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Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes (a.k.a. Marvel vs. Capcom 2 or MvC2) is the fourth game of the Marvel vs. Capcom series of fighting games. With the (presumably) final installment of the series, Capcom simplified the engine so that it would be more accessible to casual players, in order to bring in new players, as interest in arcade fighting games had declined. Changes were made to the air combo system and the button configuration was trimmed down to 4 main buttons and 2 assist buttons. The game also features 3 on 3 tag, compared to the 2 on 2 tag from previous games in the series. It is the only game in the series to use the NAOMI system, which is used mostly for 3D games. It is mainly seen in this game in the backgrounds and system effects, as well as Abyss's sphere. Marvel vs. Capcom 2 was later ported to the Dreamcast, Xbox, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

The PlayStation 2 and Xbox ports of this game saw limited production for the Xbox and PlayStation 2 due to Capcom losing the Marvel license. While these versions are merely uncommon, high demand has caused their prices to skyrocket both in stores and online. Ironically, the Dreamcast version is the closest of the six home console ports to the arcade version, and at the same time, it is the cheapest due to a higher number of copies produced. The Dreamcast version is considered to be the most faithful conversion of the home console ports, likely due to the similarity between the Dreamcast and NAOMI arcade hardware. Although the Xbox version is on the backward compatibility list for the Xbox 360, it suffers from slow downs and broken character sprites when played on the 360.

This is the first Marvel vs. Capcom game without character-specific endings, as one will get the same end, regardless of the characters one uses or how quickly one defeats the final opponent.

Story[]

Two years after the battle against Onslaught, peace in the planet Earth was restored until a mysterious entity named Abyss shrouded the atmosphere with his dark energy. It was consumed within a sphere that the being was holding close to him; With his immense strength, it blew passed a desert and the plant life was also ruined. A pirate known as Ruby Heart discovered the energy and warned the heroes and villains from the two camps who were fighting amongst themselves. Together, they must stop this new nemesis before the Earth and the universe is destroyed by Abyss' terrible power. In the end of the battle, the heroes and villains make a truce while taking a joy cruise on Ruby Heart's ship flying through the skies of the Earth; She holds the orb in her hand then casts it into the sea, thus seeing the last of Abyss and closing the rivalry between Marvel and Capcom.

Gameplay[]

The gameplay is the same as the previous games, however, players can now select three fighters from the roster of Marvel and Capcom characters. Each character has at least one super combo and the entire team shares a single super meter. The characters can draw on this (at a minimum cost of one super meter level) to perform their super combos or other special super moves. Control is similar to the previous Vs. games, which itself derives from the Street Fighter games, except that the screen is now wider. The major difference is that instead of three punch/kick attack strength, there are only two (similar to the SNK-style format), with the last two buttons being replaced by assist buttons. Most often, a weak attack can chain two different hits. The second is the medium attack which was featured in the previous games. The player can also call in an off-screen character to do a selected special move by pressing the corresponding assist button. Each character has three assist types which cause them to execute different special moves (or in some cases, a regular move); this is chosen before the match. The player can call an assist at any time, and the assist character is vulnerable to attack or even knock out. The characters also receive double damage than normal when attacked during an assist, but will be able to recover all the health lost for as long as they remain unplayed. Marvel vs. Capcom 2 introduces the ability to force an opponent's teammate into the fight with a move commonly called a "snapback", which requires one super meter to execute. The character will flash for a moment and do a normal attack which will knock the opponent out of the playing field if it's not blocked. If successful, the current character will be knocked out of play and the next available partner will enter the fight on their behalf. If the move connects with both the active and an assist character, it introduces the possibility of the assist character being knocked out without the opponent being able to defend him/her. The arcade version features an "experience" system which unlocks hidden characters after a certain number of experience points are earned. This system was removed in the console versions in favor of the "Secret Factor" menu, where the player can buy hidden characters, backgrounds, and artworks using points (earned through normal playing). In the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 version, all characters are unlocked from the start.

The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions are based on the Dreamcast code base and features Online Multiplayer, using the online system from Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, as well as widescreen support. It also features an optional graphics filter, using 2x or 3x bilinear filtering for smoother or crisper graphics. These versions also allow custom soundtracks, for those not keen on the game's jazz-like soundtrack. Capcom will be releasing a hip-hop mixtape on their websites around the release of the game, and are said to be currently exploring options for distributing it through the respective console's services.

Characters[]

The game has 56 playable characters including both returning and new characters from both Marvel and Capcom. Original playable characters, Ruby Heart, SonSon, and Amingo, and original antagonist Abyss, were also added to the Capcom side.

Port[]

Marvel vs. Capcom 2 was later ported to the Dreamcast, Xbox, and PlayStation 2. The PlayStation 2 and Xbox ports of this game saw a limited print run due to Capcom losing the Marvel license. While these versions are merely uncommon, high demand has caused their prices to skyrocket both in stores and online.

On April 27, 2009, Marvel and Capcom jointly announced that the game would be coming to the Xbox 360 through Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation 3 through the PlayStation Store, with online multiplayer the summer of 2009.[14] A demo was released on April 30 exclusively for the PlayStation Network. The full version of the game was released July 29, 2009, for Xbox Live Arcade and August 13, 2009, for the PlayStation Network to fairly positive reviews. The Xbox Live Arcade and PSN version was developed by Foundation 9 and is based on the Dreamcast version. Capcom has stated that they are unable to release the game on Wii due to licensing restrictions (they can only release it as a downloadable title) and WiiWare's filesize restrictions.

