You are given the selection of several modes of play. Customized controller configurations and various character-clothing colors are also available from this mode as well. Team Battle lets you select a group of up to 5 characters and go head to head against the computer or another friend. This is my favorite game play mode when I have a friend over as it presents a certain amount of depth and requires a good balance of characters to win the overall battle. You also have the option of secretly selecting your characters so your opposition is clueless to your strategy.
Survival mode pits a single player against the computer in one round matches.
Damage that your character receives during a match is carried over to the next round. The only way to recover some of your health meter is to score big in the hit department and try to take the enemy out as quickly as possible. Watch mode lets you select two characters and watch them fight it out under the Playstations control. This is helpful if you want to see the various strategies that each character employs. You can also change the camera angles on the fly in this mode.