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Marvel vs. Capcom 2

2004

As Brett Stone will tell you:  "Marvel vs. Capcom 2" has the worst intro music of all time.

But, there is a fighting game somewhere behind that, and that game is a lot of fun, but only in Versus mode.  The single player game, like most fighting games, just doesn't have the same level of interaction since the cold, calculating computer isn't up to whooping you like a friend will be.

Brett and I played this a number of times at a local arcade near our offices in San Francisco, and after Brett picked up the home version, I had to check it out.  The fun part about "MVC2", and the worst part for fighting game enthusiasts, is that the game really can be picked up quickly by novices, and combos can easily be strung together.  The game, essentially "Tekken Tag Tournament" with 3-on-3 teams made up of superheroes, other comic characters and characters from other Capcom videogames, is almost ridiculous in its combos--there are times when you can have all three of your characters on screen at the same time delivering the pain, and we like that a bunch.

The characters make the game a ton of fun--over 50 in the home version, from Captain America to Mega Man to Spider-Man to Ken/Ryu from the "Street Fighter" games...hell, you could even play as the lead female character from one of the "Resident Evil" games, which of course is just ridicurrous.  Sure, it doesn't make sense that Wolverine would fight against Chun Li, but doesn't it look cool?!

Like I said, the game can turn into a lot of button mashing, and the single-player version isn't too sexy.  But, for a fun party-fighting game, "MVC2" works.

Rating:  $40

 

Feedback?  Comments?  Hot doughnut tip?  justin@bellviewmovies.com

 

Bellview Rating System:

"Opening Weekend":  Buy this game right away, and don't ask me any questions as to why that's a good move.  A game experience that will almost guarantee repeated controller abuse, lots of ManScreaming and high resale value, you will assuredly play this bad boy for months on end. 

"$40":  Usually after games have been out for a while, they drop in price slightly, or can be bought for slightly cheaper in combination with other new games.  Usually, that's about $40.  You'll feel good getting the game for this price, since it isn't quite run-out-and-get-it-right-now good, but it has enough game in the box for a few weeks' worth of enjoyment.

"eBay":  This game is not too bad, but you'd be better off buying it used from either half.com or eBay.  You also might let a friend buy this game, let s/he beat it, and then try to buy it from them to make them feel better.  Yes, this does tend to feel like "Sloppy Seconds."

"Rental":  Like my cousin Ron, you should always rent games that you aren't sure about first, to make sure that your $50 is going towards something worthwhile.  For games in this category, this is the maximum amount of money ($5) and/or time (3-5 days) you'll need to either gain satisfaction from the game, or beat the game in its entirety.  Rental-rated games are also sometimes perfect for a weekend when you are going to be at home on your ass, with some time to kill.

"Dogshit":  Games like this should have never been released.  If you play this game for any reason, you will regret every second of the experience.  Further, if you can get this game for free, don't do it, because even for FREE, it will still be a negative experience for you!