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Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 Hands-on Preview For Playstation 3

Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes was first released for the Arcades in 2000 and later to home consoles (Sega Dreamcast in 2000, Playstation 2 in 2002 and Xbox in 2003). The crossover title became a cult classic among fighting fans as the price for used Xbox and Playstation 2 copies began to rise due to limited quantities.

Seeing the big demand for Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Capcom decided to port the game over to the Playstation Network of the Playstation 3 and Xbox Live Arcade of the Xbox 360. The enhanced port is being handled by Backbone Entertainment, the developers behind the critically-acclaimed and popular Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix. Can they give the same treatment to Marvel vs. Capcom 2? Find out in this hands-on preview of the Playstation Network version.

Story The game stars Ruby Heart. After sensing everything on Earth slowly dying, she summons the greatest warriors from the Marvel and Capcom universes to help save the world.

Graphics The port of Marvel vs. Capcom 2 includes widescreen support. In addition, you are given three different kinds of filters: classic, crisp and smooth. Even with the new features, the character sprites are pixilated and lacking in details especially in higher resolutions.

Sound Just like the original, the soundtrack in the upcoming port of Marvel vs. Capcom 2 features generic jazz music that doesn't really fit in. Fortunately, there is custom soundtrack support for the Playstation Network and Xbox Live Arcade versions.

Gameplay It must be noted that the Marvel vs. Capcom 2 port will be based on the Sega Dreamcast code, which was the closest version to the original Arcade game.

In total, Marvel vs. Capcom 2 has 56 playable fighters with the roster spilt between Marvel and Capcom. Notable characters include Captain America, Hulk, Iron Man, Spiderman and Wolverine from Marvel in addition to Chun-Li, Jill, Mega Man, Ryu and Strider from Capcom.All characters will be unlocked from the start with the port.

You have to pick a team of three fighters. While the fight remains one-on-one, you can call in other characters to assist or tag into the match as a replacement. While performing combos is easy, the real depth of the game comes in the team strategy in addition to spatial awareness.

Here is the control setup for Marvel vs. Capcom 2 on the Playstation 3: Left Analog and Directional Pad: move L1: Assist 1 R1: Assist 2 Circle: heavy kick X: light kick Square: light punch Triangle: heavy punch

Final Product The Playstation Network and Xbox Live Arcade port will include online play.

Thanks to the enhanced port, the classic fighting game can finally be experienced by the masses. Look for Marvel vs. Capcom 2 on the Playstation Store of the Playstation 3 and the Xbox Live Marketplace of the Xbox 360 this summer.