Capcom vs. SNK

"Greatest game ever? maybe..."

let's get to the nitty gritty, shal we? here we go...

Graphics(8): Not the worst, but in some cases, not the best graphics I've ever seen. Backgrounds are staggering, some of the best effects ever seen since Guilty Gear X(beta, mind you), you'll love the shadows on the Alley stage, they rock :]. Plus, each stage has a neat KOF style intro to it, which also feature some great effects(car crash stage being the best :]). Special effects, wow, damn awsome special effects to it :]. Capcom made some of the most wicked special effects made for a Capcom/SNK fighting game, never have I seen Terry's Power Guyser look so cool! O_O The select, intro screens also kick ass, with many little touches, especially if you look closely(notice what games are featured in the intro? good for you :]). The charachter select screen is also awsome, with great artwork by both Capcom and SNK artists for all charachters, depending on the groove you choose. Charachter sprites, sadly, aren't up to the great resolution offered by the backgrounds(which are @ 640x480, the charachters are at 320x240, still). Granted, the charachters have excellent animation, but why didn't Capcom update every charachter? Instead, I'm treated to the same charachter sprites I've seen for the million'th time, come on, I was expecting Sagat to have a wicked new look and animations, instead we're re-introduced to the old, SFA Sagat, which bums me out. Sagat isn't the only one with old looks either, most of the SF charachters use their old SFA sprites, which is a real bite in the butt :[. But, thankfully, Capcom didn't decide to rip any sprites from any KOF games for their SNK charachter sprites, and boy do they look awsome! O_O Never have I seen Rugal look so badass since King of Fighters '98(he was a total weirdo in '95 O_o;;;). Not only all of the SNK charachters, but many Capcom charachters get new looks too! O_O M. Bison/Vega really looked cool, especially the throw they took from SFEX. So, I was expecting every single charachter to not only get new and updated looks, but have then in high resolutions, like Guilty Gear X(beta again, mind you o_o). Too bad, we're stuck with more SFA sprites and clunky(yet extremely good) looking sprites for the new charachters. Did I mention the animation really rocks ass? The special intros every charachter has with another charachter really are great. I especially like the intro for Ken and Terry, :] who says us American's can't be polite and pick up another man's hat for them?

Sound(10): WOW! O_O they did a great job remaking many of the charachter voices, and boy, do they sound crisp! O_O The soundtrack had a major overhaul as well, instead of familiar Capcom/SNK tunes, we're treated to a completely original techno/industrial track, which simply rocks, in my opinion. No complaints here, though, I heard you could play many of the original music, is this true? O_o I hope they add some techno flair to the existing soundtracks.

Gameplay(8): Capcom dropped a couple of the balls SNK had handed to them to make Capcom Vs. SNK with, which is a bummer :[. But the gameplay isn't nearly as bad as you think. But it does have its weak points. First of all, they ditched the option to play either single, double, or triple teams, like how SNK did with SNK Vs. Capcom, instead, they created the ''ratio point'' system, which basically gives your charachter a rating depending on how strong they are. This has many drawbacks, espeically when you're playing in the arcade. First, many of the charachters which I find awsome, like Benimaru, are little ratio 1 charachters. This totally blows, I am a major Benimaru fan, but in order for him to be able to do anywhere near the damage of Rugal or Akuma, I have to play the Vs. Mode, and in the arcades, there is no versus mode. Second, many of the charachters have been dumbed down a bit, either to make them more comparable against the other side's charachters, or to simply dumb them down, but many charachters I just don't like to use nearly so much anymore. This may be nitpicking, but for avid Kyo Players like myself, the loss of autoguard is just plain unacceptable. If I were to play this game for the first time, I would end up playing Ryu, or EX Kyo, as the strengths of normal Kyo have been taken away by Capcom, he also lost 2 of his moves! This totally bites, as it allowed Kyo players to take out any fireball abusers with good timing. Though this may be a simple whine, the controls are bad, though, this is due to how sucky the DC controller is for fighting games, in the arcade, i'm sure the controls will be perfect, as only Capcom can make them to be. Strengths? Many, though many of the charachters were dumbed down, some recieved great facelifts, and many new moves. Iori Yagami being the example to this, his Maiden Masher move, on level 3, looks too awsome O_O. Though, it may be a graphics advantage, Iori players will be glad to hear that one can still pull off a maiden masher at the drop of a hat, and catch any unsuspecting charachters off guard :]. Capcom charachters all work fine, though, I was expecting them to update the charachters with better moves, but they didn't. They simply kept many of the charachters the same, bummer, but its ok, as Many Capcom charachters have great moves(I don't know why they added that new move to Ken, its pointless, unless someone finds a use for it O_o;;;).

Overall? Though the game may play wonderfully to any new players, and the graphics are astounding, the gameplay, to many seasoned veterans, will dissappoint at least a little, as many charachters were dumbed down, and lost any strengths they had(Kyo masters beware). The ratio point system sucks, simply, and has no real point in versus mode, really, they should have kept the old KoF and Capcom Vs. series modes, they were far better. Otherwise, the new groove system rocks, combining the powerup systems of both series(no real explanation here, just choose the company you're used to, and you'll be fine) and adding some cool additions(like being able to do a level 3 DM in SNK groove as a SDM, when you need a full level 3 bar to do it in Capcom groove), so the balance between both sides are preserved. I reccomend this game to all major fight fans, if you're a total Capcom/SNK lover, approach with an open mind, you won't be dissapointed.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/14/00, Updated 09/14/00