Tatsu-who-ko?
There's been a lot of debate recently over whether the Wii has forgotten all about the hardcore gaming market in favour of cutesy and simple casual games. It's true that the little white box and its motion controller does appeal largely to new gamers, whereas the life time devotees have been edging more and more towards the Xbox 360 or Playstation 3. Perhaps only the hardcore Nintendo fan base are sticking with the Wii, and why not? After all Mario, Metroid and Zelda are all due to take residence on our game shelf this year. Apart from the first party Nintendo games, what else do hardcore Wii owners have to look forward to? You can image the relief then, when Capcom announced Tatsunoko Vs Capcom as a Wii exclusive. At last a hardcore game for the hardcore market only on Wii. The perfect excuse to buy new batteries and take the Wiimote out of the drawer. After several hours bashing the hell out of characters I have never heard of, it's safe to say that Capcom have breathed new life into the Wii with a fast paced, exciting and good looking fighter. Exactly what we expect from a Capcom Beat 'em up.
You'd be forgiven if you pronounced this game as TatsWHOko Vs Capcom. After all it's not as if the bizarre looking figures opposing Capcom's famous faces should be familiar to you. These guys and gals are a group that have never really tried to conquer the world. They have been popular in Japan and that's all they care about. If you want to know, and I'm sure you do, Tatsunoko is the company responsible for a lot of Japan's most famous cartoon series: Speed Racer, Evangelion, Macross? Yes, no, maybe? I'm sure a lot of you don't care anyway. Outside of Japan, this game is mainly about Capcom's usual suspects kicking the crap out of people dressed up like stupid idiots. If the fighting is good then nothing else matters, right?
The cartoony 2.5D (3D characters in a 2D background) tag team beat 'em up defines everything about Japanese arcade gaming: It's bright, it's crazy, it's loud, it's over the top, and it sure is great fun. The cartoon looks and zany sounds play a big part in this, but it's mainly about the characters and the insane and imaginative fighting moves they can pull off. Whether you have any interest in the Tatsunoko corner or not, the characters are very much worth trying out. If you can get over the silly bird-like costumes on some of them, you have a clan that are well up for taking on the likes of Ryu (Street Fighter) and Viewtiful Joe (Viewtiful Joe).
As far as character selection goes, there's a wide selection from both companies. Capcom fans will recognise beat 'em up débuts from Viewtiful Joe, Lost Planet's mech machine, PTX-40A and even Frank West, the photographer from Dead Rising, although he has to be unlocked. You may or may not have played a Capcom VS games before, as there have been several of them. Each time new characters appear for battle, while some make appearances in all them. It's not surprising that Street Fighter's Ryu and Chun Li are present, but they do know the genre like the backs of their killer fists. As this is a tag team game, you always select two character to go into battle with, giving you the opportunity to find an unlikely power force of a duo, so why not put the Street Fighter clan together?
There's always going to be someone who moans that a certain game character from a top franchise isn't included, and I'm going to be that person. There are no Resident Evil characters, which is a sad shame, as Jill Valentine was awesome in Marvel Vs Capcom 2 and can easily be classed as a Capcom "All-Star". They could have done something different and made a Tyrant, either: 1, a playable character 2, a boss or 3, both. This lack of inclusion takes nothing away from the game, but I can't help but be a little disappointed at the missed opportunity there.
Anyhow, each character has their own unique skills and master combos. Some characters will feel weaker than others, meaning their story will be a lot harder to complete. Ryu, for example, fights exactly as you expect him too, with Hadoukens galore and combos to suit his martial arts style. Testing out each character is sure to bring some surprises to you. I'm not so familiar with Batsu (Rival Schools), but after a brief spell as him I had discovered a kick ass Capcom character I'd never heard of before, and I might make an effort to check out his lone campaigns. Tatsunoko's array of characters may also open your eyes. Ken the Eagle looks and sounds silly, but his ability to warp will certainly get you out of tight corners. Gold Lightan, as well as the PTX-40A, also adds something new to the genre. These two fighters, playable from the get go, act as one character as they take up the whole screen. Putting these two against each other really does define the clash of the titans. Of course both of them also turn up in arcade mode as a mid-story boss battle, so you won't always be on friendly terms with them.
