Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars

10 Review to this product

• 

  NYJ
  January 26th, 2010 on 7:40 am

  Rating

  2010 is shaping up to be the year of the Wii. A number of highly anticipated titles such as The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces and No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle have already been released. Add this title to the mix and you have yet another game which should make even the PS3/XBOX360 crowd a bit jealous. Tatsunoko vs. Capcom (TvC) is a retooling of a similar title released only in Japan in 2008. There are a number of differences, most importantly online play in this current issue, but the soul of the game remains the same. The cast of 26 playable characters hail from Capcom and Tatsunoko franchises. Tatsunoko has a long history in Japan as a maker of anime television shows and movies, and some people will recall the dubs of some of their shows that wound up on the shores of North America. Tatsunoko’s most popular show, Science Ninja Team Gatchaman hit American shores as Battle of the Planets – Ultimate Set and G-Force. Three characters from Gatchaman make their appearance here, as well as other characters from popular Tatsunoko franchises Tekkaman, Yatterman, and Ippatsuman amongst others. From the Capcom side, the usual list of characters can be found with Ryu, Chun-Li, and Alex from Street Fighter, Megaman Volnutt, Roll, and Zero from the Megaman franchises, as well as Frank West and Viewtiful Joe amongst others. Each character has their own moves and phrases, and some come with unlockable color schemes/outfits which can be purchased as the player advances through the game and earns enough points (Zenny’s). Not all 26 characters start out unlocked. One must play through the game a number of times to unlock some of the characters (e.g., play with a Capcom character four times to unlock other Capcom characters, etc). It should be noted that nothing points out the fact that this game originated in Japan than the fact that a majority of the characters speak solely in Japanese. While the dialog isn’t verbose, only Frank West speaks English as his primary language. Between stage snipets are written, and are in English, and all menus are in English as well.

  Gameplay is broken up into multiple options. There is “Arcade” where you pick two characters and play through a number of stages fighting opposing tag-team duos. There is a “Training” mode where you can practice your attacks, and set up your opponent to take up defensive or offensive positions to challenge you. There is, of course, the highly anticipated “Online” mode where you can fight opponents either in your locale or from across the world. You do not need a friend code to have random fights, and if you wish to keep an anonymous randomly assigned challenger on your list after the fight, you can do so. There are also “Time Attack” and “Survival” modes, and a Local Multiplay option as well. Capcom has given players multiple options for controllers. You can use the WiiMote, WiiMote+Nunchuck, Classic Controller, or Gamecube Controller. MadCatz has also put out a Wii Tatsunoko VS Capcom Arcade FightStick which takes the place of a Classic Controller. It appears that Capcom intentionally made the effort to initiate people to this genre, as learning all of the moves for a particular character can be daunting. To this effect, they made the WiiMote and WiiMote+Nunchuck much easier in terms of executing special moves/attacks with a minimum of waggle (i.e., shaking the WiiMote). This should allow the novice to come to a fuller appreciation of the game without having to spend as much time in training to learn the most basic of moves. In addition, players have the option of having at the top of the screen the keystroke maps of several special attacks for quick reference during combat. In case the game still proves too difficult to master, there are difficulty adjustments (up to 8 star difficulty) to make the game easier or harder as the player sees fit. In addition to all of the combat modes, there is a mini-game as well, a top-down shooter reminiscent of the old 16-bit days for nostalgia purposes. However it is done in true Capcom style, and could easily be a solid hit on Nintendo’s online WiiWare.

  Graphically, this is one of the prettiest games to show up on the Wii to date. The colors are vibrant, the action is unparalleled. In addition to watching your characters jump across the screen, hitting your opponent in bright colored bursts, you have the option of seeing how many hits in succession you’ve landed and the amount of damage you’ve done to them … often in the billions of points (yes, the game is a bit over the top in that aspect). The frame rate never stutters or staggers, the action is smooth and free flowing, and the voices blend perfectly with the action (even if they’re in Japanese … which only seems to heighten the atmosphere). It is non-stop eye candy. Even the backgrounds are taken from various Tatsunoko and Capcom series. To say that a lot of detail was put into this title would be an understatement.

