Capcom vs. SNK 2 EO

"Groove online..."

Hmm... what more can be said about a fighting game that was realeased in 2001? plenty.

|Introduction| -History-
Capcom vs SNK 2 was first played in the arcades at the end of the summer of 2001, a month later Capcom vs SNK 2 was released on September 13, 2001 for PS2/DC (JP) being the latest Capcom fighting game with online play, the PS2 version came with a Modem pack; even better featuring cross-platform network battle so Japanese PS2/DC owners could fight each other online. In fact Capcom had a online gaming dial-up subscription network called Matching Service, and many of Capcom's Dreamcast games featured online play due to this feature, the entire network was hosted by a telecommunications company called KDDI that's well known in Japan.
Unfortunately online fighting games never saw the light of day in America, not for DC (more or less Playstation2) anyway... but thank god that Capcom saw the potential that Xbox Live had to offer.

|Story|
2001, blah, blah, blah first dream tournament of the 21st century blah, blah, Capcom vs. SNK: Millionaire Fighting etc, etc, the oncoming silent storm of destruction... what will happen?

so, there you have it folks...

|Gameplay: 10/10|
with the character roster updated to 44 most people will be satisfied, while others may complain that 11 new characters are not enough (NOTE: I'm not counting Dan, Joe, or the evil versions of selected characters) either way the selection still shines through.

one of the things improved in CvS2 is the FREE RATIO SYSTEM, it certainly is a step above the original ratio system since your 4 ratio points make up how many character are in your team. Dividing up your points will determine if your character is stronger or weaker, making your strategy of winning deeper than before.

But still, this is the home version after all and you can choose your way to play arcade mode:
Ratio Match: -look above.
3 on 3: -choose have 3 vs. 3 battle without the restrictions of ratio points.
Single Match: -traditional arcade 1 on 1 round fights

most gamers and professionals alike should be familiar with the aspects of super bars *AKA grooves* to choose from, ranging from Custom Combos to Charge Gauges. Your strategy will depend on the variety of grooves available to you; Many advantages, and disadvantages will occur on the decision of your groove, so pick wisely or you may just lose. As you get better with your Groove(s) you'll notice how much skill and strategy works into your game, its one of the most appealing features in the game.

The style of play is the slower-paced arcade adapted fighting most of know and love; finally a needed change from the newer button-mashing fighters, so veterans should enjoy the close to ol-school feel.

even though it retains most of the feel of tradition, balance of the game is a little questionable since some of the characters and grooves have priority than others. Some may debate about the usefulness of certain characters and the overpowering properties of Grooves. Personally I see no major problems about the somewhat unbalanced natures of CvS2, its hardly, if not anything to get used to at all. Think of it this way, the CvS2 tier balance is a great crucial step above the original CvS.

<-Veterans, you know the drill...>

|Controls: 10/10|
The controls are responsive as usual, the game works well with the Xbox controller S; unfortunately the original controller is slightly harder to use, but probably since the majority of Xbox owners have a controller S, I won't go into detail about the original controller. But to those true to the game they'll pick up an Arcade Stick anyway.

Capcom decided to use its classic 6-button control, which is much better for the series than their former 4-button SNK mock-up. the button setup suits the game perfectly, offering a true traditional Capcom feel to the game. :)

*EO*
first seen in the Gamecube version -Easy Operation- is used to simplify the controls for novices, or for people not familiar with the game. In my opinion the feature is a waste of time and effort by Capcom, I know it probably a good idea at the time but it hurts the game more than it helps it. as most of you will know that charging characters like Guile and E. Honda can and WILL be abused in EO-ISM due to ZERO-CHARGE time, therefore making the cheap and unexciting. I recommend that Pros and Beginners avoid using this crutch to win, the game means more when you actually TRY to play.

|Graphics: 6/10|
probably the lowest score of the review, I'll go form good to bad. first of all the backgrounds looks like Capcom wanted to do something different with the stages along with their choices of new characters, anyway I enjoyed the choices of stages from the sand dunes of Nairobi to the revolving stadium of Shanghai. Almost every stage background is filled with activity, and that's what I like; and I know you'll enjoy a least one stage from the game

Loading isn't that bad but it isn't up to speed like the PS2 version or the even better Dreamcast version. its like its GC cousin which takes it 5-7 seconds to load the start of the battle.

Everyone should know about Capcom laziness of moving 5-year old sprites from one game to another, but I could care less about that; I just glad those characters are in the game. but my major concern is the appearance of the fighters shown, the game characters look very pixelated and jagged, it looks worst than the Playstation2 version and that's just plain sad. luckily the background looks slightly better than before but thats not much of a tradeoff. That's Xbox hardware, I guess.

the effects such as fireballs aren't as good-looking compared to the sleek-looking DC,if any of you played the Dreamcast version then you'd know what I'm taking about; but they're on par with PS2 version *AKA pixelated* the GC version looked slightly better compared to the Xbox port though.

Otherwise, but some effects from the DC version made it into this port, you'll notice that you'll see every piece of glass shatter in the Finest KO finish; unlike the GC, PS2 version where it seems somewhat melted together.

It should be known that this originally ran on Naomi arcade hardware and Dreamcast is the closest thing to Naomi. So take that into account folks.

|Audio: 10/10|
voices and sound effects are of higher quality this time around making the sound even more pleasing to the ear more than before, you'll like what you hear.

I personally like the music, while others may or may not enjoy the tunes. the tracks range from techno to synth and guitar. the music is basically towards everybody, so its pretty good for the mood its trying to represent. The additional trainning stage tracks for me leave something to be desired since they're just ripped songs from the Capcom Fan Disc for DC.

|ONLINE: 7/10|
knowing the readers, they scrolled down to this section, because this is the main draw of the Xbox version, because I know you guys didn't buy this game a second or third time for arcade mode. What you've have for Network are Rankings, Quick Match, and Custom Setup, you can also search for competitors around the world.

I like the freedom of customization to fit your needs of play, it was easy to change your preferences and get to battlefield quickly. I wasn't dissatisfied with the results I wanted.

broadband connections help out the aspect (Most of the time) but for the moments that count there the issue of lag, half of my losses where lag-related I wasn't angry, just annoyed. The other problem was the acceptance of EO user which may tone-down the overall enjoyment of online play, thank god playing with EO users is an option. using the microphone isn't really needed, fighting game require concentration not trash talk, but I guess its fun to have to use againist your online buddies.

|Replay Value- 9/10|
I believe the attraction the game offers is network mode it isn't a bad thing but people who buy this game and don't use Xbox Live are not using their Xbox to its full potential. this title is truly a hardcore gamer's gem.

|Briefing|
Pros:
+Better sound quality
+Xbox Live capabilities keep the game fresh
+Almost unlimited replay value
+Worth buying again
Cons:
-very pixelated characters sprites (if you care...)
-EO-ISM may makes CvS2 a hassle to play against novices
-Network lag makes game nearly unplayable, and irritating to play.

|Final Verdict|
back in 2001 Capcom of Japan mentioned that Capcom vs SNK 2 may be the last fighting we may see for a while that isn't a port, if so I'm glad it turned out this way. It was a long time coming but America finally has a online fighting game, the fans couldn't have asked for a more suitable title.
8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/23/03, Updated 06/23/03