with strange characters, intricate mechanics, and esoteric terms like advancing guard or

crossover air raid.

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Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars is as complex as the best of them, but it's also

without a doubt one of the easiest in the genre to jump into, thanks to control schemes

that cater to everyone from brawling neophytes to air combo aficionados. There are some character

balance issues and onlines more finicky than it should be, but if you're a Wii owner and

you've been itching for a fight, then Tatsunoko vs. Capcom is a great sparring partner no

matter what your starting skill level.

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Tatsunoko is far more fast-paced than something like Street Fighter IV and is more akin to

Capcom's classic vs. title, Marvel vs. Capcom 2. This fighter lets you choose two playable

characters, and you'll be able to switch between them at almost any time during a match.

The basic control scheme in Tatsunoko has been simplified from previous vs. titles to

now feature only four buttons: three for attacks and one dedicated for calling in your partner

to assist. The game may seem less complex because it uses fewer buttons, but there's

still depth to each character's move set that belies the simplified controls. Combining

D pad/stick direction with button presses changes the nature of an attack, and the same

applies to special moves; the attack button you use determines the direction or effect

of an attack or, in some cases, changes a move entirely. There's plenty of intricacy

to be found in Tatsunoko, and it will take some serious play time with the game's rock-solid

mechanics to get the nuances of each character down pat.

Whatever character you choose, offence is the key, and the game lets you--skill permitting--notch

ground and air hit combos well into the double digits. You can add even more destruction

thanks to the ability to string together hyper combos, release two at once, or even unleash

ultrapowerful hypers that can take serious chunks out of any health bar. A lot of the

fun in Tatsunoko comes from finding and experimenting with new combos, a joy that's topped only

by the satisfaction you feel when you successfully carry out a devastating multihit attack on

your opponents. Your defensive options are similarly varied. Pressing the three attack

buttons at once while blocking pushes an opponent back, while pressing all four buttons will

perform a mega crash which will disrupt opponents mid-combo and throw them across the screen.

You can also sacrifice any red health you have--the portion of a character's lost health

that would normally recover over time when he's not in battle--for a momentary boost

in power. Called a baroque combo, this can be used to extend combos and can be particularly

devastating in expert hands because of the increase in damage temporarily bestowed.

This might all sound rather complex, but the game's different control schemes do an outstanding

job of making it accessible to everyone. Experienced players will naturally gravitate to using

a Classic Controller or GameCube controller. The game also has two simpler setups: one

using the Wii Remote solely and the other using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk. Both of

these condense the controls even further, assigning one button for all attacks and one

button for all special moves. It sounds limiting, and for those serious about their fighting

games, it is. But these simple control schemes are surprisingly robust, allowing you to pull

off hypers, most special moves, and some basic combos. The simplified control schemes make

playing a rewarding experience for novices, allowing them to become instantly competitive

against more practiced players.

While its user-friendly controls should prove appealing for the majority, Tatsunoko's 26-strong

roster is less of a draw card, at least initially. Both sides have some pretty big names on the

list, such as Ryu, Chun Li, Morrigan, some Gatchaman heroes, and Casshan. But while the

rest is made up of Capcom stars who mainly haven't appeared in anything recently or anime

characters little known outside of Japan, each of the pugilists plays uniquely. While

this makes the transfer of learned skills from one character to another difficult, it

does make for a varied fighting game with plenty of depth and replayability.

There are also two playable "giant" characters on the roster, and due to their sheer screen-filling

bulk, they appear solo only and never as part of a team. While they're slow, each of these

behemoths deals serious damage even with basic attacks, although as single fighters they

do have the disadvantage of not being able to recover any health. Despite this handicap,

the giants can throw off the balance of the game. Experienced players will have no trouble

getting past them, but inexperienced to average gamers may find them tough hurdles to overcome,

even if they're being controlled by only moderately skilled human opponents.

If you don't have a human opponent to challenge, then Tatsunoko vs. Capcom comes with four

standard single-player modes: Arcade, Survival, Time Attack, and Training. There are also

two minigames: one is an extremely simple collect-all-the-letters activity during the

end credits, and the other is a more fully featured four-player shoot-'em-up that can

be unlocked only after a certain condition is fulfilled. The rest of the game's offline

component is pretty bare-bones, which is a pity given some of the comprehensive extras

other recent games in the genre have come up with.

There is online play in Tatsunoko, and it works quite smoothly. Both ranked and unranked

matches are available, with wins in ranked matches earning you points and title promotions.

Strong connections will result in practically seamless matches, and even games with opponents

from the other side of the globe can run hassle-free. Most of the hassle in online comes from the

bare-bones matchmaking process and the convoluted method of adding to your friends list. Apart

from being able to filter for local or global matches, there's no option to see the available

games when you're trying to find a game online; you're automatically paired up, so those finicky

about playing against only opponents with good connections will have to try their luck.

To add a friend, you both need to exchange a unique 12-digit code found within Tatsunoko

vs. Capcom. This process, of course, has more to do with how the Wii handles its online

side and is not the fault of the game, but it's annoying nonetheless.

Tatsunoko vs. Capcom is easily one of the most impressive-looking games to grace the

Wii to date. All of the characters are animated beautifully, and while stage backgrounds are

a little plain, all of the various specials and hypers are presented with vibrant colours

and particle-laden effects. Tatsunoko is a dynamic and pretty game to watch, and this

is matched by great audio ranging from convincing battle effects to catchy music.

That Tatsunoko vs. Capcom is even getting a Western release is a major positive, considering

the relative obscurity of some of the characters on offer. While the characters may not be

popular, the game itself deserves to be. While some balance issues and its lack of online

options hold it back, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars is still not only one of

the best fighting games on the Wii, but also one of the best available on any current-gen

system.