Review: ‘Marvel vs. Capcom 2′ (iOS)

One of the virtues of Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is its scalability in terms of difficulty: thanks to some expert design in terms of the roster of fighters and the way that they play, it allows for all levels of skill—at least on consoles and in the arcade versions. The iOS has stripped out the many layers that have made MVC2 so beloved over the years, delivering a port that has all the signs of being the game that we all know and love, crushed, compressed, and compromised into something that works on i-devices without actually “working.”

THE BASICS

The iOS port of MVC2 takes the six-button fighter and reduces it down to four, using a virtual joystick to control you team of three characters. Special attacks are mapped to the SP button which you’ll swipe to use, tagging in and out is done using the Tag button (although this is more in theory than in practice: more often than not, I could only get my second and third characters out for an assist). Finally, you’ve got a punch and kick button for chip attacks and whatever attempts at combos you might be so inclined to make.

In terms of multiplayer, MvC2 comes equipped with two-player versus via Bluetooth. Unfortunately, I didn’t have another player nearby to test this feature with, but in terms of offering someone else to fight besides the CPU, you’ve got that option. Beyond that, there’s very little to get excited about here.

WHAT’S GOOD

The return of the unlockables

There’s just something so satisfying about the classic method of unlocking all of the characters and their colors through the process of winning fights and beating the games which was, if I recall, omitted from the XBLA and PSN versions of the game. So chalk one up for the iOS version.

WHAT’S BAD

The tyranny of the virtual joystick

In finding a way to get MVC2 to work on its latest platform, Capcom has unfortunately chosen the least tactile, least responsive means of control for the device: a virtual joystick. The lack of any kind of real feedback in the movement makes blocking and jumping a chore (perhaps explaining why the action is slowed down so much in the default difficulty). Thankfully, you can remove the eight-way directional arrows in the settings as well as modify the transparency, but this doesn’t make the joystick any more functional.

A claustrophobic experience

The problem with the virtual joystick isn’t simply that it feels awkward to use, it also hogs up valuable space on the screen, and between the UI, the joystick, and the four button controls, maybe 50% of the viewing area is consumed with things that aren’t your fighters, making the overall experience a cramped one.

THE VERDICT

Capcom’s attempt to cram the sometimes precise, often frenetic fighting action of Marvel vs. Capcom 2 onto a mobile device was noble if very misguided. As a port, as an attempt to adapt the game to another platform, it fails to capture what remains so essential about the source title, leaving us with a fighting game that looks like the original, sounds like the original, but utterly fails to hold a candle to the original.

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Review: ‘Mortal Kombat’ or Mobile Martial Murder On Your Vita
‘Colors! 3D’ Review – Getting More Artistic With Your 3DS

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Tags capcom, iOS, iPhone / iPad, marvel vs. capcom 2

Article source: http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2012/05/07/review-marvel-vs-capcom-2-ios-taken-for-a-ride/