Marvel vs. Capcom 2

Marvel vs. Capcom 2? Isn?t this like the 50th version of this game?

One really can?t penalize a fighting game engine that works?even if it?s been seemingly used a million times. Despite Marvel vs. Capcom 2?s redundant play engine, it?s still engaging for fighting-game and comic-book fans alike.

Old School and New Fools
Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is the biggest and flashiest of the franchise fighters. More than 50 characters fill the roster, which sounds like a ?who?s who? of the fighting game universe. Aside from the regular Street Fighter and Darkstalker crowd are several newcomers to the brawling scene, such as Resident Evil?s Jill Valentine and Mega Man?s Tron Bonne.

The game?s biggest strength is the three-on-three tag-team battles, where you can switch between brawlers during a fight or call all three onscreen at once for a fantastic beatdown. Fights are fast and furious, and there?s no shortage of splashy, flashy special effects. Among the various console incarnations of MVC2, the Xbox version looks the best. There?s no shortage of special effects, which frequently pack the screen and never suffer from slowdown or other eyesores. The sprite 2D graphics do perfect justice to the characters?especially the Marvel fighters, who look as if they just jumped off the pulp page. Although the audio effects shine throughout, what?s up with the smoky jazz-music soundtrack?

Heroic Fighter
MVC2?s flash overshadows its substance as the play engine is looser and less precise than that of titles in, say, the Capcom vs. SNK series. Balance is another sticking point since some characters are lopsided: Some teams are incredibly powerful (you can pretty much demolish any adversaries with Storm, Sentinel, and Cable), and gang-up combos frequently cause triple-digit damage. Just do yourself a huge favor and play this one with the Controller S.

Fighting fans seeking an engaging 2D brawler will probably find no finer contest than MVC2. However, if you played the other versions to death, you?ll find little new content here.

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