This game is next on a franchise and is considered a favorite of mine. I was first exposed to it back in 2012 with the PSP which somehow had emulations on it. After playing Marvel Super Heroes vs Street Fighter I was trying different games in the system (Street Fighter Alpha 3 and DarkStalkers) and been enjoying these games. This one though, I played it quite a lot and always used two of the same characters during gameplay. Even now while playing for a review I still chose the same characters and remembered how well the moves sets are. Anyways here is the review. Marvel vs. Capcom : Clash of Super Heroes for Arcade! The next installment of the vs. series.

Story : 7

An evil entity has been creating chaos around the world and destroying everything in its path. This being, Onslaught, is considered one of the most powerful and dangerous being in the earth and it’s up to the heroes from Marvel and the fighters of Capcom to team up once more and defeat this being. Will they be able to defeat onslaught or let the world be destroyed?

The story is somewhat overused. The plot of the world destruction and up to heroes and villains to save the world is overdone by Capcom at this time but it’s still more enjoyable nonetheless, though losing its appeal. 

It’s a 7 out of 10. Overused story, plot and such but shouldn’t deter from the gameplay. 

Graphics : 8

The graphic’s department…. Most models are the same sprites from other games and it’s pretty lazy when some don’t match the quality of others (Morrigan is a huge example of looking odd). Other characters have a new sprite designed just for this game and they look well done when comparing to their original design (Strider and Jin). The character select pics are also pretty good, the artwork in general resembles to the sprites, the games that a few originate (Marvel characters and Street fighter, even morrigan), or the shows (Hulk, Wolverine). 

The stages are completely new and wonderful. Instead of random areas like previous games (Mall or a live Tv studio) most stages represent their original properties like the Daily Bugle from Spider-Man, Dr. Wily’s lab from Mega man, or even a undead rock concert from DarkStalkers. Stages are rather lively also but from playing I noticed that they took out level changing mechanics (levels change through breaking the floors or changing the atmosphere) but it not a big deal when these stages look wonderful. 

The graphics itself, the animation is fast, the players are responsive and the gameplay is smooth without much slow down or frame loss. Well except for MegaMan when he does a super move, sometimes there is a dip in frame rate when next to him getting hit or blocking his Supers. 

The areas itself are rather large either horizontal or vertical (when super jumping) and it gives plenty of room to fight. One issue is the super moves, when flashing it can be bothersome for those who are sensitive to flashing lights. I don’t have that problem but it’s just a bother for a few. Though a special super move input does allow a psychedelic effect on the background (more on later)

The attract screen is amazing also, the start up with “The crossover returns” with the large logo Marvel vs Capcom with a pseudo 3D effect background and lightning all over the letters to give it a flashy feel to attract people to pour in quarters. Shows off a bit of gameplay and high scores. Honestly with the attract screen I can see how people would swarm to the game with how flashy it is. 

Overall it’s an 8 out of 10. The stages are wonderful, graphics are amazing but lazy attempt reusing assets form previous games. New characters look great. 

Depth : 8

The game offers the same amount of content in modes as the previous game, just an arcade mode and nothing else. 

The characters have been revamped again. Coming back from the Capcom series is Zangief, Ryu, Chun Li with Ryu having two forms (Ken and Akuma) through in game inputs. New to the series is Captain Commando, Mega Man, Morrigan, Strider, and Jin. Some secret characters can be unlocked which are mostly palette swaps with some differences in gameplay (lower health, higher jump as examples.) 

The marvel series returning characters are Spider-Man, Captain America, Wolverine, Hulk, and Gambit (from X-men vs Street Fighter) new to the series is War Machine (Iron man move set) and Venom. Again secret characters are present in the game that alters the character’s abilities but mostly palette swaps. 

The game is the same premise like the last few vs. series. It’s a best of one with a team of two fighting each other until one team is defeated by depletion of health or lowest health combined when the timer goes to zero. You can replenish health by switching players as one fights and the other rests until the red bar is filled up with health once more. It disappears when you tag back in prematurely, losing the red bar once in combat. 

The mechanics are largely the same. The exception is that they removed tag assists and added a “third character” that is used as an assist for a set number of times (better the assist, lower amount of times you’re able to use in a match). A total of 22 characters are present in the game as only assists, from Capcom’s Arthur and Anita to Marvel’s Jubilee, Juggernaut and such. Out of those 22 assists, only two are secret assists. 

Super moves and Double tag combos make a return, using super gauge to initiate the supers. One new addition is a “Super Tag Combos” which allows you to have both players in the match for a limited time to simultaneously hit and use an infinite amount of super moves in a limited time period before the timer is out. This mechanic is broken and it gives more chaos when playing the game. I feel like this is the best addition to the game. 

The roster… it’s broken. Some are better than others. Some have high armor or health while others can punish you with a lot of health loss. Speed and how far they can jump, some can climb on the side of the screen or even double jump. The mechanics are broken in a fun way and doesn’t hinder the game one bit. It does the job well. 

Again, the main appeal is multiplayer to fight against other human opponents and that’s hours of fun if invested. 

Overall, the depth is an 8 out of 10. The gameplay hasn’t changed from other previous arcade installments, but the new features help it freshen up the gameplay very well. I know console versions have more to offer. 


Sound : 10

The game brings back many classic themes from previous games and some new ones from retiring characters and it’s not a downgrade I’ll say. From Ryu’s new “Street Fighter II intro” theme the iconic Spider-Man theme (the best one) these songs are meant to be legendary status. None of them are lackluster, all of them are near perfection to characterize the fighters, and it resembles the feel of the Capcom and Marvel fighting games. The announcer has been switched to a female voice and she does a wonderful job announcing the game’s title, the fight announcement and character select. She’s more energetic and spunky compared to the more aggressive and loud announcer from the previous game. Don’t get me wrong, they both done a great job but the woman does it better in my opinion. 

The voices are samples through the respective titles they belong to (Street Fighter, Marvel Super Heroes, X-men, Dark Stalkers as examples) and players who are crossing to the fighting series, voices did a wonderful job capturing the essence of the character (Venom and Strider for example) and the sound effects are clean and clear. Q-Sound continues to improve with their quality audio. 

Sound is a 10 out of 10. One of the best I’ve heard in the fighting series yet and the songs are the best part of the game with every character having their own theme. 

Addictive : 9

The game is highly addictive with its over exaggerated gameplay and mechanics. The tag combos and assists can keep you playing for hours if trying to learn which is the best combination of players. Playing against other people is a huge plus with a decent size roster and beautiful stages. This is a game worth playing. 

Addictive is a 9 out of 10. Nothing to say but near perfection. 

Difficulty : 8 

The game isn’t difficult as much as too much blocking and counters. I mean yeah it gets tough on the later stages but with some practice and combos it gets easier. The hardest of them all is Onslaught himself with moves reminiscent of Magneto and Apocalypse and having two stages in the round to make it harder to defeat when you lose a fighter. This game is a quarter muncher for those who are unskilled. 

Difficulty is an 8 out of 10. Characters can be cheap and Onslaught is rather difficult at times depending on which fighters you choose.

Overall this is the game to get if you want to skip the Marvel vs Street Fighter or haven’t picked up a marvel game in a while. While the character designs for some are just the same as the previous titles they were on, the gameplay shouldn’t be deterred by it. Honestly it’s a game worth playing for hours or even somewhat competitive if that’s more your style, well before the sequel and last game of the 2D fighting sprites are present in this franchise. 

My rating : 9.0 out of 10. 

Review rating : 8.5 out of 10.