been that engaged with the Marvel side of the roster, aside from the general pop-culture

consciousness. If only there were a Capcom crossover game that pulled from my own wheelhouse,

one with... well, giant robots would be a good start. Now, what can we find with plenty

of giant robots... wait, what’s this seahorse doing here?

Behold, the massive stable of Tatsunoko Production, the folks behind Speed Racer, Gatchaman (AKA

Battle of the Planets), Tekkaman Blade, Generator Gawl, Genesis Climber Mospeada (AKA one-third

of Robotech), Yatterman, the list goes on. Point is, it’s colorful characters, along

with the occasional giant robot (‘sup, Gold Lightan), and they’d likely mesh well with

an equally absurd mix of Capcom characters. This isn’t some high-concept piece about

saving the world, or restoring peace to the universe. It’s about Casshern throwing down

with Frank West, just ‘cuz. And that’s fine, so long as the mechanics are spot on.

Problem isn’t the mechanics, though. As far as modern two-on-two fighters go, it’s

pretty standard, and sound in its execution. The problem is its platform. Let’s face

it, the Wiimote isn’t suited at all to fighting games, save for maybe the two-button-centric

Smash Bros. As such, the Wiimote controls are dumbed down to the point of insult, with

one button and a waggle for super attacks, or waggle the other way and you win. I honestly

couldn’t stand it. Fortunately, you can plug in a nearby GameCube controller and have

a little more control over the action, though this device is still less-than-optimal. Your

best bet is to dust off your Wii Classic Controller, if you’ve got one lying around.

But once you’ve figured out how to make things work, the rest of the game goes fairly

swimmingly. This is my favorite kind of game: one that refuses to take itself seriously,

and which caters to a broad base. Your standard Chun Li and Ken the Eagle and the like certainly

take the forefront, but don’t forget that this was the premier outing for MVC3 combatants

Viewtiful Joe and Frank West. In addition, this game represents the acknowledgement of

three different Mega Man series in the same game, with Roll from the original canon, Zero

from the X series, and Legends-style MegaMan Volnutt. Broad appeal. It’s a good thing.

And the final boss? Let’s just say it’s a fast throw out of left field, with a whole

lot of kanji around for whatever reason.

Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom was never out to shake up the world like MVC3 did. Firstly, it’s

a Wii-exclusive release, putting it in the hands of a huge install base that excludes

the HD-preferring hardcore set. It focuses too much on balancing the players’ abilities

rather than the characters, with its multitude of simpler and simpler control schemes. From

a technical aspect, it’s a stepping stone on the way to the ideas and concepts we appreciate

in the latest and greatest release. But, if you’re going to be a stepping stone, why

not be as fun as possible? And it’s in that frame that this game shines. It’s not about

tournament domination, so much as it’s about just enjoying some classic characters from

the past 30 years of video games, and 40 years of anime.