Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes (Gambit, Sabretooth & Omega Red) Dreamcast Gameplay
6Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes (a.k.a. Marvel vs. Capcom 2 or MvC2) is the fourth game of the Marvel vs. Capcom series of fighting games. With the (presumably) final installment of the series, Capcom simplified the engine so that it would be more accessible to casual players, in order to bring in new players, as interest in arcade fighting games had declined. Changes were made to the air combo system and the button configuration was trimmed down to 4 main buttons and 2 assist buttons. The game also features 3 on 3 tag, compared to the 2 on 2 tag from previous games in the series. It is the only game in the series to use the NAOMI system, which is used mostly for 3D games. It is mainly seen in this game in the backgrounds and system effects, as well as Abyss's sphere. Marvel vs. Capcom 2 was later ported to the Dreamcast, Xbox, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
The PlayStation 2 and Xbox ports of this game saw limited production for the Xbox and PlayStation 2 due to Capcom losing the Marvel license. While these versions are merely uncommon, high demand has caused their prices to skyrocket both in stores and online. Ironically, the Dreamcast version is the closest of the six home console ports to the arcade version, and at the same time, it is the cheapest due to a higher number of copies produced. The Dreamcast version is considered to be the most faithful conversion of the home console ports, likely due to the similarity between the Dreamcast and NAOMI arcade hardware. Although the Xbox version is on the backward compatibility list for the Xbox 360, it suffers from slow downs and broken character sprites when played on the 360.
This is the first Marvel vs. Capcom game without character-specific endings, as one will get the same end, regardless of the characters one uses or how quickly one defeats the final opponent.
Story
Two years after the battle against Onslaught, peace in the planet Earth was restored until a mysterious entity named Abyss shrouded the atmosphere with his dark energy. It was consumed within a sphere that the being was holding close to him; With his immense strength, it blew passed a desert and the plant life was also ruined. A pirate known as Ruby Heart discovered the energy and warned the heroes and villains from the two camps who were fighting amongst themselves. Together, they must stop this new nemesis before the Earth and the universe is destroyed by Abyss' terrible power. In the end of the battle, the heroes and villains make a truce while taking a joy cruise on Ruby Heart's ship flying through the skies of the Earth; She holds the orb in her hand then casts it into the sea, thus seeing the last of Abyss and closing the rivalry between Marvel and Capcom.
Gameplay
The gameplay is the same as the previous games, however, players can now select three fighters from the roster of Marvel and Capcom characters. Each character has at least one super combo and the entire team shares a single super meter. The characters can draw on this (at a minimum cost of one super meter level) to perform their super combos or other special super moves. Control is similar to the previous Vs. games, which itself derives from the Street Fighter games, except that the screen is now wider. The major difference is that instead of three punch/kick attack strength, there are only two (similar to the SNK-style format), with the last two buttons being replaced by assist buttons. Most often, a weak attack can chain two different hits. The second is the medium attack which was featured in the previous games. The player can also call in an off-screen character to do a selected special move by pressing the corresponding assist button. Each character has three assist types which cause them to execute different special moves (or in some cases, a regular move); this is chosen before the match. The player can call an assist at any time, and the assist character is vulnerable to attack or even knock out. The characters also receive double damage than normal when attacked during an assist, but will be able to recover all the health lost for as long as they remain unplayed. Marvel vs. Capcom 2 introduces the ability to force an opponent's teammate into the fight with a move commonly called a "snapback", which requires one super meter to execute. The character will flash for a moment and do a normal attack which will knock the opponent out of the playing field if it's not blocked. If successful, the current character will be knocked out of play and the next available partner will enter the fight on their behalf. If the move connects with both the active and an assist character, it introduces the possibility of the assist character being knocked out without the opponent being able to defend him/her. The arcade version features an "experience" system which unlocks hidden characters after a certain number of experience points are earned.