  Conclusion: Overall, this game easily earns 9.5 out of 10 stars. It has everything that one would expect in an Arcade-style combat game. The action is awesome, the characters are fully-fleshed out with their own strengths and weaknesses (depending upon their opponents), graphically the game is gorgeous, you are given multiple ways to approach the game in terms of controller support and gameplay options, and it plays as if you were in the arcade. For anyone even remotely interested in the genre, this is a must buy. For those who were thinking of giving it a go, you will be well rewarded in making the decision to get this title. There is a reason that PS3 and XBOX360 fans are begging for this title to be moved from a Wii-only release to being offered on their systems as well … it’s that good!
• 

  Benjamin J. Gillespie
  January 27th, 2010 on 5:05 pm

  Rating

  I never thought that this game would ever be released outside of Japan, even after it was announced for U.S. release I still couldn’t believe it. There are some awesome detailed reviews here already so I’ll spare you the specs and just touch on the key points. If you enjoyed Marvel Vs. Capcom 1/2, Capcom Vs. SNK 1/2 then stop reading and buy this if you haven’t yet. If you don’t have a Wii, buy a Wii and buy this game. You probably won’t recognize many/any of the Tatsunoko characters but that really doesn’t matter. Those of you that grew up in the 80′s might remember the characters from Gatchaman (G-Force in the states), anime freaks will recognize Karas but that’s about it. The rest of the lineup haven’t had much exposure over here if any…but they are all spectacular characters for the Vs. series. I love the graphics, the cell-shaded 3D is a perfect fit, makes me hopeful for MvC3 using a similar style (it could happen!). There is a ton of unlockable content, the shop system is pretty much like MvC2 was on the Dreamcast, single player is just as solid as multiplayer thanks to that. The gameplay is basically a simplified MvC2, don’t worry though, plenty of depth for the hardcore. This is a 2 on 2 set up and you can freely swap your characters out to regain health, just like MvC. You have 3 attack buttons, light/medium/heavy, and a Partner/Assist button to call in your other character. I honestly don’t think the strategy or depth is negatively impacted by a 4 button setup at all, once you play for a few hours you’ll start to see how complex 4 buttons can be. I’ve played MvC2 for nearly 10 years, I have a PS3 and I love Street Fighter IV and BlazBlue but I can say without a doubt that this is the most fun I have had with a fighting game since playing Street Fighter 2 in the arcades all those years ago, only time will tell if it will stay fun for as long. Definitely buy an arcade stick too, you won’t regret it. Enjoy, see you all online!
  
• 

  Charles A. Clement
  January 29th, 2010 on 6:05 pm

  Rating

  If you want a Game thats worth the money you can not go wrong with TVC.

  * Great Online Gameplay that’s Lag Free.

  * Awesome Cast of over 20 Characters from the Capcom side (Street Fighter MegaMan DeadRising and more.) Including Tatsunko characters even if you never heard of them you will grow to love them for being not only crazy but, just plain awesome.

  * Alot of unlockables including a Shooting game using the characters from the game to shoot and earn Points. (only can be achieved by getting all the yellow letters in the credits portion of the game spelling Thank you For Playing.)

  *Insane Special and Ultimate Special Moves for each Character depending on your Hyper Bar Level.

  * Graphics are almost like they were taken from Street Fighter IV that Blend in very well with the music and background.

  * 3 Button Control System over 4 different controllers. The Wii Remote, Remote & Nunchuck, Classic Controller, or Gamecube Controller As well as other 3rd Party Arcade sticks and Controllers. (In my opinion Wii remote feels better if you want to try using that first but thats my opinion.)

  Well worth $49.99 get this game 10/10!
• 

  Oliver Leland
  February 1st, 2010 on 12:15 pm

  Rating

  On the floor of my bedroom lies an old copy of Game Informer. Yoshi, about to star in his N64 platformer, is smiling on the cover, and the corner sports a blurb about Resident Evil 2. Turn the crinkled and worn pages past both these articles, and you’ll come to a colorful full-page article about a game I’ve never played: X-Men vs. Street Fighter for the Sega Saturn. The game was never released outside of Japan – the arcade-perfect Saturn version, that is – and, as a young boy (ten, eleven maybe), it became my unattainable object, my “official Red Ryder carbine-action 200-shot range model BB rifle with a compass in the stock”. If you know what I mean.

