Nearly a quarter century after its initial release, Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is back in a big way as it has been re-released to the masses thanks to its inclusion in the new Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics. New generations of players now have the chance to experience one of the fighting game community’s most beloved titles, and doing his part to stoke new fiery passions is Esteban Martinez from Hold Back to Block.
His latest video features Evo 2007 Marvel vs. Capcom 2 champion and general FGC legend, IFC Yipes, who explains which characters are most broken, which assists are most useful, and the kinds of strategies players like him, Justin Wong, and other MvC2 icons developed.
First thing to establish: Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is nowhere near a balanced game. Modern titles see constant updates where everything from over-tuned abilities to bugs can be regulated, but games that came out near the turn of the century received no such treatment.
If you’re playing to have fun, the roster is filled with options and approaches. If you’re playing to win, there are only a handful of characters you’ll stand much of a chance with. Not only does Yipes identify such characters, but explains why they’re so good and how to take advantage of their strongest abilities.
After detailing out the strengths of fighters like Magneto, Cable, and Storm, Yipes offers some historical insider’s perspectives. Marvel vs. Capcom 2 blew up long before the days of YouTube when half the population was still using dial up internet, so communication looked very different.
Yipes shares stories of how players would go about sharing (or not sharing) tech. Sometimes high level players would travel to distant cities where various Marvel cultures could mix, but otherwise players had to resort to the somewhat painstaking process of using VHS tapes (look them up) to record match footage.
The video concludes with Yipes discussing the players that made MvC2, shouting out the likes of the aforementioned Justin Wong, Peter “Combofiend” Rosas, and Sanford Kelly. Give it a watch below and let us know if you learned anything in the comments.