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Tatsunoko Productions may not be the most familiar brand to North American game players, but since the 1960’s it’s been revered as Japan’s #1 cartoon producer. With hit series like Mach Go Go Go (Speed Racer) and Science Ninja Team Gatchaman (Battle of the Planets) they have carved themselves a permanent place in Japanese culture. Now, with Capcom releasing Tatsunoko vs Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars for the Wii worldwide, North American players are about to get a lot more familiar with the irreverent band of characters.

Looking at the roster of characters in Tatsunoko vs Capcom it’s very clear that the cultural divide that’s kept Tatsunoko properties like Golden Warrior Gold Lightan from making their way to American TV is for good reason. Looking up the Tatsunoko characters on Wikipedia, a requirement to understand what’s going on at all, reveals a most bizarre pantheon of space-knights, time travellers, and crime fighters. Though, for all their oddities the Tatsunoko characters fit in quite well visually with the Capcom crew.

Part of the visual cohesion is due to the cel-shaded style of the models, but also because when you boil down Capcom’s properties they have very traditional anime features. There are a few characters on both sides like Karas and Onimusha’s Kaijin No Soki that stick out by looking too edgy or realistic, but for the most part everyone looks like they belong. It’s a small touch, but the artistic togetherness of the character design nudges players to choose mixed teams of two for the tag-team fights.

This balance carries over to the actual gameplay as well. There are no characters that feel dramatically overpowered when compared to the mass and with a single arcade mode play-through most players should be able to understand the ins-and-outs of their chosen fighter. There are of course a few that require a bit more effort to master, but nothing like the difficulty curve we’ve seen with some of Campcom’s more finely-tuned fighters.

There are 26 playable characters in total after everyone’s unlocked (beat arcade mode 12 times) including 2 giant characters that let players shake up the traditional tag-team combat for a little two-on-one action. The roster is varied and fun to explore for those who know nothing about Tatsunoko. Capcom could have rested on it’s laurels and just included the expected with Tatsunoko bringing in the variety, but instead the Capcom side of the collection is spread across a wide array of their titles. You’ll find heroes from the expected like Street Fighter and Mega Man, but inclusions like Viewtiful Joe and Dead Rising’s Frank West are pleasant surprises.

Controls are the most important thing in the fighting genre and Tatsunoko vs Capcom takes an interesting approach to the subject. In traditional Capcom Versus series fashion there are no separate punch and kick buttons, players only have light medium and heavy as well as a partner button for swapping characters mid-battle. Special moves can be pulled off without requiring a specific attack intensity, often trading speed for power pending which button is pressed. Even most hyper combos are simplified to a simple quarter-sweep and any two attack buttons.

As if that weren’t enough, there are even simpler controls available for those who choose not to use the game’s gracious inclusion of Gamecube and Classic Controllers. The two-button controls of the Wii remote make the game frustratingly easy for anyone who takes the fighting genre seriously and should be avoided if your intent is to ever gain real skill; in pairing down the controls Capcom has removed much of the decision making for the player and reduces gameplay to mashing buttons.

While controls may not be as complex as Street Fighter IV that doesn’t mean that it’s lost any of the spectacle. Much like the rest of Capcom’s Versus series there is a strong emphasis on chaining attacks together in air-combos and the 5-tier power meter returns for some dazzling hyper-combos. Passers-by catching a glimpse of the game may think there’s no rhyme or reason to the insanity as the spectacle rages on-screen, but the mechanics require just as much thought as Capcom’s finer titles.

There is online play thanks to Nintendo’s Wi-Fi Connect service, but it’s almost unplayable. During our review period not a single match played online could be completed before a connection being dropped and without voice chat, or any communication for that matter, there’s just no joy in beating randoms online. Connecting with friends is just as tedious as every other Wii title, requiring friend codes, but this is a symptom of the console not the game and it’s unfortunate that it’s unavoidable.

It seems would be easy to complain about pandering to the casual by releasing a simplified fighting game on a family-friendly console like the Wii, but the truth of the matter is Tatsunoko vs Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars is just as deep and enjoyable as one expects from the premiere fighting game maker. Wii players who want something with a little more substance than they’re used to can look to the gem that is Tatsunoko vs Capcom.

Tatsunoko vs Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars was released on January 26th 2010 for Nintendo Wii.