In the first round of Fantasy Fights from the Infinite Wars, Marvel proved their overall superiority in fifteen seperate battles that culminated with your vote deciding their fate. Now, with DC vanquished, the Marvel Heroes are back to tangle with some old enemies: The world warriors of Capcom's Street Fighter!
By popular demand the Fantasy Fights are sticking around for seven more rounds of non-stop non-canon action! When the characters met in the video games, they were united against common goals, but this time some of Marvel's greatest fighters will be initiated as they duke it out for supremacy over the SF classics!
GUILE versus CAPTAIN AMERICA
Strength: Captain America 3 (Athlete)
Intelligence: Draw 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Captain America 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Draw 5 (Marathon Man)
Agility: Captain America 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting Ability: Captain America 6 (Warrior)
Energy Powers: Guile 3 (Explosives)
The Hook...
If you're an avid follower of the Fantasy Fights then you're already well aware that we're matching characters up not only by theme, but also by some comparable fighting level - something the now classic Capcom/Marvel games failed to. Well, that's not entirely true, and for the first time we're looking at a battle that actually might have occurred in one of your gaming sessions!
It doesn't take a genius to recognise that these characters are the two All-American soldiers of their respective universes. Each stands for truth, justice, and the American way, and does it with stern dedication, and a skilled fist.
On the surface, a guy who can do an offensive sommersault kick, and shoot sonic boom energy attacks is going to look like the favourite -- but then you put that into context. Typically fiction outside the arcade puts some limitation on the extent by which a ki/energy attack is used. In the reality of a story, the likelihood (and creative merit) of an endless stream of sonic booms designed to lure the opponent in for a flash kick, just doesn't ring true.Captain America - recipient of the one and only super-soldier serum - is in peak human physical condition. He's a sharp thinker with a penchant for military strategy, an undying spirit when it comes to the fight, and he's a lot tougher than a guy in blue jim-jams looks!
He's man-plus, which sadly trumps Guile's impressive, but ultimately human status.
The Math: Captain America Ranking: Captain America (#6)
The Battle...
As has been the case through most of the week, I'm running late and running on empty, so we'll try to keep this brief. Actually, notice how every time I say that, my sentences go much longer and wordier than they need to? Go-figure!
Wordy sentences aren't going to be an issue when Guile and Cap face off.
There might be a little bit of a macho military exchange, but any exhibited friendly rivalry is going to come second to each soldier sizing the other one up.
Cap's shield is just for show, and I've got to think it's an indication of his likelihood to be one the defense early on. The shield, plus his own maneuverability and hand-to-hand defenses, are going to be at the ready to let the offensive Guile break the ice. And break the ice he will!
Guile might not be a super-soldier, but he's packing some hard earned muscle, and a ppi rating off the charts. He's going to lead with a lot of the moves we know from the games. Wide punches are the order of the day, with a gradual design to move inward with a lot of boxing style jabs with the big picture being a suplex, or maybe even the dreaded sommersault spectacular!Cap's gonna be glad to take it, and slip his own contributions in wherever he can, but for the most part this is fact-finding. Captain America's a solid fighter, but
he's probably going to look for some space to move in and out of the fight taking full advantage of his superhuman stamina and impressive speed.Captain America's not going to be delicate.
The shield's going to come into the equation when, unable to find comfort in grappling, Guile will reach for the sonic boom. The attack will no doubt rattle Cap, but the shield'll absorb most of it, and allow him the perfect opportunity for retort when Guile has a momentary opening after the blast.
If he manages to dodge the shield the first time, and on the return, he gets put down by an old fashioned slamming, because all those who chose to oppose Cap's shield must yield!
The Hammer...
Well, how do you feel War Mongers? Did we get it right?
On the back of Elektra's fantasy win [v Chun-Li], Marvel take the lead over the Capcom fighters, reflecting the current standing in the poll! You've only got a few more days to make your voice heard, so if you're psycho for Street Fighter, get the word out and bring the vote to the menu [top right]!
Like we've mentioned for previous participants in the Fantasy Fights, there's big things coming for these two. I'm sure I don't need to tell you about Street Fighter IV, the eagerly anticipated sequel to the franchise that's spanned three decades!
Thus far there's no news on Guile, but as one of the icons of the franchise, many are putting the safe money on the American joining the SFII inspired cast.
Over on the Marvel side of the fence, Cap's looking at anything but a resurrection. At some point Alex Ross will unleash his Invaders time travel caper when the 1940's heroes of the Second World War find themselves displaced in a world where Captain America is dead, and the heroes' relationship with violence has changed dramatically post Civil War, and the deaths of several heroes.
Before that, a new star-spangled hero will be in town when Bucky Barnes, Cap's WWII sidekick, inherits the role he had grown to hate during his years as a secretive Russian controlled assasin. How the hero's former protege will react, should he encounter the vintage Cap, should be one of the most interesting interactions to be seen from the time displaced Captain, Namor, and Toro.
That about wraps it up!
Stay tuned tomorrow for the second-to-last of our Capcom/Marvel Fantasy Fights [gee, I wonder who'll win this one...], and then hold on tight for a special seventh bonus round on the 31st as we close out the first month of Season 2008 with our second bout of Fantasy Fights! Cheers!
WINNER: CAPTAIN AMERICA
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