It’s a nice treat when video game developers re-release a classic specifically at the request of their fans. It’s an even nicer treat when they give it a bit of the old spit-and-polish and offer some new content that wasn’t there, or even possible, with the original release.

For fighting game fans, Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is a legend. These fans have amazing tales about purchasing a Sega Dreamcast for this game alone, or even scouring craigslist posts and eBay auctions to find a secondhand upright cabinet and restoring it for a chance to face off against their friends. Luckily, the less dedicated among us now have a much lower cost way to enjoy this faithful port of a modern classic.

It’s hard to comment on controls for a game that’s over nine years old, but I will say this: there is nothing wrong with this port. I’ve played it on both a gamepad and an arcade stick and I can say with some satisfaction that it feels exactly like it did playing the original versions. Capcom gave us a direct port of the Dreamcast version of the game, which is fine by me as the Dreamcast port was pretty much identical to the arcade version.

The action is just as fast paced and crazy as the original versions but it may feel a little loose side to new players or gamers who are more used to playing Street Fighter IV. But for those of us in the know, cats that remember late nights in the basement trying to find match-ups that could solve powerful character combos like Sentinel and Cable, it’s like riding a bike.

The assist system is a great innovation to fighter gameplay. While King of Fighters allowed you to choose a team of three from their impressive roster, MvC2 allows you to call your back ups into the fray as ’assist’ attacks or for an assist combo. It can really make the action feel frenetic and chaotic but also a lot of fun. Even if you’re having your ass handed to you by a more experienced friend, it is just so visually stunning that you are more likely to utter a slack-jawed ’wow’ than to throw the controller in frustration. Although you may also ask ’show me how to do that’ right after as well, but that’s just the sign of a good fighting game.

And the characters are just so varied but with very reasonable move sets that there will most likely be a combo of characters for any skill level or fighter game history. I personally went straight back to my old favourites of Iron Man, Cable and Strider, weirdly avoiding any and all Street Fighter characters (even though I’ve spent the majority of my leap into fighting games playing Street Fighter IV).

And speaking of characters, with this release of MvC2 Capcom has answered another plea from fighting game fans and done away with unlockable characters altogether. You get every one of the 56 Marvel and Capcom characters right from the get-go. No fussing around with weird and often difficult requirements to unlock a full roster of fighters. You just download it and get down to business. This is a saving grace for more casual fans, allowing them to get to know the game with whatever combos they want and making it a great game to pull out at a party. The only way you could make it any better would be playing MvC2 with a buddy on a real arcade machine. But for $15, a couch will do as a much more comfortable and civilized replacement. Your knees, and wallet, will thank you.

Graphics and Sound

Sadly, there isn’t a whole lot of added content to MvC2 with this port. There are a few graphical filters that add a little sheen to the fighters but I found that they just made them look a little silly against the high-res backgrounds.

The good thing, though, is that they didn’t fall into the trap of the newest Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game and discard the original graphics completely. It’s not a huge stretch to assume that most people who will buy this game are buying it because of a sense of nostalgia, and keeping the original sprites in the game is a necessity, even if you don’t use them.

And then there’s the soundtrack. While it’s been a bit of a running joke for years, MvC2’s jazz-happy soundtrack is completely intact. However, Capcom has promised a free download of a new, remixed soundtrack to sub in using custom soundtracks on both the PS3 and Xbox 360. So, while I’ve already been told far too many times, “I’m gonna take you for a ride,” it’s hardly worth a second thought since you can just sub in your own music collection or the new soundtrack (when it comes out) at any point. And I’m sure there’s someone out there who would be disappointed if the original music wasn’t included at all, so keeping it in the game is a good idea.

Value

As I said previously, MvC2 is a little short on extra features. There isn’t quarter play like in recent Street Fighters and there isn’t an online or local tournament bracket mode, but the real appeal of the game is the 3-on-3, head-to-head action, and that’s certainly not impaired by any lack of features.

And on top of the local play, the online is excellent as well, as the netcode was designed by the same folks who brought you Super Street Fighter II: Turbo HD Remix; Backbone entertainment.

Conclusion

It may not be the most diverse package and it certainly won’t convert the non-believers, but for those who have fond memories of insane Wolverine and Spiderman and Ryu v. Cyclops and Cable and Sentinel bouts, it’s the same great taste you’ve enjoyed for years. And on top of that, it’s way cheaper to buy a copy of this download than any other method of picking up this game.

And if you already picked up an arcade stick for Street Fighter IV, King of Fighters XII, BlazBlue or any of the other arcade fighters that have come out this year, this download is a no brainer. It’s more noob friendly than many of the other core fighters but has enough depth to rope in the most hardcore of fans.