In retrospect, MVC2 is surely one of the best 2D fighting games of all time. It is the ultimate cross-over fighting game, mixing the awesome worlds of Marvel & Capcom together in an all out brawl. With the exception of boss characters, every Marvel character to ever grace a Capcom fighting game is selectable, and of course a few handfuls of old favorites from the Capcom world (including some brand new ones) have joined the roster for a grand total of 56 characters in all!


The 3-on-3 tag team gameplay is unlike anything seen in any other game, and is a true delicacy. It could be summed up as "Street Fighter to the extreme," and has a lasting appeal that so few fighting games could ever hope for. MvC2 gives you the ultimate freedom of creativity... players form a team of 3 characters and select an "assist" technique for each individual character; opening up a seemingly endless amount of combo possibilities. Each character has 3 assist types, which can make or break your team's defense, offense, combos... and maybe even "coolness factor". That said, Marvel VS Capcom 2 is a game that just never goes out of style.

 

 

MVC2 is an incredibly fast-paced game, even faster than the prequels which were known for their speed. It's one of the fastest fighting games ever, requiring nothing less than top-notch reaction time & hand-eye coordination. A high level match probably can't even be followed visually by non-players! Sometimes there's so much going on at once that high-level gameplay from skilled players may possibly look like button mashing to "oblivious" onlookers. However, a truly skilled player of this game can feel "in control" of his entire team at all times; and ultimately his opponent's team as well. The gameplay is amazingly fun to watch when two skilled players go at it, and even more-so to play. Why? Tag-team assists during the fight (which can be punished/combo'd), super move cancels, triple tag team supers, huge combos, and even infinite combos; which both make and break this game at the same time. The open-ended combo system is the best aspect about the game, and it's what truly makes MvC2 stand out from the crowd.


When Marvel VS Capcom 2 first came out, it was pretty much "god-like" among all other fighting games (and still is to some).... Later down the road, there were indeed some "cheap" infinite combos and corner traps that were discovered by high level players. Certain teams in MvC2 can easily be considered over-powered, and the top tier characters of the game are quite difficult to beat with less powerful characters... but it can be done if you have the skills. Even though the game isn't balanced, as some characters are leagues better than others, it's still fun... why? Because even a team of low tier characters who have solid chemistry, when under the control of expert hands, can beat a top tier team of of an upper-mid or even high level player, where victory becomes the ultimate satisfaction. It's truly a beautiful thing when the underdogs win.

 

 

Other flaws besides balance? Not many. I always wondered why the character walking animations appeared "choppy" right before the fight begins. The animation in this game is definitely above average, but why do characters have to look like they're "skating" across the stage before the fight? It never made sense to me, but it doesn't really matter. I've heard hundreds, no, thousands of people complain about the "jazzy" music of MvC2, but one can't deny the catchiness of many of the music tracks. Although, when you've heard the character selection BGM over and over and over... and over times infinity... it does become very old, and you may even begin to form a hatred for that female jazz singer. lol. Thankfully the PS3/360 versions of the game allow you to play the game with your own soundtrack using the mp3's on your system. Awesome.


I was ecstatic when I heard MvC2 was confirmed for the next gen consoles, complete with graphic filters which nicely smooth out the 2D sprites, as well as the long awaited online mode! MvC2 online is straight forward, though a bit short on features... the battle room layout also could've been designed a bit better and have given us more options, but at least the netcode is solid enough to allow players from across the globe to enjoy MvC2 online with minimal lag. As in any online fighting game, it's always a treat to play against other players that you never would've gotten a chance to play in real life. As expected, there are indeed a lot of noobs online, but once you make some friends in skilled players, it's like playing at the arcade all over again... just a bit less personal, and far more crybabies. lol. MvC2 is one of those games where the effectiveness & power of the characters/teams really depends on the player's skill level, as you'll find out by playing online. (Low tier teams FTW!)

 

 

Love it or hate it, Marvel VS Capcom 2 is a behemoth of a fighting game and introduced some of the most unique & enjoyable gameplay elements ever seen in a fighting game (still to this day). It's still one of the most fun fighting games ever created (especially if you know how to play it on a high level). There's no story mode, no adventure mode, no exciting extras (besides unlocking characters and stages in the beginning), but who needs 'em... this is a "fighting game" made for fighting gamers, and it delivers. Hardcore Street Fighter players play Street Fighter for one reason and one reason only: to experience the game with other skilled players, and to punish any noobs if any cross their path... and we all know that MvC2 allows skilled players to punish noobs in ways they could never have dreamed of... it's a beautiful thing.

