New Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 Is Almost A Perfect Re-Release But Has One Major Issue Holding It Back

Thanks to a new collection, Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 has been re-released on modern systems along with many other arcade classics from the franchise. Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 in particular is a cult classic of the fighting game genre, along with its direct sequel, both of which are still being played in tournaments to this day. Thanks to the age of the game, players have gotten very good at it and know the original version inside-out, but this latest version isn't quite the same as the one that everyone knows and loves.

As with every re-release, the version in MARVEL vs. CAPCOM Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics is slightly more than just a pure port. There's a museum mode, where the player can access art and music from all the games in the collection in one place, and fighter awards that stretch across all titles in the collection. This doesn't mean that there are many changes to begin with, since the re-release is relatively true to the original, nor does it mean that the changes that have been made are necessarily for the better.

It Is An Almost Perfect Re-Release

Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 is a bit of a unicorn in the fighting game sphere. Usually, when a new fighting game in a series is released, the fan base tends to move on to that game as a collective, essentially abandoning the former title, unless the new title is not very good. Franchises like Tekken, Street Fighter, and Mortal Kombat are good examples of this, but Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 is still being played in tournaments to this day, despite two games being released in the series. One of them was even good (Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3).

Despite Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 success and its own dedicated fan base, Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 has continued to thrive ever since it hit arcades, and it isn't the only example of this in the fighting game scene. Super Smash Bros. Melee is another game with successful sequels that is still being played in tournaments, and when both of these titles are played in tournaments, the version that is played is identical to the original releases. In Marvel Vs. Capcom 2's case, this is the Dreamcast version.

Here lies the problem with the new re-release. Although it does have the same input delays as the Dreamcast version, which is the tournament standard, there are a few tweaks that make it different to what is expected for tournaments.

One is the removal of some glitches and bugs, which players have used to their advantage for twenty-four years, while others remain. Some infinite combos have also been removed, which heavily changes the dynamic of the game compared to the tournament-legal version.

Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 Re-Release May Not Be Tournament Legal

Changes At The Highest Level Of Play

Because of the relatively minor tweaks, the balance of the re-release version is completely different compared to the tournament version at the highest level of play. Normally, for modern fighting games that see constant patches, this isn't usually an issue, but Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 has been kept alive because of its tournament scene. These types of changes might upset the pre-existing fan base, or they might not play this version at all, even if Capcom tries to replace the original with it.

Prior to the MARVEL vs. CAPCOM Fighting Collection launch, the only way to access Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 online was through a third party emulator, such as Fightcade 2, largely due to licensing issues between Marvel and Capcom. These help to keep retro titles like Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 alive and the emulated versions are the same as what people have been playing in tournaments for a while. Fightcade 2, in particular, even has rollback netcode, and this could cause a few issues for Marvel Vs. Capcom 2.

The tournament version of Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 hasn't changed for decades, unlike Tekken 8, for example, which sees constant patching and additions to the roster. The re-release suddenly changes quite a lot at tournament level, even though the tweaks would be relatively minor by modern standards for everyone else. If this version replaces the original, the question then becomes whether it will also become the tournament version too. Its success could lead to a Marvel Vs. Capcom 5, especially with Capcom's recent record, however.

Having A Collection On Modern Consoles Is Still A Good Thing

MARVEL vs. CAPCOM Fighting Collection will likely bring some new players that have always been curious about Marvel Vs. Capcom 2, but have been waiting for a legit version on modern consoles. If the version isn't tournament legal, however, then there will be a divide between the casual player base and the higher level players, since they could end up using different versions. Still, Capcom bringing back a classic could mean that it wants to do more with the franchise, possibly leading to a new Marvel Vs. Capcom game.

The teams and loadouts would be different too, since Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 is a 3v3 team fighter. Some characters have suffered or benefited more than others thanks to the tweaks in the re-release, with Juggernaut likely wondering what he did to anger Capcom after the removal of his glitch that helped him hold a spot in the middle of the tier list. This would be less of a problem if the patching of glitches and bugs was consistent, but some characters still benefit from them while others don't.

Outside the tweaks to gameplay, Capcom has also removed the quick rematch feature and the death flashing when a character has been beaten. The former is an odd choice, while the latter may be due to wanting to protect people with epilepsy, which is fair enough.

Still, the changes in general don't feel entirely necessary and if this version is forcefully used at every level, Marvel Vs. Capcom 2's tournament scene could see a drastic change. However, it is a minor miracle that there is a legal version of the game on modern consoles more than twenty years on.