three person teams. Which brings me to the fighting. Players choose teams of three, adjusting settings (such as what type of support attacks your non-active partners do, etc) and then they head out to fight. While the characters are 2D, the backgrounds are in full 3D...which is a nice touch, but since they do nothing to affect gameplay, you'll quickly forget about them (especially the one with the giant clown face - ugh). The controls are loose and responsive, allowing even beginners to piece together combos and special moves with relative ease. Anyone who has played any Capcom fighting game before will feel at home with these tired and true controls. What really lets this game shine is how much fun it is to just sit down and play this game. Three character teams allow for a lot of trial and error when it comes to creating your own "perfect" team. Fighting is fierce and fast, constantly keeping you on your toes while also making this game a quick and easy pick-up. But what it all boils down to is two player action. Nothing beats finding a great, working team of characters that shutdown a friend's favorite team or unleashing your entire team's super moves on a defenseless player, turning the tide of a close battle. You can still have plenty of fun with this game alone, unlocking all the secrets, but once that is over, what keeps this product such a high level product is multi-player. As I said when I opened this review, I love this game. The Dreamcast version is slightly superior than this (or the X-Box version) for cleaner, less pixelated graphics and is slightly cheaper, making it the superior version. But that hardly makes this game worth any less than the $70+ it consistantly grabs on eBay for a complete copy. If you love 2D, over-the-top fighting, any of Capcom's other Vs. titles or are looking for a new multiplayer title, give this game a try! It will not disappoint!