CHICAGO – “Marvel Vs. Capcom: Origins” is very much like a trade paperback comic book. It collects the first two chapters in the Marvel Fighting Game Franchise; “Marvel Super Heroes” and “Marvel Vs. Capcom” into one ready-to-play collection. Both games were developed by Capcom, developers of the legendary “Street Fighter” series, as well as about 50 other games you’ve probably heard of, played, and loved.
 Video Game Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
After downloading the game from XBLA, booting it, and selecting a fighter, the first thing you’ll notice is the absolute beauty of the animation. “Marvel Super Heroes” was released in 1995, a time when gaming hardware was becoming truly beefy. While most games were focusing on rudimentary 3D graphics like in “Virtua Fighter,” or the digitized human sprites of the “Mortal Kombat” franchise - Capcom opted to pour this enhanced computing power into perfecting 2D fighting animation. This can be seen via detail in Wolverine’s claws, the way Spider-man whips people around with his webs, and in a number of other character’s painstaking attention to fluidity. Even the backgrounds of each level are animated to perfection, are bright, and, in some cases, are interactive and change over the course of a fight. This is some truly astounding, hand-drawn animation that feels like a comic book that has been brought to life.
Graphics aside, “MvC:O” is a “Street Fighter”-esque brawler. “Marvel Super Heroes” features a neat wrinkle in that you acquire soul gems that will will either increase your speed, attack, or defense, providing a needed advantage if you find yourself down a bit of health late into a fight. “Marvel vs. Capcom,” in addition to introducing a bunch more playable characters, introduces a team-up element to the proceedings. Yes, that means the Gambit and Chun LI fan-fic you’ve been writing can finally become a reality.
 Marvel vs. Capcom: Origins Photo credit: Capcom |
The fighting engine is fast-paced; each character has a bevy of special attacks that are character specific and relatively easy to pull off. On the Capcom side, Ryu has his dragon punch, Zangief has his pile-driver, and Megaman is actually a pretty complex character to play in his own right. On the Marvel Side, naturally, Spider-man has some interesting web related attacks, and Wolverine will claw your eyes out in a bunch of totally awesome ways. Each character feels unique and worth playing with, and it’s fun to try out characters you wouldn’t typically try in the arcade from the comfort of your couch.
The big question for this collection though, is one of value. While both of these games are superior products in their own right, the fact remains time *has* passed them by. They were released in 1995 and 1998 respectively, and since two sequels have come out; the classic “Marvel Vs. Capcom 2,” and “Marvel Vs. Capcom 3,” which already has an “Ultimate” edition, is it worth ponying up the money for two old games when superior editions exist?
 Marvel vs. Capcom: Origins Photo credit: Capcom |
I guess it depends. Fighting fans are a curious sort, they thoroughly enjoy the history of the medium and have their specific favorites and memories. It’s not uncommon to find a fighter fan refer to their favorite game as some obscure port of a “Dragon Ball” game for the Neo Geo Pocket color. I know a guy who prides himself as being the top fighter in the Xbox re-release of “Mortal Kombat Trilogy.” They are fans with reverence for the past. It’s as if Capcom knows this, because “Marvel Vs. Capcom: Origins” happily trades on nostalgia. In fact, one of the visual options for both of the included games gives you an angled perspective as if you were playing at an actual arcade, cabinet and all. It was in this mode I truly had the most fun. I could almost smell the bowling shoes and cigarettes from when I first played the game in my youth. As a kid, I would have happily pumped sixty of my parents precious quarters, or about 15 dollars into this game - somewhere between then and now, it’s somehow become a much steeper asking price, but remains worth every quarter.
By Paul Meekin
Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
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