Capcom sure took their time with one of the world's most renowned fighters, but it's finally here.  We've all been waiting for the masterpiece that is Street Fighter EX 3 for what seems like eons.  Just kidding.  The real star of the show is the second game in a fabulous 2D fighting series called, Marvel Vs. Capcom.  This fast-paced 2D fighter was a hit in the arcades towards the beginning of the new millennium, due to its incredible depth and beefy character roster.  Quite a bit of skill is necessary to master this character-swapping fighter, but it's also easy enough that a newbie can have fun mashing buttons for a few rounds.  Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 was such a well regarded fighting game that Capcom decided to release it on all three last-gen systems: the Xbox, PS2, and Gamecube.  Unfortunately for fighting fans, these games fetch nearly one-hundred dollars on Ebay, so for most people, it's out of reach unless you wanna live on the streets.  Due to the high price tag and love of the game, fighting game fans pleaded with Capcom to throw them a bone.  They responded by making it available for fifteen dollars on Xbox Live and the Playstation Network.

Several years have passed since Marvel Vs. Capcom 2's initial release, so many of you are likely wondering whether the game is as played out as Ryu's Hadouken.  Thankfully, Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 has weathered the storm.  The graphics haven't been completely redone like Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, but they've been reformatted to fit on modern HD displays.  Thankfully, this new widescreen format doesn't ruin the gameplay.  Sometimes with widescreen conversions, the timing of moves can be altered, but thankfully this isn't the case here.  Capcom was also kind enough to give us three different display options.  One is the classic mode you used to see in the arcade, and the default mode (which is what I used) smoothes out the edges, so the game looks less pixilated.  In practice, I didn't notice much of a difference between the two, but regardless of what mode is used, the graphics have aged fairly well.

What is particularly amazing about Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 is its huge character roster.  You'll find many Street Fighter favorites such as "Barbie Doll" Ken, "Thunder-Thighs" Chun Li, and "Large Posterior" Cammy, but the real stars of the show (at least for comic book fans) are do-gooders like Ironman, Spiderman, and notorious villains like Magneto and Venom (of Spider-Man 3 fame).  In addition to several members of the standard Street Fighter crew, some brawlers from the Street Fighter Alpha series make an appearance.  Not only that, but Capcom reached into their back catalog and included characters like Jill Valentine, Mega Man, the hero of Strider, and a few others that I've never heard of.  Capcom brings forth a sizeable crew, but it's dwarfed by Marvel's enormous roster.  You'll find many common superheroes in addition to less famous ones like Gambit.  If you can't find a character that suits you among a fifty-plus character roster, you've got issues (beyond not eating your broccoli as a kid).

Enough about the characters.  What makes Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 special?  Well, it's famous for its incredible depth, fast-paced gameplay, and character swapping system.  As in most fighting games, each character knows several different moves: you've got basic attacks including light and heavy punches and light and heavy kicks, you have access to a repertoire of special abilities that are executed by sweeping the joystick (or d-pad) in circular motions or by moving up and down, and there are also charge attacks.  Besides these moves, you can execute throws, aerial combos, and you're able to block and roll with ease.  If you're not familiar with 2D fighters post-Street Fighter II, you'll also notice that each character has a set of super moves.  Besides your life bar, which is located at the top of the screen, you'll find a special meter that can build up five levels.  It increases every time you get hit or successfully execute an attack.  Once it's full, you can execute a character's super moves, usually by holding the light and heavy punch buttons and moving the joystick a certain direction, or by holding light and heavy kick and aiming the joystick.  I'm sure this sounds daunting for those not used to fighting games, but wait, there's more.

Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 also features character-swapping gameplay.  What do I mean by that?  Well, before each round, you choose three characters.  The first character you pick will be the first to enter battle, while the other two can be swapped in at anytime.  When calling in other characters, you have the option to call them temporarily to execute an attack while your main character is on screen, or you can replace your other character for a longer duration if necessary.  Swapping characters in an out is important, because sometimes you can corner opponents or attack them from a direction the opposite of which they're facing.  Character swapping is also handy when a character's life is low.  By taking a character out of battle, she can regain life equal to the part of her life bar that is red.  Also, each character has different super moves, so it's important to switch in the ideal character for certain situations.  If your super move bar is built up past level three, you can execute a combination attack with the entire party simply by holding down both assist buttons (shoulder buttons on the standard Xbox360 controller).

