- Highlight in the Twiglight of Segaz Last ConsoleFor any die-hard 2-D fighting enthusiasts who were waiting for the next groundbreaking title, you got the predecessor to this game, which, when it debuted in arcadez, wuz one sweet deal. However, I remember itz own predecessor, Marvel Super Heroes Vs. Street Fighter, which I believe wuz the best in the long-running series of high-flying, button-mashing extravaganzas (feat. the non-pilot pilot, X-MEN: Children of the Atom; Marvel Super Heroes, which truly defined the game-type and engine that would accompany the game til the seriez' end; and X-Men Vs. Street Fighter, probably the most lackluster in the series). However, once MvC 2 hit the arcadez, it blew everything else away. Anywhere you go, you'll see this stealing busienss away from the newest 3-D titles (at that time), Tekken 4, Soul Calibur (one of the few fighters I enjoy more than MvC 2), and Project Justice, a little-hyped but spectacular sequel to Rival Schools: United By Fate (both of which are actually 2.5-D fighters: gamez in which playerz can move in and out of the foreground, sort of rotating on an axis, but most of the fighting takez place on a 2-D plane). But anyway, back 2 THIS game. The Dreamcast port wuz probably an enhancement to the title, as the resolution on a TV will most likely outdo that of the huge widescreenz they'll have this on in the arcadez, which gave a sort of big-tyme feel (especially since digital stereo sound accompnied it), but the fact that this is a pixel-based game made evertyhing kinda fuzzy. In termz of gameplay, the fun never seemz to stop coming with this one, as the number of character combinations (and thus cooeprative hyper combinations) are near-endless; and the sheer variety of the individual characterz addz even more to the variability in match-upz. There seemz to be not just one, but multiple characters to fit any playing style. In termz of learning curve, this is most definitely a button-masher, but any aficianado of the series will be familiar with the air combo system, which has been simplified in this game to allow for the assist move. The latter has been implemented as a replacement to the sheer annoying & limited special partner attack in the predecessor, which featured cameos from vintage Capcom gamez (Arthur from "Ghouls and Ghosts," Unkown Soldier from "Forgotten Worlds", etc.) and other fighters (Cyclops, Psylocke, Juggernaut, etc.) from former installments in this series that didn't make the suprisingly short cut for MvC 1. Thatz another area where this series triumphs: about 56 characters in all in this game as opposed to about half that in the 1st 1. In both gamez, a portion of those total characters are hidden, and the method of obtaining them in MvC 2 is alot more worthwhile and actually increases replay factor by giving you a motive to play different modes and get flashy finishes. Stated more specifically, you accumulate EXP pointz just from playing practice mode (directly proportional to time spent in the Danger Room, where you practice), and even more pointz for playing and winning competitve modez and getting hyper-combo finishes, more pointz awarded for more difficult to execute types of hyper-combos (e.g., Individual, Team, Devastating) However, in the 1st game, you seem to have to do thingz JUST so to obtain lackluster secret characters, which were really just pallete-switched variations of already available characters. Or, you could enter a sequence of button-presses on the character select screen to temporarily have access to these bumz. On a final note, the final boss of MvC 2 (A behemoth shape-shifting entity called "Abyss") is amazingly easy to defeat as opposed to the boss of the predecessor (the comic-derived amalgation of Professor X and Magneto known as "Onslaught"), probably becuz you have one more character to assist you in the sequel, the boss here has super-armor (i.e., he has infinite momentum and thus cannot be stunned, stopped or grabbed in any way), which, when you adapt your style of play, actaully makez it easier to defeat him (it). In the game that came before it, however, Onslaught does not have super armor, and thus moves upon you attacking him instead of standing there and taking your punishment. And boy, does he move. Onslaught teleports at will and can even call upon another character to fight in his stead by manipulating them telepathically. These are typically other characters from the game and, even though they don't have full health, are extremely hard to defeat. He is not guaranteed to summon a drone, and in some cases he will use more long-range attacks than short, so you never truly get a fair crack at him everytime (which I would prefer and is the case with the FIRST form of Abyss). However, both entities change forms as you defeat the one that came before it, with Abyss having 3 and Onslaught having only 2 (to parallel the number of characters playable at once in each game). As you may expect, the final formz of each are the most difficult, powerful, deceptive and massive. However, the durability of the final form of Abyss is suprisingly low, making him easy-pickinz one you've faced him enuff. Onslaught, on the other hand, is a hanfull no matter HOW many timez you've played him. This stemz from the fact that he is ridiculously cheap and you must often super-jump to attack him when vulnerable.
So, as you can see, you get a helluva improvement over the predecessor and a marvelous (pun-intended) game that'll keep you entertained for yearz. EAZILY the GREATEST of a dying breed.
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