REVIEW:
MVC2 exploded
into arcades in the year 2000, receiving an incredibly positive response from
arcade-goers and fighting game fans alike. The arcade version launched with 24
playable characters (a roster which would eventually expand to 56). When
the MVC2 arcade machine first came out, the machine would gain experience
points by tokens inserted (10 pts per token) or time passing (100 pts every
three hours). As EXP points built up, characters and bonus character colors
would eventually unlock. (That means if MVC2 was popular at your arcade,
characters would be unlocked faster). This EXP system kept players coming back
to the arcade to play MVC2 (if the epic gameplay wasn't
enough), and surely played a part in keeping the game fresh and exciting in
its early years.
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.
It's Mahvel baby!!!
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.
Nothing beats high-level
matches with low-tier characters.
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!!!)
One of the best character
rosters of ALL TIME.
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.
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
That said,
Marvel VS Capcom 2 is a game that just never goes out of style.
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.
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.
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.
Dreamcast)
Dreamcast)
Dreamcast)
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. 
