Capcom vs. SNK 2: Millionaire Fighting 2001

"The God of all 2D Fighters has arrived!!"

Blasphemy! How could I think that CvS2 is better than SF2: Champion Edition, KoF 95, SF3:TS, SFAlpha 3, KoF 98, Samurai Showdown 2 or even Garou: MOTW?!! Well, let me fill you in on a little secret. It's not a question of wether CvS 2 is better than any of the aforementioned games (that's already a FACT), but more a question of wether there will ever be another 2D fighting game like CvS2 ever again.

In my honest opinion, a more technical and deeply strategic 2D fighter the likes of CvS2 is very unlikely ever to grace us again. It's almost official that Capcom wants to move on entirely from 2D and focus it's talents into the 3D DEVIL ... hehehe. A tragedy in the works for all 2D fighting fans, I'm sure you'll agree. Unless of course there is ever a CvS3 in the works. Wishful thinking huh?

With all this depressing ranting on my part aside, I can't begin to express to you the joy I felt when I first popped this GD-Rom into my DC. The exhiliration I felt when I first played the prequel was present again, but this time it doubled, simply because of how many characters they crammed into this game. I, for one, am very happy with the selection. I know there will always be some that'll say ''why this guy and not that guy''? I don't even want to go there. What we have is more than we could ever wish for. Be happy that Capcom & SNK agreed to make this game in the first place. Of course, it's more Capcom than SNK, but I'm not complaining. The other factors that favor this game as the ''end all - be all'' of 2D fighting games, is the unbelievable depth and the load of gameplay it has. All the different styles of fighting are present. There are 6 grooves to start with that you can try to learn and master (if you're good). 3 for each camp. C groove, A groove, and P groove for CAPcom. S groove, N groove and K groove for SNK. Got it? Subtle eh? hahaha. Those guys are funny. Makes sense though, if this indeed is the last we'll ever see of this beloved series ... *sigh*

Let me just say this, with all these grooves, it will take you over a year to just barely understand and successfully master each and every one of them. If you plan on just using one groove, then the time you spend with CvS2 will be much, much shorter, and that's no fun. Believe me, this game offers soooo much play time, that you may as well put all your other fighting games away. This is all the fighting you'll ever need ^_^

I won't go into detail about each groove, because if I were to do that, this review would quickly turn into an FAQ. Just know that my favorite grooves are S, N, C & P. It's all about Guile and Rock on N groove baaaaby!!

Next up, Ratio points. You've got a choice, a PERFECT choice of spreading your ratio points on any character however you see fit. It's all up to you, and your strategy. I can't stress enough how awesome this is for all of us. No more cheap deaths or too weak/ too powerful characters. If you win, it's cos you're good. If you loose, well ... get practicing, you SCRUB! lol! What I mean to say is that finally, there is an almost perfect balance between all characters and styles. Of course, you will still have to deal with the fact that certain characters moves will have much more priority than others, but the balance of the engine is really good. Capcom did their homework on this one. They have also brought back the six button layout and SNK's cast of characters have taken advantage of it in the best possible way.

So .. where are all the hidden goodies? Um ... well .. actually there are a few hidden secrets, and while they're fun there's not nearly enough. You'll have your few extra grooves (EX1 & EX2), and the few ''not so secret'' hidden characters, but overall that's about it. Can you complain though? Count the number of characters you can already play with right from the start. Over 40, so ... hush yo mouth and be happy.

Overall this game is a gem. A diamond in the rough. A badass. The 7th damn wonder of the modern world if you will. The only complaints I could even try to muster up against this beautiul game are that there aren't enough backgrounds and that the music is nowhere near as good as the first. Yes, I am one of those people that greatly enjoyed the techno beats of CvS. IMO, nothing gets your blood pumping for competition more than the fast & hypnotic techno beats present in the prequel. One of Capcom's finest soundtracks in a looong time. I prefer it to this new one, and even to the godly Third Strike soundtrack. But, that's just my opinion.

Okay, for reviewer score sake, I will quickly go over graphics, gameplay, music and sound and replayability.

Graphics: 8.5

Outstanding! Although still not as good as Third Strike's, they're still magnificent. Excellent use of animation in all the backgrounds and characters, with tons of 3D effects throughout.

Gameplay: 9.5

First off, it's a technical fighter, not a flashy fighter ala Marvel v Capcom. You've got six grooves to start with, close to 50 characters, an almost perfectly balanced fighting engine and you still want more?! Well there is ... dive in, and you'll see just how deep the water here is. Almost THE perfect fighting game .. almost.

Music/Sound: 8.0

Very good, but not as good as it's prequel. The sound F/X are top notch. In all fairness, the soundtrack for CvS2 still trounces just about every other fighting game's soundtrack.

Replayability: 10

Are you kidding me? What else did you think I could give it here? It friggin' deserves an 11. You'll be playing this game years from now and still have a hard time mastering each one of the grooves.

Overall: 9.0

Well, that's about all Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, cats and dogs (hehehe). If you'd like to see just how deep this game really is, stick around and see how many FAQ's will pour in during the coming weeks if not months :)

Time for me to go, cos ALl woRK and nO pLaY makES JAck a duLL Boy!

hehe, c-ya around.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 10/04/01, Updated 10/04/01