  Fast-forward twelve or so years. I’ve got my Wii Tatsunoko vs. Capcom Arcade FightStick wired up to my Wii remote (with the stock blue buttons switched to Seimitsu PS 14-KNs – not the white buttons yet, I’ll swap them when I can afford it) and everything’s flashing purple and red.

  Good God, Capcom, you’ve learned to localize.

  Tatsunoko vs. Capcom is not as complex as 2009′s Street Fighter IV – which is not to say that there’s no depth underneath all of the flashy Hyper Combos and dizzying air juggles. To the contrary, I predict this game will provide as much mileage as its 11 year old brother, Marvel Vs. Capcom 2, due largely to its combat system’s complexity. Button mashers will have little trouble tearing through the game’s Arcade Mode, but, like Street Fighter, tactic is the name of the game once you begin squaring off against players online. As for the roster, the Tatsunoko combatants are significantly less recognizable than their Marvel counterparts, and yet fewer of them come off as low-tier. But, most importantly, this game feels at home in Capcom’s legendary “vs.” franchise. And that is perhaps most vital to its success – which, supposedly, will grant us a sequel if enough copies sell. It’s a great game, and there’s no better way for you, reader, to thank Capcom for bringing it to our shores than by buying it and enjoying it.

  See y’all online — just after I clean my room. That magazine has been there for far too long.
• 

  Rex Campos
  February 2nd, 2010 on 1:13 pm

  Rating

  I admit, I didn’t know a whole lot about the Tatsunoko anime house, but I was really psyched to see a new fighting game in the VS series, and that it was coming to the Wii. The Wii has been getting very little hardcore game love the last few years, so it was nice to see this game come out for the system that has a rep of being a party game shovelware system.

  On to the game. First off, I have an old Gamecube controller lying around, so I ended up using that, since I kept hearing from many video game site reviews that the Wii remote/nunchuck control scheme was a pain in the a$$. Once I fired up the game, I spent about 2 hours or so just goofing around with the different game modes, and I was very impressed…even though the game only really has three attack buttons, plus the partner call button, the attack system is surprisingly pretty deep. Granted the fighting system is nowhere near as deep as SFIV with its myriad reversals and combos and such, but it is good. The graphics are fantastic, it really seems that Capcom really tried to push the visuals for the Wii to its limit.

  As I mentioned before, the control scheme only has three attack buttons and a partner call button, but irregardless of the lack of attack buttons, using the Gamecube controller (and most likely those nice arcade fight sticks and the classic controller) is simple. The Gamecube control is tight and quick. The character selection is fantastic (although I would have liked to see a few more characters like Guile, Ken, Sagat and Adon in the game), and the Tatsunoko selection is fantastic, even though I wasn’t too familiar with every one of their characters (I am familiar with Tekkaman and the G-Force characters), and it brings some awareness to the awesomeness of the Tatsunoko anime series.

  This game is fan service for fans of Tatsunoko and people who LOVE all the VS fighting games. It’s fun, easy to pick up and play, has great graphics that push the Wii to its limit, and the control scheme is tight. The hyper combos are so over the top (especially the Tatsunko hypers) and really show off the wonderful graphics of the Wii. If you loved the VS fighting games, love slightly obscure Japanese Anime, or just love fighting games and you own a Wii, you owe it to yourself to pick this game up.
• 

  male
  February 2nd, 2010 on 3:21 pm

  Rating

  I’ve read some of the real negative reviews and they seem to talk about crummy controls and lag time. I have not experienced any of that, but I would certainly recommend picking up the classic remote to play this game, this will allow you to unlock more moves and just feels more natural for a fighting game. I think the graphics for this game are just fine, they’re not incredible, but I haven’t seen any fighting game that I think is (including SF IV).
• 

  Cheapo1
  February 4th, 2010 on 9:33 am

  Rating

  Any honest review would have to ackowledge the awesome graphics, excellent character choices, on-line play, game mode choices and unique big-time signature moves each character brings to the fight. Any review that gives this game a 1 star rating should not seriously be considered, these reviewers have probably not even played this game and probably don’t even own a Wii. If you want the best tag team fighting game on any platform right now then you’d be wise to buy this game.
• 

