In what will inevitably go down as the worst kept industry secret in recent years, I’m very happy to finally be able to confirm that Marvel vs. Capcom 2 will be coming to Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network this summer.
The deal took a good while but it’s probably our most requested title to bring back, so Marvel and I and a few other people here at Capcom rolled up our sleeves and got it done. I can’t stress enough, if you ask for something loudly enough and long enough, we’ll work very hard to make it happen.
So while you may have been able to surmise that something was going on with MvC2, we do still have a few surprises up our sleeves. Let me tell you a little more about how and why this version of MvC2 will be the definitive version.
1. It’s based on the Dreamcast code base – While the PS2 and Xbox versions of MvC2 were great, there are a few niggling issues in them that have caused the competitive community to continue using the Dreamcast version of the game. We wanted to bring you the very best version of the game, so we listened to the community and started with the Dreamcast.
2. There is online – With the game being developed by Backbone, we are using largely the same, critically acclaimed net code that we used in Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix and with that will come our player match quarter mode/lobby system that has proven so popular. Naturally leaderboards and some form of stats tracking (details to be provided at a later date) will also be in the mix. So on the net code side, you’re pretty much assured the best fighting game net code ever created for consoles.
3. HD upscaling options – Given that most people play Xbox 360s and PS3s on HD TVs, it’s important to help make the game look better. We’ve refined our real-time sprite filtering to use even more advanced techniques and we’re providing two upscaling options for the sprites… one we’ve termed “Crisp” the other we’ve termed “Smooth”. It’s a matter of personal preference for which one you’ll enjoy more. For purists, if you’d like you can use the “Classic” setting, which leaves the sprites completely unfiltered. Because the filtering is applied in real-time, you can change these settings on the fly, mid-match if you choose. Our producer will be showing you some comparison screenshots in the coming days to better clarify the differences. The backgrounds in MvC2 are all 3D, and when rendered at higher resolutions look fantastic. The original textures and assets from the Dreamcast were actually much higher quality than the Dreamcast could really display at the time and when shown in HD, the impact is really quite amazing.
4. Widescreen – Again, with most people playing on HD displays, we wanted to figure out how to implement widescreen support. To do so, the camera field of view was widened (which we’re able to do because of the 3D backgrounds effectively running off the “edges” of the 4:3 scenario) and there are a few camera tricks that minimize any impact on the gameplay. Play area is unchanged, and this is not a zoom and crop like HD Remix was. To put it simply, the gameplay area will be in a 4:3 field, while the viewing area will be widescreen. At the same time, for purists and competitive play, a 4:3 option (with vertical bars on the left and right) still exists.
5. No unlocking – While we love giving people unlockables in games, for this outing, there’s not a lot of surprises in terms of what characters are in the game. All 56 characters will be unlocked at the start for immediate play, again great for tournament play where players won’t need to mess with save game data or hacked versions (/shame).
6. Music Options – We love MvC2 but the original “jazzy” music has long been criticized even by ardent fans. Independent music volume controls and support of custom soundtracks on PS3 and 360 we deemed an important feature. Purists will still have what they love and fans of customization are also served.
And as an added bonus, some of you will get to play it sooner than you think. The US PlayStation network will have the demo available for download this week (Europe’s PSN should follow not far after). Surprise.
Now that it's announced, if you'd like to see the trailer in HD or a few other nifty little things, head over to
www.tu4ar.com after 6PM PST tonight. Lastly, we'd love to hear your thoughts in the Marvel vs. Capcom 2 Forums, so please do come and participate. I hope you're all looking forward to it as much as we are.
F the Knicks...
-Sven
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Buying this so hard once it's out. Glad I can finally play it again without forking over lots of cash.
Anyway, I don't know. I'm glad they're putting more fighters on there, but I got sick of the game 9 years ago.
Its hilarious though, if its still the same Morrigan sprite, that thing is what, 20 years old now?
God yes. One of the reasons I prefer MvC1 over 2.
stealin' posts.
This makes me very very happy.
Now when are they going to do that to SFIV?
How happy?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqGsxwQpa_g
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http://www.capcom-unity.com/sven/blog/2009/04/27/wheres_yo_curleh_mustache_yes_mvc2_is_real
also stolen from aBlank
MvC2 had a terrible soundtrack, but it looks like this version will have remixes, so it should compensate for lack of a custom soundtrack option.
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Oh man, they're hard to find right now. It's about to get impossible soon.
it was be so damn cruel if this was april 1st too...
should be an awesome as shit summer though.
we've got HD remix now, Sf4, MvC2, and BlazBlue slated for this june.
i think King of Fighters 12 is shooting for this year as well.
all we need now is a port of Capcom vs SNK 2 and were fucking candy.
GT: Tanky the Tank
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I'd kill a man for that.
This is good news though. I didn't play it too much but even I need my fix.
Edit - Seconding the "kill a man for Capcom vs. SNK 2" sentiment.
Its just like.. I wonder what would happen if there was a team with Roll, servbot.... and... JUGGERNAUT.
Hells ya.
It's not loading for me, I guess the site is getting hammered.
Best Fighting game in history
Add to that King of Fighters 98 Ultimate Match and the possibility of Garou: Mark of the Wolves (confirmed Japanese release on 360 this year) and it's one damned fine year to like 2D fighting games.
How about putting that on PSN and XBL?
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Seriously? MvC 2 had the worst fucking unlock system ever. It took aaaages to get everything. Honestly, nobody should have to go through arcade mode more than one time, especially when there's online play. Unlocking characters in SF4 was bad enough; this game is like 5 times worse.
Although truth be told, I'm not a big fan of the game in the first place. I'd probably be a lot more open to rebuying it if they went the extra mile with the aesthetics. Bring back individual character themes and backgrounds, and I'd buy it in a second. Most characters in the game already have both, and those that don't can just use the default stages/music.
Switch - SW-3699-5063-5018
I was hoping for a game that could come out this century.