SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighter's Clash - SNK Version

"Still the card game to beat, even up to now."

INTRODUCTION

Sometime in March 2000, having just acquired a NeoGeo Pocket Color, I picked this game up on a whim at a Babbage's (before it turned into GameStop). I had one game before this, which was Match of the Millennium, and it seemed that SNK could do no wrong with the Capcom license. So after getting home, I plugged this game into my system and gave it a go. I've never able to put it down since.

GRAPHICS - 7/10

Granted, the graphics are really simplistic. They're something more akin to an 8-bit gaming system. The NeoGeo Pocket Color is definitely more capable than this. However, the lack of visual flair is made up for in the character and card portraits. The portraits are outstanding. However, the graphics aren't what make this game so great, so the graphics score is non-essential when it comes to my overall score.

SOUND - 7/10

Like the graphics score, this score is pretty useless. The game does feature music from SNK and Capcom games, brought down to an 8-bit level. The music isn't bad, but it's not good either. The best thing I can say about it is that it's appropriate.

CONTROL - 10/10

Seriously, you can't mess up a control scheme which has you move either a character or cursor and hit a button.

GAMEPLAY - 10/10

This is where the game shines. There are two versions of the game, the SNK and Capcom sides, each with different cards to collect. The 1-player game is essentially a quest where you start off with a simple starter deck of SVC cards and try to become the world champion by defeating every other card player. The overworld interactions with the other duelists are enjoyable, and as you beat each one, you earn a certain amount of cards depending on the opponent's difficulty. What's more, you can still continue to duel them even after you win, so you can improve your deck even more. The 2-player game is even more enjoyable, where you take your built-up deck and face off with another player with the Card Fighter's Clash game. The 2-player game features a handicapping feature that, when turned on, allows a person with a weaker deck to start off with more life than the person with the stronger deck. That feature made matches interesting, even when you had a stronger deck, because you could still lose if you made the wrong moves in a match. You also earn exclusive cards in 2-player matches and trading. I was fortunate enough to find a second person to fight against who had the Capcom version of the game, since I had the SNK version. The battles were interesting to say the least. In one gaming session, my opponent and I had started battling at 7PM, and when we stopped to take a break after what we thought was a 2-hour session, we looked at our watches to discover that it was actually 3AM. That's how good the game is.

REPLAYABILITY - 10/10

The game is intensely replayable. After you beat the game, there are still cards to get, since some of them are available only after you've become the world champion. And even then, you can still go back and fight the old opponents to pick up cards you've missed. With the addition of a second player, you will more than likely find yourself building better and better decks just to defeat your opponents with.

BUY OR RENT? - BUY

Definitely buy... not just because video stores don't rent NGPC games. This game will keep you playing long after you've finished your quest to become world champion. Since the NGPC has been out of the market for a long, long time, you should try looking for it used in an online store.

CONCLUSION

After three years, this game still sets the high-water mark for collectible card video games in my book. I find myself picking up the NGPC from time to time to play this game even now. No other card game since has matched the combination of fun and addictiveness this game presented. The video game versions of the Pokemon TCG and Yu-Gi-Oh! CCG simply pale in comparison. Cardfighter's Clash remains the king of this genre.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 12/15/03