  T-PAIN
  February 4th, 2010 on 9:26 pm

  Rating

  Story: 7/10
  
  Graphics: 8/10
  
  Controls: 10/10
  
  Gameplay: 10/10
  
  Fun Factor: 10/10

  …I’ll just stick to citing the major differences between Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom and previous Vs. Series titles:

  -All-new characters! The Tatsunoko cast, though largely unfamiliar to American fans, offers its very own style and flow to the arena, headlined by anime titans such as Gatchaman and Tekkaman Blade. Tried and true Capcom favorites return with welcome new additions to the Vs. series, including Zero of the Megaman X fame.

  -Deeper Partner Crossover system! Though the battles have been reduced to 2-on-2 matchups, players can now do more than just switch out partners and trigger Team Hyper Combos. Now you can call in Partner assists to mix up your offense, use your partner to strategically absorb attacks, and even switch partners in mid-combo to lengthen your attack strings and stack up insane damage.

  -Huge playable fighters like Gold Lightan add a whole new dimension to the experience, allowing you to utterly crush your smaller rivals! Or you can topple one of these giants with your more traditionally-sized fighting team.

  -The wall bounce! Grizzled fighting veterans will quickly learn to incorporate this brutal knockdown technique to string together even longer combos and mount an unprecidented offense. Truly a technique for the swift-minded.

  -The Baroque Cancel allows you to instantly cancel your attack recovery in mid-combo, so you can further lengthen the attack string while reducing damage scaling! This allows for some truly fearsome combo setups for anyone willing to practice up.

  -The Megacrash allows you to break out of an enemy’s combo attack, at the cost of some Hyper Meter and a bit of your lifebar. Use this to escape a dire situation and turn the tables on your opponent!

  -Simplified button layout. Instead of the classic 6-button attack system of the past, TvC features 4 basic buttons: Light attack, Medium attack, Heavy attack, and the Partner button. But don’t let it fool you; these commands combine with the direction keys to activate varible attacks that greatly expand each character’s arsenal and offer a huge range of ways to pummel your enemies.

  -Breakaway stages! Mostly an aesthetic novelty, but still welcome eye candy after you’ve slammed your opponent into the floor.

  Compared to the Japanese release, TvC: Ultimate All-Stars has made drastic changes and additions to re-balance and revamp the entire experience. Nevertheless, this one is most certainly worth the buy, offering hours of high-flying, fast-paced combat and a truckload of unlockable features. An excellent title worthy of Capcom’s legendary pantheon of excellent fighters.
• 

  T. Weekes-nolan
  February 12th, 2010 on 12:45 pm

  Rating

  First of all when thinking of buying this game please please please get and use a Wii Classic Controller. If you are true fan of fighting games the Wii Tatsunoko vs. Capcom Arcade FightStick is great, but for the price get the classic controller that the only way the moves of the characters feels responsive and natural.

  Tatsunoko vs Capcom is a great fighting game on the Wii. Brawl has finally a have true contender in gameplay. If you love the Marvel vs Capcom series and the Tatsunoko anime company then you will love this game even if you do not know what is Tatsunoko if you love fighting games this can be easily over loked. Their are a total of 24 characters to choose from when you first start.While you get 4 more to unlock you will be very satisfied with the roster in this game. The characters are also very recognizable as well. Like from Capcom we get Ryu, Chun-li, & Alex from Street Fighter, Frank West from Dead Rising, Zero from MegaMan command and a few more. From Tatsunoko we get Ken the Eagle, Juan the Swan, & Joe the Condor from Gatchaman (G-Force) ,Tekkaman Blade, Yatterman-1 and a few more as well.The gameplay is also very simple like Marvel vs Capcom. You only need to Master 3 buttons and it’s very easy to pull of a Super Combo.and for the first time you look at the moves list while playing the game or in training instead of pausing the game looking at it then remembering the move. The gameplay is also crazy 2vs2 fighting. You can swap out on the fly while fighting, do many special tag-team combo’s and it’s a blast to play. Once you get the combo’s down you will be fighting like a Pro. There is also a Wi-Fi mode which I found really good. You can easily make friends with Wi-Fi with the Rival. The fighting is very fast,smooth and I haven’t found any lag as well. I have log over 40 hours fighting over the Wi-Fi from the day it was released, and 60 plus with live V.S play with my friends great multi-player game. The game as many unlockables like Character design, Art work and so much more. Great music and stages as well. Overall Tatsunoko vs Capcom is a must if you own a Wii. If want a great hardcore fighter other then Super Smash Bros Brawl then this is well worth a Pick-Up.Thank you Capcom for brings this game to the U.S.

