Overview
 
Tatsunoko vs Capcom brings together some of Capcom's best fighters n' obscure characters from non-fighters and characters from that appear in a few Tatsunoko animation series like Gatchaman aka G-Force and Yatterman. Sorry Speed Racer fans, no representatives from that series in this one. The final boss is Yami who represents a Capcom game called Okami and you face him in three forms. This might be one of the best games for the Wii that did not make it outside-Japan shores due to some licensing issues of the characters especially in the US. A semi-sequel did get released internationally called Tatsunoko vs Capcom Ultimate All Stars which all characters but the genie got to return along with some newer characters.
 
Graphics - B
 
The graphics are reminiscent of Street Fighter IV graphics mixed in with Viewtiful Joe's cartoonish graphics and graphics you'd expect to see in one of Bandai's Shonen fighting games (most notably some of the super moves). The game aslo contains some original animation cinemas in the endings but I won't spoil any of them here.
 
Controls - C+
 
The controls work fine but the control scheme is a little unusual. This applies for the Arcade and the Wii. You'd expect to play with 6 buttons for Light/Medium/Heavy Punch or Kick but instead you get a control scheme of 4 buttons consisting of a Tag button for assistance or tagging out and the other three buttons are just plain Light/Medium/Heavy Attacks with disregards kicking or punching. This makes pulling off special moves way too simple but more on that in the gameplay section.
 
Gameplay - A
 
The Wii version has a lot of modes but I'll speak only about the Arcade mode since this can apply to the Arcade version as well. You start off choosing two characters from either side (or choose one of the big guys that can only fight solo) and fight through 7 rounds before the final boss. When the fighting starts, fans of the Marvel vs Capcom series will notice that Capcom resorted to using the engine from a little bit of each of the four games with the tag system and tag assist moves including the double Hyper Combo.
 
Remember how I mentioned the simplicity of pulling off special moves? What I meant by that is you can perform just one motion and in most cases you can hit an attack button. Ryu's Hadouken is a simple d, df, f + Attack. There are some exceptions which require a specific attack button such Rock Volnutt's Buki Kougeki (Weapon Attack) is a mere forward + Medium Punch. The super moves (aka Hyper Combos) are just as simple as it also uses the same style from Marvel vs Capcom series by performing the specific motion and any two attack buttons and out comes your super. All characters have a Level 3 only Hyper Combo which can only be used when the power meter is at level 3 or higher. Against anyone except Gold Lightan, PTX-40A, or Yami then you will get a special animation if the Level 3 Hyper Combos connect and the full damage will be done. The Aerial Rave attack is here too via df + Heavy Attack and following up with aerial attacks.
 
Character Choices -  B
 
These were some good characters that were chosen but we could have more people in this one like Speed Racer, Amaretsu, Ken Masters, to name a few. While the current roster is well-balanced, some of the characters are downright useless against the final boss. If you are thinking of seeing Roll's ending for example, bring a strong character such as Ryu to do most of the work and then let Roll get the last hit against the hand part. Whatever you do, do not let that laser hit you or it could end up being an instant KO for your character depending on how much of the laser you sustained. I found that out the hard way when trying to get Jun's ending but had to settle for Ryu's ending.
 
Sound/Music - A+
 
Each character has their own theme song that is remixed for the game. Ryu and Chun Li were so-so but they have no effect on me rating the music a 10 since everyone else had good renditions of their tracks. The sound is intense as you hear a lot of big booms and punches and kicks connecting between the opponents that sound like a lot of action. They did a good job with the projectile sounds as well.
 
Overall - B
 
I guarandamntee that you will love this game the moment you play it. If you are a fan of Marvel vs Capcom then the learning curve for Tatsunoko vs Capcom is right up your alley. There are a few small issues that brought down the overall grade that were explained already but it's nothing that will turn you away from the game. Good Luck! Oh and you also might enjoy some of the minigames that come along with it. You'll need a straight Wiimote to play them. The ending is also fun to play with as if you hit a button, you can play a minigame of collect the letters with Dorongo and her minions riding their multibike and jumping and collecting letters. If you get all the gold letters, you can spell out the words: THANK YOU FOR PLAYING.