Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001

"Another great Capcom 2D fighter."

Capcom VS SNK 2 is the latest cross-over game, made by Capcom. It pits some of Capcom’s legendary fighters against SNK’s best to offer. This game is a traditional 2D fighter, unlike the Marvel VS Capcom series. This game features a large number of selectable fighters, in addition to two unlockable super bosses, Shin Akuma and Ultimate Rugal.

The fighting is similar to that of the Street Fighter Alpha series. This game gives you your choice of six “grooves,” in addition to an unlockable Groove Edit mode. The grooves determine several abilities your character will have, in addition to how you perform super combos. C, A, and P groove are based on Street Fighter games, while S, N, and K grooves are straight out of SNK games. C Groove would basically be A-Ism from Street Fighter Alpha 3. This groove gives you a 3 tiered super meter, and the ability to perform super combos of 3 levels of power. Naturally, a level 1 super take 1 tier of energy, and level 2 takes 2, and a level 3 takes all 3. This groove is also the only groove with the “Air Block” ability. A Groove is similar to V-Ism from Street Fighter Alpha 3. With it, you get a two tiered combo meter. You can drain one tier of energy to perform a level 1 super combo. If you have a full meter, you can press both fierce buttons to enter custom combo mode. During this, you can combo much better, and your moves cancel into one another much better. You can rack up some gratuitously large combos like this. Trust me, getting hit by a 64 hit Iori custom combo is NOT an enjoyable thing. Also, at anytime before your meter completely drains, you can spend the remainder of your energy to perform a level 1 super combo, to end your custom combo with a bang, so to speak. Next up, is P Groove. P groove is based on Street Fighter III’s parrying system. This is one of the two “expert” grooves, which are both difficult to use, but have high rewards for people who master them. Parrying is extremely difficult, but if you get it down, you’ll be able to own people for free. You parry attacks by pressing either forward or down, depending if the attack is high or low. If you time it right, you’ll stop your opponent’s move, and are given the chance to counter attack. You can also parry aerial attacks by pressing forward in the air. When your meter is full, you have the ability to perform a level 3 super combo.

Now for the SNK style grooves. S Groove gives you the ability to hold both fierce buttons to manually charge your meter. When it is full, you can perform a level 1 super combo. In addition, if you are low on life, your life bar will begin to flash. While it is flashing, you can perform level 1 super combos at will. If both your meter is full AND your life bar is flashing, you can perform a level 3 super combo. Also, this groove gives you the ability to side step, which can be useful for dodging attacks and counter attacking. N Groove is the most mobile of the 6 grooves. It has the most mobility abilities, including rolling. When you super combo meter fills up, it will go back to empty, and the energy will be stored in a little ball. You can have up to 3 little balls of energy. At any time, you can spend a ball of energy to perform a level 1 super combo. You can also hit both fierce buttons at the same time to burn a ball of energy powering up. You’ll flash for a short period of time, and all of your attacks will be stronger. Also, while powered up, you can perform level 3 super combos instead of level 1s. Finally, there is K Groove, my personal favorite groove. This is the other “expert groove.” With it, you gain the ability to “Just Defend.” You Just Defend by blocking at the last possible second. When done right, you regain a sliver of life, are in block stun less time, and gain a lot of super meter charge. You can even Just Defend mid-air. When your meter fills up, it will slowly begin to drain. While it does, your character will glow red, and will be a LOT stronger. Also, you can perform a level 3 super combo. Once you do, your meter completely drains.

The graphics in the game are great. From the stages, to the fighters, to the special effects, this game is solid in the graphics department. The sounds effects are equally great. However, the music is…... well…. Annoying. Extremely annoying. If you’re anything like me, you’ll be hating the music within five minutes of turning the game on.

The controls are great. Capcom 2D fighters are excellent, with the Dual Shock 2. The controls are fully customizable, but even the defaults are great. You won’t have any control problems.

This game is a great purchase for the fighting game fan. It combines the best of both worlds, Capcom and SNK. You’ll have hours of fun playing this with your friends. There’s also plenty of secrets to unlock. Pick this one up, you won’t be disappointed.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/26/02, Updated 09/26/02