Nothing is harder than writing a review for a fighting game. Part of me wants to write about my issue with figuring out the combos, another part of me has too much pride to even mention such a trivial issue. How much do I have to play the game to know that I have experienced everything it has to offer? Do I have to master the game to really understand how good it is, or do I simply play each character, pull off every move, and defeat it once?
I spent over 15 hours playing Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom Ultimate All-Stars (TvC) before I felt I could write a fair review. I have tried my hand at every character, and have attempted each move and tried out a a couple of the controller options. How did the game fair in my opinion? It’s fantastic.
This game is the first good fighter on the Wii that isn’t geared for the younger crowd. TvC caters more towards the generation that grew up with Battle of the Planets or the original Mega Man games. However, anyone can enjoy the various characters, and the younger crowd may actually learn a thing or two about some of the lesser known Tatsunoko creations and Capcom characters.
The game features several control schemes. You may use just the Wiimote, the Wiimote with Nunchuck, the Classic Controller, or a Gamecube controller. When using either Wiimote configurations, you are forced to use Simple Controls. If you use any other input, you can choose to use the normal button configuration.
The normal controls are still pretty simple. Instead of a six-button system to cover light, medium, and strong punches and kicks, TvC does not separate the kicks and punches. Instead, depending on your position to the enemy and your input, the game chooses either a kick or a punch for you. At first, you will probably be button-mashing a bit, however once you get used to the way your character responds to your input, it gets a whole lot easier.
Other controls feature a guard by pressing back while crouching or standing, a taunt, and a partner button. As with many other games in the Vs. series, you pick two characters, except for a couple of characters that are very powerful so they always fight solo. The tag team element adds to the chaos of the game, which boils down to managing your Special Moves.
Simple Controls takes the light, medium, and strong out of the picture as well. You are left with a single attack button, and a bevy of shortcuts that allow you to pull off the majority of the character’s special moves. This is a great mode for beginners, however veterans of the Vs. series will probably want to stick with the normal controls because it seems to give you a larger palette of attacks to choose from.
There is a small learning curve as you try to figure out all the moves for each character. The input response is not as tight as I am used to in games like Street Fighter IV. Pulling off air combos is particularly difficult. I found that most of the time I tried to jump after launching an enemy in the air, they had already landed before I could start my attack. To be fair to the game though, most of my issues are because I’m not very experienced with these types of fighters outside of the Street Fighter series.
To help, there is a move list in the instruction manual and in the pause menu. The only downside to the instruction manual is that it doesn’t include a move list for characters you unlock, you have to use the in-game move list. Fortunately, there aren’t too many characters to manage in this game.
There are 28 characters in all, which is a little more than half what most other Vs. games offer. That is a big plus because you don’t have to spend your life learning the nuances of 50 characters. The cast list features a lot of surprises, and a few characters that you probably won’t recognize. For a full list of characters and descriptions, visit GamesRadar’s complete character listing.
Each character has a different feel, and only in one case did I find two fighters that were almost alike in their move list. The balance of power between characters seems to be a little uneven. Tekkaman and Saki are extremely powerful compared to Yatterman, and if you play either of the characters that fight solo, you will probably have a tough time unless you can really master them.
Mastering the characters comes down to really learning the game system. The TvC system features some neat moves like the new Mega Crush and Cross-Over Air Raid moves. Using your partner both to break and start combos is essential, and pretty cool. Hyper Combos are here as well. As you fill your combo meter, you will have access to couple of Level 1 and one Level 3 Hyper Combo. Some moves trigger awesome animations that are occasionally funny, and always cool.
These animations really show off the great graphics that this game features. The visuals are gorgeous and really show that the Wii can push out some pretty good graphics. The opening animation is awesome and really sets the tone for the chaotic action the game features. Once you start up the game, you are taken to a menu screen where your options scroll by moving like a DNA strand.
From this menu, you can select the Gallery, the Shop, view you play data, use the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, or pick from one of five play modes. The modes are Arcade, Versus, Training, Survival, and Time Attack. These modes are fairly standard in fighting games these days, and I’m glad they didn’t skimp too much for the Wii offering.
There is plenty to unlock through playing through the Arcade Mode. You earn currency called Zenny that you can use to purchase simple character stills and sound bites, additional costumes for each of the characters, and additional characters.
The music is a decent affair, however I couldn’t help but notice that there were no character specific themes in the game at all. It seems like a missed opportunity to really bring back memories of some of the characters. The music isn’t really something that you will be talking about.
If you are a fan of fighters and you own a Wii, you must get this game. If you have ever been interested in getting into fighters, but are a little intimidated by the level of difficulty, get this game. The simple controls even the playing field a bit between veterans and n00bs. It is truly a standout game and I commend Capcom for creating this game specifically for the Wii.
Tatsunoko vs. Capcom Ultimate All-Stars is rated T for Teen and is available exclusively for the Nintendo Wii on January 26th, 2010.
A review copy of the game was provided but did not affect the outcome of this review.
I love this game, though I’m really not a fan of the jazzy soundtrack. Could also use more stages, but it’s still tons of fun!