Tatsunoko vs Capcom Ultimate All-Stars exclusively for the Nintendo Wii!

Been to a Japanese arcade lately? Neither have I. But I got pretty close to it with the new Tatsunoko vs Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars game, available in stores now! Originally released in Japan in 2008, this is the long-awaited fan-favorite game’s debut on US shores, exclusively for the Nintendo Wii!

Game play is as intensely kinetic as you’d expect from this classic style of fighting game. And while using the Wii remote sideways takes a little getting used to after years of knowing the feel of the standard arcade joystick/console configuration, the game does not disappoint. Okay, I do have to admit that I prefer a more strategic action type of game, but I can never say no to a good button-masher. And Tatsunoko vs Capcom fits the bill perfectly. I won’t pretend to have any technical skill when it comes to these games, so my only worry about the game play happened when I handily defeated 12 pairs of foes with relative ease in Arcade mode using Ken the Eagle and Jun the Swan (well, they DO kick a lot of ass…). But then I tried Survival mode using Morrigan and Chun-Li, going a solid 26 rounds (though not easily) undefeated against every opponent in every locale many times over. Maybe I’m just that good. Just don’t ask me how I unleashed that explosive 42 hit attack for the third time in one match. I don’t know how I did it once.

I’m no expert on most Japanese animation icons, but I grew up with Gatchaman (known as G-Force in the US) and played my share of Street Fighter arcade games at the mall. Other than those characters, Mega Man and Viewtiful Joe, I had no idea what to expect from every other oddly outfitted man, woman, robot, demon, cyborg, and little girl with a broom crammed onto the cover of the game. Well maybe I don’t know Mega Man that well, because I had no idea who Roll was. And it disturbed me that I pile-drived (drove?) the limp body of what appeared to be an adorable 5 year old girl head first into the pavement… more than once. Hey, she came at me with a broom and a bucket of water… and rainbows! I had to defend myself. Kicking people in the face is Chun-Li’s schtick, not mine. I did what I had to do.

All in all, if you’re a fan of this type of hyper-bombastic fighting games with crazy cross-over attacks, brain-busting chain combos, and an endless array of senses-shattering explosions, Tatsunoko vs Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars is for you.

(And it doesn’t hurt to also have an appreciation for oddly translated phrases and misspelled words. Les Vegas? Sounds hot!)

Tatsunoko vs Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars is available at all major retailers exclusively for the Nintendo Wii today!