Capcom vs. SNK

"It could have been a contender…"

Ever since Capcom crossed over with Marvel, there has been at least a small but rabid fanbase clamoring for the two biggest makers of 2D fighting games in Japan to come together and make their own games. Capcom and SNK. A myriad of fighting titles between them, with character choices so varied and deep you could make numerous sequels and still have interesting characters to draw upon. SNK started it off with first a portable fighter, then a card game, both for the Neo Geo Pocket Color. Then it was Capcom’s turn, and they went to the Naomi system to make their first fighter, and would then port the sucker to the Dreamcast. The result was honestly under-whelming at best.

So here’s what we have. You select a team of anywhere from two to four characters, depending on their “ratio.” You can have 2 ratio 2 characters, 4 ratio 1 characters, a ratio 3 and a ratio 1 character, and so on. Each characters overall power and effectiveness is supposed to be reflected by this ratio, IE a ratio 2 character is supposed to be more powerful than a ratio 1. The cast is as follows: The ratio 1 group is made up of Dhalsim, Sakura, Cammy and Blanka for Capcom, and King, Yuri, Benimaru and Vice for SNK. Capcom’s ratio 2 group includes Ryu, Ken, Chun Li, Guile, Zangief, E. Honda and Balrog (M. Bison in Japan). The ratio 2s for SNK are Kyo, Iori, Mai, Terry, Raiden (otherwise known as Big Bear), Ryo and Kim. Ratio 3 is reserved for the boss-style characters, namely Sagat, Vega (Japan’s Balrog), M. Bison (Japan’s Vega), Geese, Rugal and Yamazaki.

There are hidden characters this go-round, but apart from Morrigan, Nakoruru and Akuma, they’re not quite what you’d think. They’re mostly alternate versions of characters, with either a slightly different move-set (Terry without his Rising Tackle but with his Power Dunk), or fairly revised (a more ranged-combat friendly Yuri). Two such alternates are in fact Evil Ryu and Riot of the Blood Iori, and they’re ratio 4 characters along with Akuma.

Now, if I may indulge in a bit of a rant for a moment, this cast is probably one of the bigger liabilities in the game. Capcom’s side is pretty much the entire Street Fighter 2 cast (pre-Super), with a few additions, while SNK’s side is a King of Fighters fest with only Raiden and Nakoruru having not made official appearances in the series. The game may as well be called Street Fighter vs. King of Fighters, really. And the cast selection is filled with head scratchers… Terry and Mai but no Andy or Joe? Kyo and Benimaru and no Daimon? Only Sakura to represent the characters from the Street Fighter Alpha games? Yamazaki with the boss group, and not Krauser or Goenitz? Granted, it’s an interesting cast, and there’s not a single character in this game I really hate, but it’s one that hardly satisfies when one considers how many really popular characters there are in SNK.

It’s also worth noting that the ratios aren’t totally balanced. Some ratio one characters are bargains, like King and Blanka. This issue would be fixed mostly in Capcom vs. SNK Pro.

Additionally, Capcom had to make a hard choice with regards to the SNK group, a choice that is probably what led to the alternate versions of the cast. The average Capcom character around this time had around 4 special moves, while most SNK characters had 6. So some moves got cut. Many SNK fans called this a castration of their favorites. Kim was one of the most noticeably hurt by this, as were other Fatal Fury characters who just didn’t feel right.

So other than all of that, how does the game play? Before you choose your characters, you pick a “groove” which are like the “isms” found in Street Fighter Alpha 3. Capcom Groove plays like the old Alpha series, with a power meter built mostly by successful attacks, and three levels of Super moves that can be used whenever you have enough of the meter built. SNK Groove plays like old-school King of Fighters, with charging your super meter to full by holding down the Hard attack buttons. This allows for a level 1 super. When you’re almost a goner, your energy bar will blink allowing unlimited Level 1 supers, and a filled power bar allows for a Level 3 super. Otherwise, it’s your basic 2D fighter conventions, though this game seems to mostly borrow from King of Fighters, thanks to the presence of only 4 primary attack buttons. This is a major departure from most Capcom 2D fighters, which normally have 6 attack buttons. Perhaps this was a concession to the SNK fans in return for taking away some of their characters’ moves?

Regardless of this, the game plays just fine. You get to play through a few teams of opposing characters, before you meet a boss determined by which company’s characters on your team gets the most wins for you. Scoring is determined by how many “Groove points” you earn in the fights. These are earned by executing the flashier moves and longer combinations. Once you finish the game, you’ll get some “Vs points” to spend on secrets in the game, ranging from the hidden characters to alternate costumes to new game modes. It’s here that another quibble of mine comes to notice. You’ll meet a lot of ratio one characters, and since there are only 8 in the game, you’ll be seeing them a lot more often than you will the rest of the cast. This decision makes the game a little more predictable in terms of who you have to prepare for.

Graphically, the SNK characters have really never looked better. Iori and Yuri in particular really benefit from these new sprites. Ryu, Ken, Akuma and M. Bison also all get new sprites, and M. Bison is much improved from his bulky Alpha incarnation. The stages are also very nice, and all of them except for one market stage harken back to the older games. You’ll see Terry’s stage from Fatal Fury 2, Sagat’s statue, SNK’s landmark Pao Pao Café, the streets of Metro City, and more. But again, those last two stage choices add even more confusion to the choices of characters. Why go to the Pao Pao Café and not have any mention of Richard Myer or Bob Wilson? Why go to Metro City and not have any Final Fight characters? This is just one of those times where it really doesn’t pay to be a fanboy, folks.

Oh, and yes, Morrigan has still not been redrawn. You’d think they’d have given her a special intro with Mai, but nope…

With regards to the soundtrack, there are all-new songs in this game, and they’re decent enough. You can unlock remixed versions of the classic themes for the games (except for that market stage), though, and these are the show stealers for me. The SNK characters have all had their voices re-recorded for this game as well, with interesting results. Some, like Terry, sound great. Some, like Iori, sound mostly the same as always. And Raiden’s one intro quote just makes you wonder… is he saying “I’ll dazzle your brain” or “I’ll dance on your grave” or what? Some of the Capcom cast has been re-recorded as well for the new special intros, or just to sound a little more up to date with the other characters.

Overall, this game is something of a disappointment for fans of both companies. It’s most definitely not a totally bad game, but it could have easily been so much more, too. Between questionable decisions about character selections and move sets, it’s not the game a lot of people hoped it would be. It would take Capcom vs. SNK 2 to really take this franchise to the higher ground the fans hoped it would. Buy that game instead.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 09/29/02, Updated 09/29/02