Today is special- it is the day I let people know all about one of the most criminally underrated fighting games the wii had to offer. Find out why you should play it- NOW!
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Year: 2008
Played on: Wii
Also on: Arcade (Japan Only)
Developer: Eighting
Publisher: Capcom
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Why take a ride when you can fly above a rainbow?
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Date posted: May 31st, 2018
PREMISE
I don’t know if you know this, but Capcom’s Vs. series of games has quite the colorful history behind it. Sure, everyone now knows about Marvel Vs. Capcom, but what about the other games that held the Vs. moniker? SNK Vs. Capcom? Street Fighter vs. X-men? Capcom vs. Capcom (AKA Capcom Fighting Jam)? You see, Capcom just didn’t fight superheroes and other fighting game franchises- they also fought anime and manga characters. Let me introduce you to Tatsunoko vs. Capcom- easily one of Capcom’s most underrated and unappreciated fighters!
Wait. why are looking at me like that? What’s that- you say TvC was actually got good reviews and sold decently, so it’s not as criminally underrated as I make it out to be? Well, I just feel like everyone’s forgotten it- they need to be reminded, damn it!
Also, I can’t believe it’s already been ten years…. God, i’m getting old….
Oh yeah, there’s supposed to be a premise here!
Okay, so Capcom crosses over with Tatsunoko, a legendary animation company from Japan. They fight. That’s it. That’s your premise! Can I talk about all the cool stuff about the game now?
PROS
First and foremost, the roster of characters is varied and great, and is easily one of the best rosters I’ve seen in a game like this. You have your usual suspects like Ryu and Chun-li on the Capcom side, but you also have Megaman Volnutt from Megaman Legends, Roll from… ur…. Megaman, That one guy from Rival Schools, a guy from a Onimusha game, Viewtiful Joe, a mech from Lost Planet…. and that’s just Capcom’s side! On Tatsunoko’s side, you have several members of Gatchaman, Tekkaman (old and new), the badass Karas, Yatterman, Casshan- all some legendary anime characters. Of course, some of the most obvious and well-known Tatsunoko properties are missing (See Cons section), but nether less, it’s still a great roster!
The most important aspect of a fighting game is the gameplay, and TvC defiantly has it. Playing more like earlier Vs. games like MvC (and yes- this is a good thing, not a bad one!) TvC captures the crazy intensity the older titles had. Everything is fast, fluid and works great! Not only that, but tons of new features have been added- Universal Techniques, Baroque combos, and Mega Crashes are new additions that add to the crazy pace the game offers. From beginners to seasoned pros, there seems to be stuff for everyone here!
Also, don’t worry about the controls- you can use a wiimote if you want, but you can also you a classic controller, or even a Gamecube controller- No waggle here! You can even use a fightstick!
The game also doesn’t skimp out on single player content either- there’s tons to unlock here! Each character has their own ending, for one. There’s also a shop where you can unlock a myriad of different things, like character profiles, music, art, costumes, and even new characters! Again- this game seems to have something for everyone!
OR DOES IT?
CONS
One of the most glaring flaws is the absence of some of Tatsunoko’s well known characters- well, the ones most known in the west, anyway. Ever here of a little thing called Speed Racer? Yep- Tatsunoko actually made that! Where’s Speed Racer in TvC? Nowhere. There’s speculation on why he’s not in- ranging from licensing issues to Capcom not knowing exactly how to implement him- but the sad truth remains- he is not in the game! Other omissions include the Samurai Pizza Cats (which would have been insane) and one Capcom character – Ace Attorney.
Okay, so when you hear that Ace Attorney was considered then removed, you immediately start scratching your head, for one simple reason- He was in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, which came out a few years later. So why wasn’t he in this one? Well, apparently just could not implement him correctly…. even tough they eventually did. It’s just strange. Capcom has done this several times- saying they can’t implement a character, one of the most notable being Silver Surfer fro MvC. It’s just really disheartening to know…
Cut characters bring me to another piece of cut content- Hakushon Daimaō, from the Tatsunoko show, The Genie Family. For what ever reason, the character was completely cut from the American version of TvC. The reason, to this day, remains unspecified. Look at him and judge for yourself!
Along with a character completely cut, many unlockable mini games were also cut, for whatever reason, leaving only one in the American version. Again- unspecified. Also, the animated endings were replaced with images instead (the originals can be found on Youtube, thankfully). We may never no why Capcom made such brash decisions like these!
Finally many may not like the casualised style of play. You see, TvC has a three button system that makes doing things like ultra combos and such a breeze, making the game much easier then it should be. Make no mistake- better players are better players, and just because your no good at fighting games means you’ll pick this up and master it. It just means it’s easy to play all around. It’s not a huge flaw, but long time fighting games will defiantly notice a difference!
FINAL VERDICT
A great roster. A difficulty curve that appeals to both casuals and seasoned fighters. Tons of unlockables. TvC is truly a great fighting game that seemed to fly under everyone’s radar. TvC is an easy recommendation for anyone who likes fighting games, or old school anime, for that matter- despite some content being lost in translation. Play it- NOW!
If nothing I said in this review convinced you, then this might.
You can watch as Ryu from Street Fighter fights a giant robot.
If that can’t convince, then nothing will.
Agree? Disagree? Good! Leave a comment about how terrible my taste is in the comments below!
Gamer's Edge 