Tatsunoko vs Capcom Ultimate All Stars - review

A shining example of a niche game if there ever was one, it is a miracle Tatsunoko vs Capcom was ever released outside of Japan.

That said, this is a game deserving of an audience, continuing Capcom's tradition of releasing great 2D fighting-games.

A spiritual successor of sorts to the extremely popular Marvel vs Capcom 2, Tatsunoko vs Capcom Ultimate All Stars will feel immediately similar to fans. The game pits established Capcom characters against characters from Japanese animation studio Tatsunoko.

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Whereas the Capcom characters, such as Ryu and Chun-Li from Street Fighter, Frank West from Dead Rising, and Megaman and Zero from the Megaman series, will be instantly familiar to a western audience, most will have no idea who the Tatsunoko characters are.

Whilst this is not really a problem once the player starts enjoying themselves and trying out these new characters, it may put off potential buyers.

Everyone should have a go though, as once you start playing around with the Tatsunoko characters, they are just as fun as those on the Capcom roster.

Some players may recognize Ken the Eagle and Jun the Swan from Gatchaman, which aired in the west under the name Battle of the Planets in the 70s. Otherwise, most of these characters have had no exposure here, but all are interesting to play and worth your time.

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The gameplay is similar to that of Marvel vs Capcom 2, which a focus on speed, large combos, and flashy, over-the-top super moves. Characters fight in teams of two, with player having the ability to switch between the two during the match.

The character not in-use can also briefly jump in for an assist attack, or both characters can perform their super combos at the same time to inflict massive damage.

The learning curve is quite forgiving, and the game is easy to pick up for beginners. The game is controlled with four buttons, three of which correspond to weak, medium and heavy attacks, and the fourth calling in your partner. Basic combos can be performed by hitting the attack buttons in order of strength, and then these can be extended into special and super moves as players learn and gain confidence. The game has plenty of depth for old MvC2 fans to enjoy, such as the "baroque" system, which allows players to sacrifice health in order to extend combos, but crucially is also great fun for new players.

Capcom's decision to release the game on the Wii is a questionable one. This is a game that arguably would have a found a larger audience on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, with those consoles traditionally having a userbase of "gamers", as opposed to the casual users commonly associated with the Wii.

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Considering this is such a niche title, only releasing it on one console seems an odd business decision by Capcom, but Wii fans who are tired of waving their arms around imitating sports could do a lot worse than TvC.

However, an issue raised by the choice of console is that of control. TvC can be played with a Wii remote held sideways, but this vastly simplifies the controls to the state where the game essentially plays itself.

To get the real experience, the game should be played on a classic controller, a Gamecube controller, or ideally an arcade stick, a range of which have been released to coincide with the game.

Tatsunoko vs Capcom has the usual range of modes for a fighting game, with single-player arcade, survival and time-attack, and the multiplayer versus mode. Online play is also available, but this is patchy at best.

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Although some matches can be smooth and lag-free, playing TvC online is normally an exercise in frustration, as lag messes up your combos and timing. For the most fun, play against someone sitting next to you.

Amusingly, the game also has an unlockable mini-game, which plays like an old-school style shoot-em-up. This is an entertaining diversion when taking a break from the fighting, but nothing ground breaking.

Tatsunko vs Capcom is a great game, and one worth every fighting game fans attention. If it can overcome the unfamiliarity of its roster, and the odd choice of platform, TvC will have a great future ahead of it.

8/10

Review sponsored by Game - www.game.co.uk

Tatsunoko vs Capcom Ultimate All Stars

Age restriction: 12+

Nintendo Wii - 24.99 (www.game.co.uk)

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