Top iPad game apps: Marvel vs. Capcom 2 takes on Angry Birds Space

[In this weekly column, Gamasutra rounds up the most popular paid and free iPad gaming applications on the App Store as of today, with Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Angry Birds Space and Smash Cops currently ranking among the platform's top downloads.] This week's top paid titles are: 1. Angry Birds Space HD (Rovio, $2.99) 2. Marvel vs. Capcom 2 (Capcom, $2.99) 3. Ski Safari (Defiant Development, $0.99) 4. Shark Dash (Gameloft, $0.99) 5. Draw Something (OMGPOP, $1.99) 6. Kingdom Rush HD (Armor Games, $0.99) 7. Cut the Rope HD (ZeptoLab, $1.99) 8. Where's My Water? (Disney, $0.99) 9. Ascension: Chronicle of the Godslayer (Playdek, $0.99) 10. Angry Birds HD (Rovio, $2.99) Capcom's arcade-ported 2D fighter Marvel vs. Capcom 2 captures second place in the iPad's sales rankings in its premiere week, overtaking Defiant Development's recent favorite Ski Safari and challenging Angry Birds Space HD for the top chart spot. Gameloft's Shark Dash continues to report strong sales in its second week of release, while Playdek's deck-building card game Ascension: Chronicle of the Godslayer makes its chart debut at ninth place. Here are this week's top free iPad applications: 1. Smash Cops (Hutch) 2. Deer Hunter Reloaded (Glu) 3. Draw Something Free (OMGPOP) 4. Virtual Table Tennis 2 (SenseDevil) 5. Domino's Pizza Hero (Domino's Pizza) 6. Cargo-Bot (Two Lives Left) 7. Kingdom Age (Funzio) 8. Cannon Cat (Loqheart) 9. Jetpack Joyride (Halfbrick) 10. Words With Friends HD Free (Newtoy) Hutch's destructive racer Smash Cops sees a jump in popularity during a limited-time free download promotion, and overtakes former chart leader Deer Hunter Reloaded to become this week's most-downloaded free iPad app. Domino's pizza-building app Domino's Pizza Hero also emerges as a popular pick this week, as Loqheart's free-to-play action title Cannon Cat enters the top ten at eighth.