SNK vs. Capcom: Match of the Millennium

"Every 2D fighting game fan needs this game."

SNK vs Capcom: Match of the Millennium is the greatest handheld fighting game ever, and can even be compared to console and arcade fighters. This game has tons of features, popular characters from both sides (SNK and Capcom) and is just plain fun. I urge any 2D fighting game fan, and regular fighting game fans, to pick this game up right away.

Graphics 9.5/10

The graphics in this game are very well down. The characters all look great, even for a handheld system. They don't look blurry, distorted, or any weird graphical problems. You can clearly see the characters, and their special attacks. The backgrounds are also well down, they are clear and easy on the eyes, but still have nice detail and really look nice. The special techniques are also well down. Instead of cutting them down, they are the same. They didn't sacrifice the supers appearance just because its a handheld. One thing I don't like however is the taunts before the fight and after. Some of them are fine, but some are just really corny and cheesy. But its nice to have the little sayings before a fight, its better then just them standing there for 5 seconds until "FIGHT" comes up.

Sound 8/10

Of course, there are no voices in the game. This is only Neo-Geo Pocket Colour. And the sound for when people get hit isn't anything special either. Its just the typical sound. The reason I'm giving the sound an 8 though is because of the music. SNK has given each character in the game their own music. And all the music is just like you would remember it, Sakura's theme, Kyo's theme, Terry's theme, its just like in Street Fighter of King of Fighters. And the songs sound great, and really help make a good pace during a fight.

Control 9/10

The control scheme in this game is simple, which is good. All the characters have the similar move sets as in their respected games. So to do a special technique it would usually be something like:
-Quarter Circle Forward - A
-Hold back for a second, then press forward B
-Half Circle Forward B
or
-Forward, down, forward-down - A

The last one may sound weird, but is quite easy to do. All the moves are, which is good because during a fight you don't want to have to scramble and try to do some complicated move. You need to be able to pull off the moves fast. Taunting is just a matter of pressing A and B at the same time, so no trouble there. To tag in a character, its just press Back and A-B. Once again, simple. Some characters have slightly more advanced moves, but they become second nature with practice. There are some problems though, like some characters don't have moves that they should. One that really bugs me is Yuri. She doesn't have her uppercut. Thats one of her main moves, and she lacks it. Because of that, I barely use her. Other things like that disappointed me.

Gameplay 10/10

This game is extremely fun. It's a mix of both King of Fighters and Street Fighter. The super moves are a little more Street Fighter-ish, while the characters move a little bit King of Fighter-ish. Super moves do a good amount of damage, but aren't too powerful that its unfair. Characters have a wide variety of special moves. There's tag team, and team mode. There are 3 different super move charge up types. The game is surprisingly fast paced, even for a tiny handheld. There is also mini games that you can play. Those are fun as well, and serve as a nice distraction from the main game. Plus, you can talk to a couple girls from SNK and Capcom, which sometimes can be fun. Overall I have little complaints about the game play. I prefer this game's fighting engine over a lot of console fighting games. Its just really fun and balanced.

Story 7/10

Its a fighting game, so don't expect an RPG worthy story line. This game actually comes with a "Tourney" mode, which is like a story mode-lite. You pick a character, and fight characters. The difference from regular arcade modes is that this mode has a story and extra parts. Each character has a rival in the game, whom you will fight in this mode. You will also have some hard battles near the end that are unlike most fighting games arcade modes(because these matches are unfair!). So the mode doesn't really have a story for each character, but its nice that SNK put some effort into this mode, and not make it just a regular "Beat 10 opponents" type mode.

Overall 10/10

This game is one of my favourite fighting games, and my most favourite NGPC game. I absolutely love it. I urge any fighting game fan to at least check it out if you already haven't. This game is great for everyone, not just SNK or Capcom fans.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 07/21/04