Dark Horses of 2010
TATSUNOKO VS CAPCOM
Martin Gaston says:
Everyone should buy Tatsunoko Vs Capcom, especially those who’ve complained about how the Wii doesn’t cater to the ever-moody core demographic. The following is a true fact: Tatsunoko Vs Capcom is the best thing to happen to the Wii since Rabbids Go Home was released.
First things first, I have no actual idea who any of the Tatsunoko characters are. But they look nice. It’s not actually a Capcom game, either, with development farmed out to Eighting, a team responsible for, amongst other things, the decent-enough Bloody Roar series and, um, Castlevania Judgement. Forget that last one, please.
The ‘right’ way to play it is to get hold of a classic controller and play it like you would any other 2D fighting game. Success comes from mastering complex manoeuvres, the tag system and the devastating bread-and-butter combos. But I don’t think that’s the best way to play it. Take it too seriously and you might as well just drop it for Street Fighter IV and BlazBlue. Where it comes into its own is as a brilliant party game, where you and a few mates – specifically the ones who refuse to play Street Fighter IV and BlazBlue with you anymore because you started taking them too seriously – have a blast by throwing screen-filling hadokens and unleashing Tekkaman’s killer space lance.
It works for a few reasons. Everyone knows how to pull off a quarter-circle motion, for a start, and even if they don’t – if you’re playing with girls or children, say – there’s even a super-easy button configuration where the game performs the special moves for you. You don’t need to analyse frame data to have fun with it, basically.
Ken’s not in it, though, which seems like a gaping design flaw Capcom should be ashamed of. But Akuma doesn’t show up either, so it’s not all bad. Overall there are 26 characters, with half of those coming from Tatsunoko’s unrecognisable stables. Polimar? Yatterman-1? Ippatsuman? This confusion is how the Japanese must have felt when looking at Marvel Versus Capcom 2’s character screen.
I deny them their revenge of reciprocal confusion, however: Ippatsuman is a billionaire executive that fights evil executives, who want to conquer the world, whilst wearing a sweet hat. Tekkaman isn’t only a powerful fighter, he’s a space knight. A space knight! These characters are amazing. And – Viewtiful Joe is in it.
So, really, it’s a party game – you know, those videogames that have the potential to appeal to the casual mainstream lot who were prepared to pay whatever it cost to get hold of Wii Fit during Christmas 2008 – with enough depth and character to make it appeal to sulky core gamers. For that reason it probably won’t sell any copies and will almost definitely fail horribly when it’s released this week, and I’ll spend the rest of 2010 mourning such a terrible waste.
Jennifer Allen says:
I’m conflicted here. I really want Tatsunoko vs. Capcom to do well. It looks like brilliant fun and I’ll certainly be picking it up soon. However, I know it won’t do very well when it comes to sales figures: it’s too obscure and it’s on the wrong (albeit also right) system. I’ve seen the average Wii consumer in the shops. They pick out Mario titles and rubbish party games. They don’t read the back of the box and consider their purchase, they buy what their casual gamer friends or their girlfriends tell them is fun. Like bloody Raving Rabbids. The core gamer who would love Tatsunoko vs. Capcom won’t go near it because they don’t want to admit they like their Wii. Silly, silly people. I’m pretty sure I’ll love it though.
Sinan Kubba says:
For Wii owners, there’s only so much Brawl and Mortal Kombat: Armageddon that you can play before your heart aches for the fighting game the Wii needs. I’ve long been hopeful that game would be Tatsunoko vs. Capcom and I can’t beleive it’s taken so long to get here. I’m a huge fan of the 2.5D visuals in Street Fighter IV, so I’m glad to see them here too, but the simple movesets should prove crucial given the system. Will it sell? Maybe, there’s definitely a space for it after all and the Capcom name will give it a boost – and there’s no Mass Effect 2 on Wii, of course. So it might actually find shelf space.
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My second choice would have been Metro 2033, for the record.
I suspect I’d have picked something like Joe Danger or, retrospectively, Call of Pripyat.
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I’ve had to wait too long for Phantasy Star Zero (well over a year since I first dabbled with the Japanese version) as a result I do agree with the opinions here, a bright little game that’s too little too late now with other hand-held multiplayers filling this gap in he Market and some massive triple A titles waiting in the wings.
Phantasy Star Zero is the sort of game the DS could have done with near or at launch.