  PLEASE READ WHEN LOOK AT THE 1 STAR REVIEWS.
  
  This for the people that gave the their 1 star review let me answer their reviewS, hopeful that this will help in you decommission to or not buy the game.
  
  1) I can not stress get the right controller the Wii-mote and or Wii-mote & nun-chuck not good for this game, like most Wii games there are many control Schemes. also there no motion play with this game.
  
  2) If you ever play a fighting game including one from capcom they never have a story or a good one, and that mostly goes for most if not all game of this genre.
  
  3) the one thing that I hate about gamers in this generation the the fan boys what happen to playing a game for fun no matter what system it is on. while the Wii get this great game, if you do not have a Wii then Download Marvel V.S Capcom for Xbox 360 & PS3 or wait for Super Street Fighter 4 coming out later this year, which are also great games as well. if you got one system pick the best game for that gaming system, and trust me there are more that 15 great game for each one, so fan boys pick those and keep quiet.
  
• 

  MisterMusicFan
  February 15th, 2010 on 7:25 am

  Rating

  Tatsunoko VS. Capcom, the latest addition to Capcom’s VS. series, seemed highly unlikely to ever reach western shores, but come January 2010 and we American gamers at last have the pleasure of experiencing this (mostly) awesome game. More or less a sequel to the highly successful Marvel VS. Capcom games, Tatsunoko VS. Capcom cobbles together characters from anime production studio Tatsunoko (likely best known in America for Speed Racer, none of whose characters are present in this game, ironically, surely due to licensing issues) and popular game publisher Capcom in an arcade-style crossover fighting game.

  Having only previously experienced the Marvel VS. Capcom series in arcades myself, I headed into this game assuming it would be little more than endless nonsensical button-mashing, but thankfully the wide array of controller options it offers (naturally, being a Wii game) allows the player to essentially customize their playing style to whatever he or she feels comfortable with. The Classic Controller gives the most classic experience and is more or less the best bet for those highly familiar with Capcom’s technical, elaborate style of playing, but for newbies and those a little more familiar with the Super Smash Bros. style of battling (particularly, feeling a little more in control of your moveset and easily pulling off specific attacks) should stick with the Wii Remote and Nunchuk. The basic premise of the game is to select a duo of combatants to bash opposing teams into oblivion-or more accurately, until their health reaches zero. There is a versus mode which allows for 2 players (just a heads up, no more than 2 people can play this game at once, unless you’re planning on passing around controllers) to battle in customizable settings, a 1-player mode in which you must fight a series of duels leading up to a boss fight and is also customizable, a training mode to practice, and an online mode in which you can fight friends or random people using Nintendo Wi-Fi.

  The versus and online modes are the two players will likely be getting the most enjoyment out of, so if you haven’t got an internet connection or friends interested in playing this with you, you may want to think twice about purchasing it. The primary 1-player mode, Arcade, is fun but repetitive, and although there are a small handful of other single-player modes which allow you to see how many battles of progressively increasing difficulty you can make it through or require you to finish fights within allotted amounts of time, it ultimately all kind of just adds up to the same experience, which is one that gets vaguely tiresome after a certain amount of time. The good news is, as in many fighting games, there is a vast array of goodies and unlockables you can nab after accomplishing certain tasks in the game, and a good majority of these are unlocked by progressing through the 1-player modes. You will be able to gain new character outfits, game artwork, short movies, and of course hidden characters (there are a total of 4, all of whom can be unlocked moderately easily, which is both a good and a bad thing, since they tend to be the only unlockables casual gamers will care about).

