The original Marvel vs. Capcom
quickly fell off the radar after Marvel vs. Capcom 2’s release a scant two
years later. To make matters worse, its contemporaries like Third Strike and
Darkstalkers 3 overshadowed the game. Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes
is almost like the neglected middle child of late 90s Capcom fighters. It was
popular for a time but its little brothers overshadowed it fairly quickly. It
may not be as deep or refined as Third Strike or Darkstalkers 3 but it’s still
a fine game in its own right. At any rate, it’s an absolute shame that it’s
been given the shaft for so many years.
Some
people may think that Clash of Super Heroes is just another 3-on-3 fighter like
its sequels when in reality; it’s far closer to the oddball Vs. title
“Tatsunoko vs. Capcom”. Marvel vs. Capcom is a 2-on-2 fighter with a 3rd
slot being filled in by an assist character. It’s a unique system that helps to
separate it from its sequels because let’s face it, if this were another 3-on-3
fighter, there would be no reason to play it.
This
assist system is pretty basic but it adds some replayability to the game.
Intelligent use of these assists can make or break a match and hammering them
out will probably get you killed. The assists are chosen at random via roulette
which may bother some people but you can use certain button combinations in
order to get your desired assist. Since the game isn’t a very serious fighter,
most players will probably just go with the random select.
Since
the roster of future Marvel titles were so huge, the comparatively miniscule
roster of Clash of Super Heroes is guaranteed to disappoint some. In reality,
it’s not a bad size but we’ve come to expect large rosters from our crossover
fighters and Marvel vs Capcom’s measly 16 character roster (plus 6 secret clone
characters) doesn’t cut it. It’s got variety though; you won’t be seeing four
different versions of Ryu in here. This small roster has the added bonus of
making the game feel tighter and more balanced. It’s no secret that Marvel vs.
Capcom 2 has a very small pool of viable characters. Clash of Super Heroes, at
least on the surface, does not have that problem.
Aside
from those differences, Clash of Super Heroes has the same crazy, over-the-top
action that you would expect from the Marvel vs. Capcom series. It’s
fast-paced, it’s flashy and matches are nice and short. Much like every other Capcom
fighter at the time, it plays like a dream. No frame-rate drops, no wonky hit
detection and no insanely overpowered attacks. It also lacks a comeback
mechanic which is something you don’t really see in any fighters nowadays,
especially not gimmicky fighters like this.
Clash
of Super Heroes adds in a neat twist on established characters like Ryu and
Zangief. Ryu can transform into a “Ken-style Ryu” and an “Akuma-style Ryu” in
the middle of battle (at the cost of meter, of course) which eliminates the
need for three different Shotos. Zangief can transform into the useless
“Mecha-Zangief” who is supposed to be a slower version of Zangief that takes
less damage and has super-armor on all of his attacks. He also gains a ranged
attack in the form of fire breath. I assume this transformation was supposed to
make him more competitively viable but it doesn’t come anywhere close to that.
Marvel
vs. Capcom is a bit uneven graphically. I’m not sure how many of the character
sprites were ripped from past installments but I’d bet a large chunk of them
were. Because of this, some characters, like Morrigan and Gambit, look more
primitive than other characters. In fact, Morrigan is missing a “real” getting
up animation. It doesn’t affect the gameplay in any noticeable way but it feels
lazy. The sprites unique to this title, like Jin and Strider, look great though
as do the backgrounds. The game is very colorful and properly evokes a
comic-book style which is a great touch. Word of advice though; keep scan-lines
on, the game looks much better with them on.
With
the exception of the secret characters, every character in Marvel vs. Capcom
has a unique theme. Many of the Capcom characters have remixes of their old
themes or in the case of characters like Mega Man and Strider; remixes of
famous tracks from their games. The Marvel characters are in the same boat. The
characters from Marvel Super Heroes get remixes of their themes from that game
while other characters, like War Machine, get brand new themes. The quality of
the songs is really uneven. The Capcom characters have some great themes but
the Marvel themes range from “Okay” to totally unmemorable.
The
game’s single player is fairly unremarkable. 18 character specific endings, all
very formulaic and dull, are your reward for clearing arcade mode. And it’s
really a shame that the endings are so drab and boring. They could have
potentially done some neat things with the endings but they’re all so lame that
they barely qualify as a reward. Iron Galaxy’s port adds in some unlockables
which may keep you busy but they only extend the playtime by a negligible amount.
Much
like with Marvel Super Heroes, I can’t recommend this game to people who don’t
already have friends to play fighting games with. Unlike Marvel Super Heroes
though, it’s got the pedigree that will attract casual fans of the Vs. Titles. It’s
also got some neat gimmicks that will look enticing for fighting game fans
looking for something different. Marvel vs. Capcom is not a bad game by any
stretch, in fact it’s really fun, but it’s easy to see why it was overshadowed.
That being said, this was Capcom’s golden era so even the most middling of
fighting games is still great. Marvel vs. Capcom is an interesting novelty that
can provide several hours of fun but nostalgia and/or friends may be required.
The mechanics are solid, the gameplay is addicting but there’s little reason to
check out Clash of Super Heroes in 2014. It’s an interesting, engaging
curiosity but lacking in lasting appeal.
Final Score: 6.5
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