MPC is better? Maybe if you run windows. But if you don't then MPC isn't only not better, it's completely irrelevant. VLC on the other hand supports pretty much everything under the sun, so you can safely recommend it without playing the "what kind of computer do you have?" game.

Lots of better players existed at the inception of VLC. Most existing players that worked at all were probably better. That's how most projects start off.