The backdrops to each stage are impressive. This is Spider Man's locale - Peter Parker's Pad, if you'd prefer

In true 'what if?' tradition, Marvel Vs Capcom pits cartoon superheroes against videogame stars. Can this arcade conversion cut it on the Dreamcast?
James Price

Singularly the most well-animated and aesthetically splendid 2D fighting game to appear on any console ever, Marvel Vs Capcom is an arcade conversion par excellence.

Of Capcom's three 2D-based fighting game franchises, their Marvel tie-ins have always occupied a middle ground. Compared to the tight, focused combat common to the Street Fighter games, they're a mite outlandish. But next to the unpredictable, reaction-based play of the Dark Stalkers series, they usually appear atypically conventional by comparison.

With Marvel Vs Capcom, though, the all-important 'balance' of the series has undergone a paradigm shift. Owing far more to the Dark Stalkers games than the refined Street Fighter, there's a brazen emphasis on esoteric, screen-sized attacks. While this emphasises the (until now, unproven) sprite-pushing capabilities of the Dreamcast, it rather cheapens Marvel Vs Capcom as a beat 'em up experience.

Like its predecessor - the wonderful X-Men Vs Street Fighter - Marvel Vs Capcom utilises an inspired 'tag team' system. Before the start of a bout, players choose not one but two fighters. These can be switched at will during combat. Should one character be beaten, control switches to the remaining character, and victory occurs when both fighters are KOed.

For Marvel Vs Capcom, the eponymous codeshop have introduced 'guest' characters. Chosen at random at the start of a fight, these can be summoned with a simple button sequence. In many senses, this addition only highlights the emphasis on reaction-based play. For all but the most accomplished player, a game of Marvel Vs Capcom is fought with reactions alone. Or that's how it often seems. Being able to elicit yet another eccentric special may sound like a Good Thing. But, set in context, it tips the balance between 'method' and 'madness'.