Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001

"Remembering the good old days..."

CAPCOM Vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium.

In the late 80s and early 90s, the 2D beat-em-up was king. When Super Street Fighter II: Turbo was released on the SNES, it was hailed as one of the greatest gaming experiences ever created. Even today, it holds it's own against the next generation of consoles. Capcom have really milked the old cash cow over the last ten years, with clothing, soundtrack albums and even a popular cartoon series. There was also a big-budget Street Fighter Movie (called ''Street Fighter: The Movie'', oddly enough) starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, but nobody's perfect.

Less well known in the States (and practically unheard of in Europe), was the King Of Fighters series by SNK. Very popular in Japan, King Of Fighters was a perfectly balanced masterpiece of a game, but lacked the commercial backing of the Street Fighter series. Even now, King of Fighters has it's own ''cult'' following.

Needless to say, these two fighting megaliths were bitter rivals. Until, of course, SNK went bust and were bought out by their bitterest rivals. Immediately, speculation was rife that there would finally be a game where the fighters from both series could be matched up, settling many an argument over which fighter was the ''toughest''. On the back of this, Capcom immediately announced the release of the original Capcom Vs. SNK on the PlayStation, and the older members of the gaming World rejoiced.

2D or not 2D..?

For gamers who are familiar with the flashy graphics of Dead Or Alive or Virtua Fighter, the 2-dimensional sprites will be a real turn-off. To compound matters further, many of the older characters like Dan and Morrigan have been ported directly from the early arcade efforts, and by modern standards they look terrible! Admittedly, it may not be financially viable for Capcom to redraw all of their characters, but it's a big disappointment that other 2D fighters like Guilty Gear X should put Capcom Vs. SNK 2 to shame.

Compared to the blocky sprites, the backdrops are a visual treat. The tradition Japanese love for the far-fetched is upheld nicely, with rally cars flying overhead in the desert, and when fighting upon an iceberg the stage is struck by a ship, triggering an impromptu party on board. There's a couple of nice cameos in there too, Kage spectates when fighting in the London stage, although he is notably absent from the 44-strong list of selectable characters.

44 CHARACTERS?!

That's right, FORTY-FOUR! If you can remember the name of a character from any Capcom or SNK fighting game from the last 15 years, the chances are they'll be represented in some form or another. If it's depth and diversity you want, nothing else comes close. Admittedly, you'll probably never use characters like Chang and Choi, but the mere fact that they're included means that there's that little bit of extra challenge for the devoted Capcom/SNK veterans out there. If that still isn't enough for you, then there's always the grooves to keep you busy.

GROOVES?

The ''grooves'' I refer to have nothing to do with the music, which, due to the divine law of 2D fighting games, is cack. Instead it refers to your character's fighting style. While some grooves favour an aggressive style of fighting, others reward points for effective use of blocking and parrying. By filling your groove gauge, you are able to pull off ''Super Combos'', which are impressive to say the least. Try performing Akuma's ''Murder Death'' combo in a 2-player battle and watch your friend's face as he loses 3/4 of his life gauge.

SO, A GOOD PARTY GAME?

Very much so! Just watching two expert players taking each other on is entertaining. You see, this is the masterstroke of Capcom Vs. SNK 2, a perfect juxtaposition of simplicity and complexity. A beginner can simply button bash his way through opponents and pull off the occasional fluke victory, yet a true master will always prevail. The Super Combos are tricky to perform, but they're still within the threshold of most gamers' abilities. Because of this, every match is a frantic experience, where no outcome is certain. Whether you're a fan of WWE Smackdown! style button-bashing, or you prefer the complexity of games like Virtua Fighter 4, you will almost certainly enjoy this.

The PS2 DualShock controller lends itself nicely to the control system of CVSNK2, and the extra shoulder buttons (compared to the SNES controller) offer more flexibility to anyone with a penchant for customisation. Be warned, however, that if you intend to play this game a lot, it would be worth considering the purchase of a sturdy arcade-style joystick. I managed to remove all of the grip-surface on my pad with a couple of months, making any fighting game much more difficult. Also, a digital joystick allows you to perform the combos with relative ease, compared to the slightly-too-loose analog sticks of the regular pad. Extensive play using the d-pad will result in calluses and blisters, which is something you definitely want to avoid.

THE VERDICT

Okay, okay, so you've spent the last 5 minutes or so reading this review with only one question in mind: ''is this game worth shelling out my hard-earned cash for?'' A simple answer to this question, sadly, does not exist, as this game will be quite an opinion-splitter. For people of sufficient age and background in video gaming, this game is an essential addition to their game collection. If, however, you're new to gaming, you'll consider it a personal insult to let a game with graphics ported from 12 year-old consoles come within ten feet of your shiny 128-bit console's disc tray. The score given in this review assumes that you fall into the first group of people... people who remember the ''claw grip'' method of holding the controller, and a time when two dimensions were all you needed for hours of entertainment. Capcom Vs. SNK 2 is a testament to a bygone and somewhat forgotten age, and considering how much you'd pay for all the various SF and KOF carts on eBay, it's a great value trip down memory lane too!

Buy it if...
- Gameplay is the only thing that matters to you.
- You want to settle the ''Ryu vs. Iori'' debate once and for all.
- You fancy a real challenge.

Leave it if...
- The phrase ''Sho-ryu-ken!'' means nothing to you.
- You want something that at least uses some of your console's processing power.
- You don't like games that bear a quite-literally parabolic learning curve.

SCORE: 9/10 Not for everyone, but a truly magical experience for the gaming old-school collective!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/06/04