Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars Review

After creating an industry-stirring surge at the start of the decade, by the mid 1990’s Capcom’s Street Fighter series was in desperate need of revitalization.  Increasingly, players were seeking their pugilistic pleasures in the three dimensional realms of the Tekken and Virtua Fighter franchises. In the autumn of 1996, Capcom countered with Xmen vs. Street Fighter, a game which popularized the ‘tag-team’ fighting mechanic. The game’s success heralded in a slew of similar titles, as gamers showed an affinity for the tactical supplement of multi-character battles. Later, even Namco integrated the mechanic into Tekken Tag Tournament, elevating its aging franchise from stagnancy.

While the past few years have rewarded players with a multitude of competent fighters- from Street Fighter IV, Mortal Kombat vs. DC, and BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger, each of the brawlers have avoided the character- swapping approach to fighting. Recent release Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars charmingly reinvigorates the mechanic, in the process creating the paramount fighting game for Nintendo’s system.  Due to a number of skillful design decisions, the title invites enjoyment from both beginners and brawling veterans.

American audiences may not be familiar with Tatsunoko- a celebrated Japanese production house, but recognition of the imaginative characters is hardly a requisite for enjoyment. Each of the brawlers emanating from the studio has enough personality and verve to compete with the prominent selection of Capcom combatants. Two characters- PTX-40A from Capcom’s Lost Planet and Gold Lightan from the Tatsunoko universe are so brawny, that they are forced to fight alone.

While Ultimate All-Stars’ simplified gameplay allows novices to string together a selection of short, satisfying combos, there’s also enough depth to satisfy frame-counters. Baroque Cancels allow players to sacrifice their regenerating health, by extending combos past their typical limitations, offering an intriguing risk/reward mechanic. Mega Crash allows competitors to break devastating combos, at the cost of two Super Bars. While playing with a local opponent is satisfying, the title also offers online matches. Although a majority of the competitions were lag-free, sporadically a contest would be overcome with slowdown.

The developers of TvC should be commended for offering an extensive number of control methods. Players craving a casual fracas can use the Wiimote held sideways or optionally with the Nunchuck, to unleash a series of attacks.  Those accustomed to quarter-circle strikes may want to utilize either the Classic Controller, GameCube pad, or an arcade stick to release an insalubrious amount of punishment. 

Visually, each of Tatsunoko vs Capcom’s polygonal combatants evoke the distinctive aesthetic of hand-drawn, 2D fighters. While the game lacks the high-resolution splendor of Street Fighter IV, a steady stream of super moves packs enough graphical punch to impress Nintendo owners. While some of the fighters (Morrigan from Darkstalkers, specifically) lack a bit of detail, the majority are animated with an astounding amount of fluidity.