Wait, there is more to the complicated details.  Before entering a fight, you can select between three fighting modes for each character.  I'm a fighting game rookie, so I'm not familiar with all the details, but some characters for example can choose between strengthened throws, strengthened aerial attacks, or better assist abilities.  Also, certain characters like Jill Valentine have healing abilities, so it's important to take that into consideration before you enter battle.

For a fighting game virgin, Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 is rather difficult, but with a little patience, you'll soon get used to the fast-paced fighting engine.  Thankfully, there is a Training Mode available to accommodate rookies.  While in training (or any other mode), you can simply press start to look up your moves.  The only opportunity to progress from being a button masher is by practicing in Training.  Still, don't be surprised if you mash some buttons once you start fighting real opponents.

I learned various moves before entering the actual Arcade Mode, and I still found myself mashing buttons at times when on the defensive.  Oftentimes, I'd quickly execute special moves, but then I'd find myself repeatedly performing low or high attacks until I could find another weaknesses.  I'd also regularly swap characters in on-the-fly to regain health and alter my super moves.  Even on the easy difficulty setting (the lowest of the four difficulty levels), I found Arcade Mode to be a challenge.  I had tried out each of the game's fifty-six characters by the time I'd finished Arcade Mode.  Thankfully, by that time, I found a set of characters that I was comfortable with.  The final boss with his three forms was quite cheap, but I managed to beat him with Spiderman, the Hulk, and Ironman.  I found Spiderman useful because he's quite mobile and has a set of easy-to-execute special moves; I enjoyed using the Hulk because of his powerful Hulk Smash, and Ironman was useful for his long-range special attacks.  The boss of the game is quite ridiculous, so you need to exploit his weaknesses at every opportunity.

The single-player stuff is standard fighting game fare, but the real meat of the game lies with the online gameplay.  Despite having a poor connection that often fails, I ended up having a blast online.  I encountered no lag whatsoever in any of my matches, and actually managed to win a few rounds, despite being a fighting game rookie.  The online system isn't feature packed, but at least the Ranked and Player Matches run at a brisk pace.  If I hadn't logged online, I wouldn't have been able to tell that I was fighting a live opponent.  Only gamertags above the players reminded me that I was in cyberspace.  This is quite an accomplishment considering that six characters can be on-screen at once.  Even with all the special effects and impressively animated 2D graphics of Marvel Vs. Capcom 2, there is no hint of lag.  Once I get a better Internet connection (hopefully next week), I'll certainly be playing more.

Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 might seem a bit expensive for $15 considering that the visuals weren't redone, but downloading this game on-the-cheap is certainly a better alternative than investing in a $100 copy for last-gen systems.  Besides, the visuals don't look all that dated anyway, especially with widescreen support.  The huge character sprites still look crisp, and will likely blow away fans of 2D games.  It's a shame that the music is forgettable unlike the visuals, but hey, you'll be too busy pressing buttons to notice.  If you love competing with fellow fighting game fans online, or even if you're new to the fighting genre, Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 is the game to get.  It's quite technical, but with a huge character roster of superheroes and Street Fighter vets, all with moves that are easy to execute, anyone can have a blast.  I'll see you online!

Score: 9.0

Pros:

• Lag-free online gameplay (even if you have a poor connection)
• Huge roster of Marvel superheroes and villains
• Many classic Street Fighter and Street Fighter Alpha characters return
• Impressive 2D visuals, despite not being redone
• Widescreen display mode doesn't negatively affect gameplay
• Move lists are easy to access
• The game works fine with a d-pad (but a joystick is recommended)
• Most moves are easy to execute
• An incredible amount of gameplay depth

Cons:

• I've heard better elevator music
• Opponents in Arcade Mode are cheap
• The final boss is unbalanced
• There are several different button combinations to remember
• Character-swapping takes some getting used to
• The well of rookie players will probably dry up soon, so enjoy it while you can