Martial arts for your mobile
by CJ Wheeler
Mobile gamers quickly learn to keep an eye on what’s popping up in their respective Store, but it’s rare that you come across an unexpected update of a classic.
12 years ago, Capcom teamed with Marvel to give us a console-based crossover for the ages: Marvel vs. Capcom 2. The day before The Avengers/Avengers Assemble went on general release in cinemas they brought the game to iPad and iPhone for £1.99.
Subtitled New Age of Heroes and actually the fourth game in the Marvel vs. Capcom series, Marvel vs. Capcom 2‘s been widely hailed as one of the best fighting games ever made. Can that kind of button-mashing ferocity ever work on a touchscreen?
Straight away, this port has a lot to live up to. We’ll go over controls in some detail so that you’re fully informed before you grab the game off the App Store. Pay close attention – you’re in for some good news.
As anyone who’s played a fighting game knows, the intro movie and opening screen have to be as cheesy as possible if the game’s going to be any good. Thankfully, MVSC2‘s abysmally groovy music and anime-style swooping visuals have been left intact. Those allergic to jazz fusion might want to forget about this one, but they’ll be missing out.
24 characters are playable in Arcade Mode at the start of the game. Another 32 can be unlocked – that’s 56 in total! It’s a choice that’s weighted towards Street Fighter and X-Men characters at first, but there are Capcom favourites like Resident Evil hottie Jill Valentine and several of the Avengers like Hulk and Captain America. A few other random characters were created specifically for the game like busty French pirate Ruby Heart and the strange, sombrero-clad cactus-man Amingo.
When it comes to the K.O. you know the drill by now. Each player has a Life bar – or ‘Vitality’ if you want to get all yoghurt advert about it – above their character’s side of the screen. There’s a Hyper Combo gauge below them that fills up while they lay the smack down. The standard combat is smooth, but special moves are what Marvel vs. Capcom is all about. Even the vanilla control schemes don’t take long to master, so you’ll soon be launching flaming zombies at Bruce Banner or webbing up the Sentinel of Liberty.
Capcom have handled the touchscreen predicament admirably by installing a button on the right-hand side of the display to cope with any and all special moves. Swipe left and right over an Assist button above the Special Move button to change between your three selected characters. Flicking or pressing left, right, up or down on either of these buttons launches individual and character-assisted special attacks. Each character has three types of assist to choose from. To the left of Assist and Special Move dongles are a Punch and a Kick button.
Over on the far left of the screen is the joystick. It’s also possible to manually drag the joystick and attack buttons placement around the screen to wherever satisfies you, which is great news for left-handed players. Et voila, you’re ready to play.
If you really can’t stand not being able to choose how hard you hit someone then congratulations, you’ve got a lot of restraint. There’s a 6-button alternative control layout just for you that’s accessible from the options screen. This control scheme lets players use a Light and Hard Punch and Kick next to two separate Character Assist buttons for when you want to call in back-up.
It was always going to be a bit hectic trying to thumb the controls on an iPhone, but iPad owners shouldn’t have any trouble. The help screen that tries to explain the control layout comes across as a sensory overload, so we advise plunging into the shallow end with the game’s Training Mode. Overlay transparency and screen orientation settings are in the Options Menu too, as are full lists of each character’s moves.
It’s not all sunshine and giggles though. There are a couple of problems with MVSC2. Capcom haven’t done a great job making the graphics sharp. It’s not a huge issue, as the matches themselves are slick enough, but it could be a little better to look at. Lack of multiplayer is the worst sin a beat’em up can commit, but thankfully there’s a VS mode. Unfortunately, it requires the two players to disable their wi-fi and be the only active Bluetooth connections in the area.
The Marvel vs. Capcom series has always been a treat for fans of comics too and this edition is no exception. UDON’s designs for the characters are brilliant, and watching maniacal egotist Dr. Doom getting his shiny metal backside kicked by a Japanese schoolgirl is worth the price alone. It’s also fun that the Marvel character roster is circa 2000, so former X-woman Marrow is playable from the start of the game and Wolverine has bone claws. It’s a nice flashback for those old enough to remember that kind of minutiae.
Marvel vs. Capcom 2 has been transferred over with a shockingly great control system. It’s worth the few quid Capcom is charging for it, particularly when compared to an unrealistic price for the iOS port of SoulCalibur. More fighting games for iOS could work easily using this scheme, so let’s hope some are on the horizon. The letdowns are fuzzy visuals and some finickity multiplayer requirements.
Can we have a port of Resident Evil 2 that’s this good please, Mr. Capcom?
Overworld Kiwami 