I honestly can’t believe we’ve finally reached this milestone, 20 years of MAHVEL Baby! Today is the 20th anniversary of Marvel vs. Capcom 2. The fighting game that marked it’s placed amongst the legends of fighting game history. Marvel vs Capcom 2 was released in a time where 2D fighting games were approaching its lowest point despite the technical achievements made during the previous years.
For many, this is often regarded as the peak of the Marvel vs Capcom series. Personally, Marvel 2 is a culmination of the entire franchise at this point bringing together the entire cast of characters from X-men: Children of the Atom through Marvel vs Capcom 1. Not only in the roster, but previous mechanics from previous returns yet simplified which originally caused some controversy when it initially debuted. Least we did not forget its also polarizing Jazz soundtrack which grows on you over time because nothing soothes you as you destroy with opponents with some good jazz music playing in the background.
Someone can write for hours (could be me?) about how amazing Marvel 2 is, but it’d be repeating the same things that others have already talked about. Its reputation among the fighting game community is second to none where it was the main event in several fighting game tournaments including EVO and Combo Breaker. A portion of the fighting game community was inspired by the mechanics of Marvel vs Capcom that inspired games like Skullgirls, Dragonball Fighters, and other future Capcom vs. games. Also, can we talk about how amazing the artwork provided by Bengus? Because it’s hand-drawn goodness.
Yes, the game is broken and has a strong bias towards the X-Men, yet this hasn’t stopped the game from becoming a highlight of many fighting game conversations. You can play with many “low-tier” characters and always find something enjoyable about them and appreciate the effort that went through copying and pasting the assets just to say, you can pit Iceman, Captain Commando, and Hayato against Dr. Doom, Megaman, and Iron Man. Every time I play Marvel vs Capcom 2, I always have a blast playing it no matter who I choose.
What does the future hold for the Marvel vs Capcom series? Who knows! Marvel 2 will be headlining EVO 2020 as part of their celebration. Marvel vs Capcom 2 was a gateway for people to be introduced into fighting games and still often regarded as THE best 2D fighting game of all time. Here’s to many more years of riding taking and hopefully of Marvel vs Capcom.
Another generic video game reviewer 