Changes for the PS3 and Xbox 360 Version include three different filters for sprites, Smooth, Crisp, and Classic. The game can also be displayed in widescreen format, though the gameplay has not been changed, and is still restricted to the standard square playable area. Since the game was originally designed with a 4:3 ratio in mind, some of the sprites are cut off in the widescreen format. The opening 'attract' screen has been removed, and the menus have been updated. There are multiplayer lobbies, with online play, as well as the ability to spectate matches while waiting to play. There is no longer a process for unlocking characters, their colors, or extra stages, as they are all available from the start. Several characters on the selection screen are also moved to slightly different locations. In addition, in Xbox 360 and PS3 versions, the "Dash" move can no longer be set as one button but must be done manually making combinations with certain characters significantly more difficult than in older versions. The general feeling is that this was done in order to attract a wider audience to online play instead of only high level players.

It was announced that the game will be released on the Apple App Store on April 25, 2012. There’s a new feature called “Variable System” that allows the player to tag in other team members at any time or when needed, execute the most powerful attack – “Team Hyper Combo,” where all three selected members of a team combine their ultimate powers and attack the opponent. It will be compatible with the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. However, the app has since been delisted and is unavailable.

On August 5, 2022, Arcade1Up revealed a Marvel vs. Capcom 2 arcade cabinet during the 2022 Evolution Championship Series. The cabinet will include Wi-Fi connectivity for online multiplayer, as well as other games, including Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes, Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter, X-Men vs. Street Fighter, Marvel Super Heroes, X-Men: Children of the Atom, X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse, and Marvel Super Heroes in War of the Gems.

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

  • This is the first game in the series to feature an all-new and original villain boss character that is not from any existing Marvel or Capcom universes. The other similar instance is in Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, with the boss character Ultron Sigma.
  • Unlike the previous games, which displayed the names of the winning fighters when the battle was over, this game reverted to the more traditional "You Win" and "You Lose" messages that are used in the Street Fighter games and Vampire Savior: The Lord of Vampire/Vampire Savior 2/Darkstalkers 3, whereas for 2-player games, the game would say, "1P Win" and 2P Win," depending on which player won. 11 years later, Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds would continue this tradition, albeit changing "1P Win" and "2P Win" to "Player 1 Wins" and "Player 2 Wins," respectively.
  • The "I'm Gonna Take You For a Ride" song, which was used as the background music for the character selection screen in this game, became a hit with gamers, and was brought back and remixed for Marvel vs. Capcom 3 during the game's 10th year anniversary, and reused as the background music for the character selection screen for the game's training mode. In addition, the game's announcer references it by saying, "Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is here! I'm gonna take you on a wild ride!"
  • Marvel vs. Capcom 2 holds a total number of 56 selectable fighters in the Marvel vs. Capcom series, whereas Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 holds a total of 50 selectable fighters, (48 in the starter pack, plus 2 more DLC heroes.)
  • This game holds the most number of characters that carries 4 or more Hyper Combos. There are 12 characters in all and they are: Jin, Hayato, Ruby Heart, Anakaris, Akuma, Dan, Sakura, Zangief, Spiral, Silver Samurai, Thanos and Wolverine.
  • The artwork in-game (For both Character Select and the Hyper Combo Portrait) was made by Bengus/CRMK. That artstyle has become famous worldwide, making some fans tries to emulate the style but with characters who didn't appear in any VS. Crossover game. Those artworks can be found also in the book "Marvel VS. Capcom: Official Complete Works".
  • There's a little confusion about the staff roll ending music. There's no any difference between the Japanese and occidental version, that means, the music never changed. This is because some people believed the Japanese version (not mentioned if was the consoles or the naomi board version) have a different music for the staff roll, a music by the J-POP worldwide known Ayumi Hamasaki, called Audience. No official information was revealed about this relation, and the singer itself never stated anything about it, but it seems to be a mistaken information because of an old video who shows a soundtrack modded version of MvC2 who plays that song at ending.
  • The line up from the Arcade and pre-7th generation console versions (including mobile version) are different. From the console version: Jill, Tron Bonne, Sakura, Rogue, Psylocke and Wolverine (X-Men vs. Street Fighter style) are giving a total of 24 selectable fighters. Whereas from the Arcade version: Jin, Morrigan, Captain Commando, B.B.Hood, Akuma, Gambit, Juggernaut, Magneto, Shuma-Gorath and Wolverine (Marvel vs.Capcom style) are giving a total of 28 selectable fighters.
  • This was the last game in the series in which players could beat up their last unconscious opponent after winning the match. From Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds going forward, the player could no longer do this; in Marvel vs. Capcom 3, players could continue to perform attacks for a short time, but they would no longer make contact with the opponent; once the opponent's body touches the ground, the body stays down, and cannot be popped back up.
  • This game is supposed to return in EVO 2020 for likely anniversary purposes. Unfortunately, the EVO 2020 was cancelled and likely change to a later date, due to various incidents, such as COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Like many other games in the series, it has its own sets of exploits and infinite combos often seen in competitive play.
    • One notorious infinite combo are seen in Iron Man and Magneto.
    • A glitch in snapback allows a character to be infinitely trapped into a nonstop bounce, commonly exploited by Storm and Magneto players. This happens if the character is hit simultaneously during a snapback attack and a normal attack, resulting in the deadly character trap.
  • Anita (Marvel Super Heroes) and Norimaru (Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter) are the only previously playable characters in the Marvel vs. Capcom universe that are not palate swaps of other character to not to appear in the game.
  • Ryu's promotional advertising artworks in 7th-generation ports for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 is incorrectly being drawn in Street Fighter III incarnation.

Also See[]

External links[]

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