A reason to own this lost console
The original Marvel vs. Capcom was a strong 2D fighter that first dipped it's digital toes into the over the top fireworks show fighting game genre. Although Capcom had cross overs in the past, and in the future, the ability to have a balanced match between Strider and Iron man was a new and engrossing experience. Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes was the perfection of this formula.
In regards to gameplay, the controls were tight, which is saying a lot considering the debachle that was the Dreamcast controller. No fireball was ever missed; even the most complicated finishing moves and throws by everyones favorite Street Fighter Russian were rolled easily with my left thumb. Although numerous Capcom characters gained the inexplicable ability to jump as if they were early Mars colonists, the targeting and attacks stay true. The type of special move that fills the screen with a light pattern that may cause an epileptic to fit, feels natural and strategicly doable for even the 2D fighter novice.
Where this game truly shines is the character roster. Serve Bot vs. Sentinal... end of story. Not only is it rediculous in scale, but it is balanced and fun. The Lego-like man does have a fighting chance. All of the Capcom heavy hitters are available as well as obscures such as Roll and Jill Valentine (not obscure, but a surprise in a fighting game). on the Marvel side Juggernaut is ginourmous as usual, and they added lesser charactes like Marrow. These characters are not just anecdotes; their fighting mechanics are exciting, original, and on par with cannon like Ryu and Wolverine.
Playing this game with my college roomates on the jet engine that was the Dreamcast is the stuff of some of my favorite gaming memories. Because of the Dreamcast's D-pad, it is worth Ebaying for this gaming combination. Alas, both my game and Dreamcast are lying in an unmarked paper bag somewhere. This is why I am working on a time machine. I must return to 2001, and stop myself from discarding this singular fighting game combination.
-Ontheocho
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