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Capcom Vs. SNK 2 Mark of the Millenium 2001 Review
Chris Leyton
00/12/0000
The two biggest 2D fighters come together again for one last final battle.
2D games are a dying breed, in the light of polygon pushing power machines, the games that kick-started the industry are slowly becoming just a fragment of older gamers nostalgia. Games now strive for photo-realism as opposed to the artistic style found in games gone by, and with that we seem to have lost something from the industry, the fun, the reason why we played games in the first place, not as a means of escape but to have fun, not too replicate life but offer something differentā¦
OK rant hat off, Capcom Vs SNK2 is probably the last ābigā 2D title to be released, Capcom themselves have stated that they will be taking a break from the genre, whilst SNKās demise is there for everyone to see. So is this a fitting tribute not only to SNK and the characters they brought us, but also to a genre that gamers have passed by?
Capcom Vs SNK 2 pits 44 of the finest fighters to grace videogames, such classics as Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, and Bison line-up against SNKās boys such as Geese and Rock Howard, whilst new introductions see Eagle the fighter from Streetfighter join the fray alongside Haohmaru, the katana wielding samurai from Samurai Showdown.
Since the days when Streetfighter 2 hit the arcades Iāve always been a Capcom boy, with fierce rivalry for the SNK fans, pitting the two sides together in Capcom Vs SNK was a stroke of genius albeit a shocking one at first; through Capcomās subtle refinement this title is perfection.
Capcom have changed the game around significantly from the first title, gone is the forced ratio from the first title making way for three different systems. Players can still play with the ratio system, giving you four points to select your team; so players can select a team of three where one will be slightly more powerful then the other two, elect for one powerful level 4 character, or a balanced team of two level 2 fighters. Players can also select a three-on-three battle or elect for the old-school single character, one-on-one fights.
The groove system has been advanced from the first title, giving the player six different systems to choose between. Grooves affect your fighting style, for example some grooves give you air blocks and dashes whilst others give you small jumps and reversals. This system work beautifully to gel together all of the different fighting styles from all of the games that the characters came from.
The groove system also decides how youāll use your power bar, i.e, whether you want to charge it manually; SNK style where as you get hit your bar increases until itās maxed out and you reach an enraged state; or charge it up as you pull off special moves.
One of the most notable differences between the two companies games was that Capcom titles always had six buttons, whilst SNK had four. In the first CvS title, they went for the streamlined four button approach, this has been changed for the sequel, going to the Capcom six button control. Personally this works for me, however SNK fans are just going to have to get used to it as thereās no facility to change it.
As youād expect from a fighting title from Capcom, the gameplay is lightening fast, controls are responsive and despite the wide range of characters on offer the gameplay is well adjusted and most importantly balanced. From a personal point 2D fighters hold such high esteem in my opinion because an expert can obliterate an inexperienced opponent in no time at all, that sense of satisfaction is often unfound in 3D fighters where button bashers can give as good a game as anybody. This essence has been carried across to CvS2, giving you the scope to find your team and master them, for me there is no better feeling in a videogame then becoming a 2D fighting master.
Unfortunately CVS2 visuals donāt hold up that well on the PS2, characters look more jagged then their Dreamcast and NAOMI counterparts, and seem to lack the smooth animation found on those versions. The 3D backgrounds look good, and are seamlessly mixed with the 2D characters. Obviously with the variety of fighting games on offer, the visual style is extremely mixed with some characters looking better then others; several of the characters havenāt been changed since 1995! But on the whole itās nice to have a title that brings all of these together, a tribute to a genre that has probably had itās finest hour.
The original CvS title featured some memorable music, which has been butchered for the sequel, leaving bland, forgettable tunes that youāll be hard pressed to notice during the heat of the battle. The sound effects have also been downgraded from previous titles, leaving weak effects that sound archaic.