 

Page Updated: April 19th, 2020 Developer(s): Capcom,  Backbone  (PSN/XBLA versions) Publisher(s): Capcom Artwork by: Bengus Platform(s): Arcade, Dreamcast, PS2, PS3 (PSN), Xbox, Xbox 360 (XBL), iOS Release Date(s): February 2000                     Arcade Mar. 30th, 2000                   Dreamcast June 29th, 2000                   Dreamcast July 16th, 2000                     Dreamcast Sept. 19th, 2002                  PS2 / Xbox Nov. 19th, 2002                   PS2 Nov. 29th, 2002                   PS2 / Xbox Mar. 30th, 2003                   Xbox July 29th, 2009                  XBLA Aug. 13th, 2009                 PSN Apr. 25th, 2012                 iOS Characters:  Ryu, Chun-Li, Guile, Jill Valentine, Charlie, Felicia, B.B. Hood, Akuma, Zangief, Cammy, Servbot, Sakura, Anakaris, Amingo, Son Son, Ruby Heart, Hayato, Tron Bonne, Dhalsim, M. Bison, Ken Masters, Dan Hibiki, Roll, Morrigan, Captain Commando, Mega Man, Strider Hiryu, Spider-Man, Jin Saotome, Cable, Marrow, Captain America, Venom, Hulk, Gambit, War Machine, Wolverine, Omega Red, Rogue, Cyclops, Shuma-Gorath, Sentinel, Iron Man, Juggernaut, Magneto, Psylocke, Iceman, Storm, Dr. Doom, Silver Samurai, Thanos, Sabretooth, Blackheart, Spiral, Colossus, Abyss Featured Video: Related Games: X-Men: Children of the Atom, Marvel Super Heroes, X-Men VS Street Fighter, Marvel Super Heroes VS Street Fighter, Marvel VS Capcom, Marvel VS Capcom 3, Ultimate Marvel VS Capcom 3, Marvel VS Capcom: Infinite, Capcom VS SNK, Capcom VS SNK 2, Tatsunoko VS Capcom    Gameplay Engine  9.5 / 10 Story / Theme  8.5 / 10 Overall Graphics  9.0 / 10 Animation  8.5 / 10 Music / Sound Effects  7.5 / 10 Innovation  10 / 10 Art Direction  9.5 / 10 Customization  9.0 / 10 Options / Extras  7.5 / 10 Intro / Presentation  8.0 / 10 Replayability / Fun  10 / 10 "Ouch" Factor  9.5 / 10 Characters  10 / 10 BOTTOM LINE 9.5 / 10  Review based on Dreamcast version       Final Words: The culmination of Capcom's highly successful Marvel VS series (which started back in 1996), Marvel VS Capcom 2 made a statement in arcades of the early 2000's (lasting for many years to come). On a personal note, I met a lot of cool people through playing MVC2 at arcades and tournaments back in the day (including one of my best friends). Good times... good times indeed. Over a decade after the original release, Marvel 2 is still "The Shit". Very few fighting games come close to MVC2 in terms of fun, gameplay, and flashiness. I think one of the things I love most about MVC2 is the speed... it's probably the fastest fighting game in existence, especially when compared to many fighting games nowadays. No doubt MVC2 was, and still is one of the most enjoyable 2D fighting games for casual players and skilled players alike. For high level players, the tournament scene is a little different, as "cheap" (as they say) tactics are used to dominate, and assists can be abused for chip damage, which lead to inescapable traps... A lot of people still complain about the traps & balance issues of this game, but the fact that skilled players can do those sorts of things makes it impressive in its own right. In what other game can you do crazy triangle jump rush down combos or 15 second long corner traps (besides MVC3)? Exactly... good times if you ask me. True, MVC2 is "unbalanced" but I think that's what Capcom intended to do in the first place. The imbalance of the game makes it fun. And don't forget, low-tier characters can be used effectively and are still very fun to play, especially when you can beat a top tier team. MVC2 made an epic return on PSN & XBLA in Summer of 2009, finally offering online play... we had to wait nine long years to for online matches, but thankfully it was worth it (mostly). The netcode is fairly solid on both PSN & XBLA, and playing other skilled players across the globe is particularly fun in a game like MVC2. There are many skilled players out there and clever new teams & tactics to test your skills against. For the record, I love playing "low tier" teams online with other skilled low-tier users, but I'm always up for mixing it up and going all out with "tournament style" teams as well. After an entire decade of support for Marvel VS Capcom 2 from the loyal players, Capcom brought back the Marvel VS series in 2011 with MVC3 and Ultimate MVC3. While the MVC3 series looks awesome and has some pretty cool new elements, I have say... I still prefer playing MVC2 any day of the week. Check out my MVC3 reviews if you want to find out why.  ~TFG Webmaster   Click here for all posters / box art!                                Click here for all character art!                                                                   Click here for all MVC2 ending art!                                          Click here for all VS screen art!