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Marvel vs Capcom (DC)
by thole09
"Marvel vs Capcom: Clash of the Superheroes" is a fighting video game. It was first released in 1999 by Capcom for the Sega Dreamcast. In the United States, the game received an age guidance rating of "T" which deemed it appropriate for ages 13 and above.
This video game was first seen in video arcades as ... a freestanding unit. I remember venturing into my local game room at the time and coming across the massive blue machine which featured various decals of comic book superheroes and "Street Fighter" characters. I promptly placed a few of my gaming tokens into the machine and was mesmerized by the fighting experience. Later in its life cycle, it was ported to the Sega Dreamcast console and what I remember about my arcade experience was duplicated in an at home environment without the need for a pocket full of coins.
In this video game, Professor X of the X-Men series calls upon the superheroes of the world to destroy Magneto before his mind fuses within the entity to create the super villain Onslaught. Teams of two characters, a mix bag of comic book characters including Spiderman and Captain America from Marvel Comics and Ryu from Capcom's Street Fighter series, will battle each other in a series of eight progressively difficult battles before reaching Professor X at an untimely moment when he morphs into Onslaught. Players must then defeat Onslaught in a series of two endurance battles which destroys him and shows a brief moment in the winning character's life regarding what defeating Onslaught meant to him or her.
Marvel vs Capcom is often a button mashing affair. This aspect seems very geared for the game room with the numerous plastic buttons and wobbly joystick, but it also transitioned reasonably well to the Dreamcast console. I do often find that the clunky and somewhat jagged shape of the Dreamcast game pad makes swift combinations and other commands requiring precise timing difficult. I feel the odd dimensions of the game pad are better suited to slower affairs, but was able to adequately adjust to the rapid-fire pace of the video game.
The graphics are two dimensional and presented from a side perspective. The game moves with a swift and fluid motion which allows ease of play and creates a generally pleasing visual experience. There are, however, an abundance of flashing images which are seen throughout battles. These flashes are especially seen during the execution of hyper combo special maneuvers. Captain America is a noteworthy offender as his "Hyper Charging Star" results in several flashes of blue and white both in the foreground and background. After a lengthy gaming session, I frequently walk away with eye strain and headaches which I feel are attributed to the excessive flashing images seen in the game. The audio is suitable for the game. The music is upbeat and the clashing of physical contact comes through as appropriate for a comic-like atmosphere.
I enjoy what Marvel vs Capcom has to provide and feel the bulk of its enjoyment is seen in the multiplayer mode. The presence of a live human opponent greatly skews the game in terms of skill level and playing preferences, and always breathes new life into the video frenzy. It is otherwise a fun single player venture that presents an opportunity to create several different teams which continually refines gameplay. I would happily recommend it to prospective buyers.
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Quake 3 Arena (DC)
by shaneo632
One of my all time favourite FPS games is without a doubt Quake 3 Arena, and whilst I played it largely on the PC, for the sake of ease of use, I did also buy it for the Dreamcast, and it was a huge console revolution for the ability to play the game online. The game's success then opened the floodgates for later consoles such as the PS2 ... to provide online gaming abilities.
Unlike the previous games, the focus here is on multiplayer, and particularly, the online aspect. Miraculously, there are reports of some small communities still playing the game online, an astounding testament to the quality of the porting from the PC, an achievement that today is still only rarely achieved particularly well.
The game still looks good today - I recall being astounded by the graphics when it first came out, thanks to the sharp texture detail, grimy, gritty map design, and vibrant colours. In fact, the presentation as a whole package is very robust, from the menus, to the ominous deep voice that calls the start of each game, and the grunts as you get wounded, and huge explosions as an enemy eats your rocket.
As far as online FPS games go, this remains one of the best, with countless gaming modes, from a normal Free for All, to Team Deathmatch, to Capture the Flag. It also has some of the most memorable maps of any FPS - they are incredibly well designed, and ensure that there are rarely moments where you're spending time looking for someone to kill.
If you can't get this working online on the Dreamcast, there isn't that much reason to buy it - the single player is decent enough, but the multiplayer is the unqualified reason to get the game, for the sheer spectacle and unrelenting intensity. Even with all of the Counterstrikes, Call of Duty's and SOCOM'S, this still stands as one of the best engineered and simply stunningly executed online games of all time.
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House of the Dead 2 (DC)
by shaneo632
Although the PlayStation's Time Crisis may be the best known light gun game on the market, it is House of the Dead 2 that is among the best of its generation, with a plot pulled right from cheesy B-movie horror films, combined with some unique boss designs, great visuals, and a whole lot of green zombie blood!
Following the ... events of the first film, a team of officers are dispatched to find G, an officer who has gone missing and seemingly off the rails. Four characters are sent to find him, although this is going to be a lot more difficult than they expected, as they realise within mere seconds of arriving at Venice, where a zombie invasion has overrun the city, not to mention the number of other beasties, such as zombified owls, swamp things, and giant armoured beasts too!
What impresses me most about the game is its general aesthetic - from the corny music and shoddy dialogue delivery, to the voluminous gore, this is a game loving concieved as a throwback to the cheesy B-movies of the 1970s in particular. Also, it has a subtle branching narrative system, where certain acts, such as whether you manage to save other civillians, result in you having to take a different path. It's also, as an arcade game, quite accessible to anyone - the options allow you to set the lives and continues so high that it's virtually impossible not to beat the game, or put them on more challenging settings if you're looking to get by on your shooting skill.
The light gun itself has a very sleek design and somewhat outdoes the archaic design of the PS1 gun. Also, don't think you're just making the expenditure for this game, because there are also several other great shooting games for the Dreamcast, most notably the superb Confidential Mission.
With superb boss battles, great graphics, and a knowing B-movie-inspired plot that gives the viewer a fair few winks and nudges, this is a superb light gun game, and arguably the best ever made.
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