  Anyone familiar with fighting games should pick up the basic Wii Remote or Wii Remote + Nunchuk controller schemes fairly quickly, but using anything else brings a bit more of a learning curve. Becoming truly good at this game requires the knowledge (and proper use) of advanced techniques like Baroque combos, Variable Air Raids, Assists, Variable Counters, and more, all of which are explained in the instruction booklet but will on average take a little time and practice for certain players to pick up.

  TvC offers a vast array of playable characters, and minus perhaps Tatsunoko’s Speed Racer, it’s unlikely that anyone will complain about any characters or series not being accounted for. The game boasts three Mega Man characters (Zero, Roll, and the man himself, albeit in his Mega Man Legends’ Volnutt form), three Street Fighter characters (Ryu, Chun-Li and Alex), Darkstalkers’ Morrigan, Viewtiful Joe, and more. Most American players won’t be familiar with many of the Tatsunoko offerings, and although some of the anime characters may seem goofy at first, they are in fact bursting with personality and bring a lot to the gameplay, and may actually garner players’ interests in checking out some of the hilarious, action-packed and incredibly cool shows from which they originate.

  One of the most relevant aspects of the gameplay and an essential factor of winning matches-particularly against more skilled adversaries-is the combo. Whether it’s the basic combo or air combo, both of which string together an inescapable series of attacks when executed correctly, or the Hyper Combo, a super-move which comes at a price but can deal massive amounts of damage, combos are the key to finishing off opponents in TvC. Throughout matches, your characters will build up `meter’ as they land hits and take damage, which will allow them to execute different moves but will primarily be saved for Hyper Combos and the Mega Crash. 1 meter allows characters to execute basic Hyper Combos, while 3 will allow them to pull off their final Hyper Combo, which generally deals massive damage (and comes with a spiffy cutscene animation) if it hits. Mega Crashing is a technique that can be hugely helpful but must be used with extreme caution-if you’re caught in a long combo of damaging attacks and find yourself unable to retaliate, you can Mega Crash to break any opponent’s combo (except Hypers) and send them flying to the other side of the screen. This comes at a steep price, however-upon Mega Crashing, you will lose 2 meter and a small portion of health. Learning and making proper use of all the available techniques are key to winning online and truly mastering this game.

  On the negative side, as with most fighting games, some of the characters feel cheap and disproportionately overpowered, occasionally making for obnoxious gameplay mechanics and match outcomes (spamming moves that pack too much power, too much range, or too much speed-or all of the above-like Ryu’s Hadouken, Mega Man’s endless slew of projectiles, and several of Tekkaman Blade’s moves, is an unfortunate commonality in certain online matches). Meanwhile, the ‘giant’ characters, Gold Lightan and PTX-40A, are a little ridiculous and really rob battles of their strategic elements and fun-you generally just feel like you’re fighting a boss when you’re fighting these two, and although they do have some specific weaknesses, if you’re not prepared for them you’re completely and utterly screwed, which can make things obnoxious during certain online ventures. Also, some of the assets of the Japanese version sadly weren’t carried over-many of the mini-games were scrapped, and instead of a fully animated short movie upon completing Arcade mode with different characters, we’re given a moderately cool but significantly less satisfying slideshow of pictures.

  On the plus side, the artwork for this game is absolutely gorgeous; the stills and pictures offered throughout the instruction booklet, box, and as purchasable goodies in the game store are anime-style art at its very best. The in-game graphics, on the other hand, aren’t quite as satisfying, but that’s a given, since this is after all a Wii game. For a Wii game, however, the characters and backgrounds do look detailed and pleasing enough, and it also boasts rich, vibrant colors and scenery throughout. Arguably the game’s biggest asset is its online experience-it really offers what Super Smash Bros. Brawl should have; the online mode is mostly lag-free, allows for free battles for less competitive types as well as ranked battles which allow players to progress through different rankings and fight progressively more skilled opponents. There’s also a leaderboard which displays the best of the best, and you even have the option of registering worthy adversaries you come across online on your friend roster so you may battle them again at your leisure. Overall, TvC is a great gamer’s experience and a general must-have for fans of fighting games-and like all good games of its type, it has loads of fun to offer to both inexperienced beginners and seasoned veterans alike.