Capcom vs. SNK

"It's 1 point from being perfect"

For as far back as I can remember, it has always seemed like there has debates about the video gaming world. People debating which is better Super Nintendo or Sega Genesis, who's hotter Tifa or Lara Croft and who would beat who if Snk and Capcom fought. Well 1 out of 3 isn't bad as gamers FINALLY get the chance to find out who's better in Capcom Vs Snk: Millenium Fight 2000.

As the title says you have your choice of 14 characters from each company with 5 more hidden, which brings the body count to 33. That may seem a little skimpy to some people compared to Capcom's last Vs game, Marvel Vs Capcom 2, which contained 56 characters but the focus of this game is quality and not quantity which is exactly what you'll get.

The quality comes in the form of the grooves. As you start you'll be asked which groove you like: Capcom's (super combo meter) or Snk's (max guage and desperation moves). I give credit where credit is due for that feature because it allows veterans of Snk's style of gaming a fair chance against the other and vice versa.

From there you'll pick 2 characters and head into battle. The game plays A LOT like King Of Fighters in the aspect that it is team battle style play. Also while in play the groove meter racks up the points you gain from each fight and you can later use those points to purchase secrets in the Secret Mode.

And while I'm on the subject of modes, Capcom Vs. Snk doesn't really have a lot of modes but once again, quality over quantity. There's the Arcade Mode, Training, Vs and a mode I feel Capcom should put into a lot of their other games: the Color Mode. The Color Mode, which you've seen if you own Vampire Savior/Darkstalkers 3 for PSX, allows you to personalize your character in any color you want. I know it doesn't sound like much but just try it and I guarantee you'll be a color freak in no time.

Now that I'm done singing the praises, there are a few areas of the game I feel needs a little work. For starters some of the character animations are new (Ryu, Ken) while others are the EXACT same as we've seen in other games (Sagat, Balrog, Vega). I feel they could've did a little updating and gave EVERYONE new animations. Also there seems to be some characters that make you wonder, ''How the heck did he make it on here?!'' Characters such as Raiden and E. Honda could've been replaced by Yashiro and Guy respectively. There's some slowdown when the fights get intense but it's not often. And one final gripe. As with most/all Street Fighter related games, this game has little to NO plot whatsoever. It says on the inside of the instruction manual that 2 financial companies, the Robert Financial Clique and the Masters Foundation decide to throw a tournament to ease tension between them and have peace. Is that deep enough for ya?

Overall though I give Capcom Vs Snk a 9 out of 10. Though there is no story and slowdown, hardcore fans of either company won't notice/care. The only thing keeping this from getting a 10 from me is because there's no Dan. THE WORLD NEEDS DAN!!!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/14/00, Updated 11/14/00