Capcom vs. SNK 2: Millionaire Fighting 2001

"The fun is in the bashing"

Let me first say that this is so far, one of my all-time favorite fighters, able to support my claim that the Dreamcast is the second best 2d fighter platform around.
Capcom vs SNK 2 is a culmination of excellent fighter libraries, move lists, histories, and graphics.
The game has excellent sound, and is quite fluid, never a glitch in expected action. The fight-system is far superior to say SFA3 where many moves where too buggy to perform efficiently.
Now comes the bad news, what the game is lacking, and some words on improvement. The game first off, lacks a good story basis, not enough connection between players from Capcom and SNK. This wasn't as much a problem for this version, being Japanese and most of us American, but when it comes to the PS2 and the GameCube, it may be sad to not have enough.
Another problem is that although beautiful, the backgrounds are simply unimaginative and boring. The awesome temple and golden dragon levels of the first game are gone and this is dissapointing to say the least. Only the final level is truly eye-appealing. To couple the level issue, there is the problem that the music is subpar, and the announcer that you are forced to hear over and over again (in English unfortunately) is annoying. The sheer beauty of SF3 3rd Strike in its story, graphics, and bgm, is lost to CvS2
Fortunately enough, the massive collection of fresh fighters that haven't been so mainstream in America saves the day and in the end,your desire to squash everyone, and go undefeated in Ratio rounds outlives the minuses.
Besides that, for those who aren't so SNK acquainted, you'll find yourselves searching the internet for more games that have some of the really *sweet* SNK characters and stories not found in CvS2.

If I were in charge of Capcom's development of CvS3, if the game even exists, there are a number of improvements I would make to the game.
The first, would have to be the libraries. There must be more of SNK's best fighters that are missing, and more of Capcom's too. For example, where are the best Samurai Shodown characters (why, 4ie, did the choose Nokoruru for the game)? Ukyo, Cenjuro, Amakusa, etc... How about Last Blade 2, and others? Where are the wonderful cauldron of SF3 generation fighters, like Sean, Gill, and Dudley for God's sake (hint-he's in the background of the london level, standing and reading a paper). Then too, the move's list must be bigger, badder, better: devote the Capcom team to the game, to a perfect game. And for the love of truth, if the game is to be bilingual, make it totally bilingual!
Then I'd make sure that only the most exciting levels are chosen- levels in temples, on top of skyscrapers, on mountain summits, in ruins, on airplanes, somewhere exciting, or at least mystical like a redwood forest or bamboo forest. The music for each MUST match the scene, too, feeling for feeling, sight for sight. Bring in real martial artists and gamers to test their reaction to the levels and playing in them.
Lastly, I would make sure a lot of writing and documentation is done, plenty of storyline and description, interaction, so that the replay value of the game is beyond any other fighting game, ever!
There are, of course, other things that can be added to ensure the game is never forgotten. One is to sell a developer's kit that allows gamers to customize all sorts of aspects of the game and import them to the game via an included memory card. I almost die to think of it ....

Anyhow, keep hoping fellow gamers, and enjoy your bashing of hated Capcom characters. Maybe Capcom'll even read this and take some ideas.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 10/13/02, Updated 10/13/02