Produced by: Capcom
Genre: 2D Fighting
Players: One
I can't help but get a perverse thrill out of playing Capcom Vs SNK. This is a game that shouldn't have happened - the videogaming equivalent of Coco Cola and Pepsi joining forces. These two companies have been at the top of the 2D fighting game tree for the best part of a decade. Both have killer franchises (although SNK's following in the West is much smaller than Capcom's) and both have shared staff members (several of Capcom's programmers jumped ship in the early 90s to work on Fatal Fury and Art Of Fighting). We've already seen the first result of this unlikely union - the impressive SNK Vs Capcom: MOTM on the NeoGeo Pocket, and although that was a stunning title, it's pretty obvious that it's the home console version that really matters. Does it match up to the high standard set by its handheld brother? Well that's what I'm here to tell you...
The game engine is a hybrid of Street Fighter Alpha/Zero, with a few differences. The game runs faster than Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, but is slower than Marvel Vs Capcom 2. It hits just the right balance between the slow and calculating style of former and manic, over the top pace of latter. Seeing as this is a Capcom game engine, the SNK "run" option found in King Of Fighters has been removed (although it's rumored that you can unlock an option to add this feature), instead the fighters "hop" back and forward when you tap twice in one direction. There is, however, a forward roll move, lifted from KOF, which allows you to avoid projectiles and roll behind your opponent. To be honest, this is one of the most simplistic fighting game engines Capcom have ever produced, but what it loses in depth it more than makes up for in pace and ease of use. It's what you could call a "pure" engine - you have the silky-smooth control, killer response time and a simple set of generic moves for each fighter, but no Alpha/Zero counters, SF3-style blocking, air guards or Custom Combos. Some will see this as a curse, to others it will be a blessing. Hardcore 2D fighting fans are bound to be offended, but there is decent, wholesome gameplay here, and it proves that good gameplay doesn't need endless gimmicks. However, it does mean that in the long run CvS offers less gameplay than say, KOF 99: Evolution.
The graphics are a mixed bag. For some reason, Capcom decided not to go with 3D backgrounds, as seen in MvC2, despite the fact that the game uses the same Naomi arcade board that powers the Marvel/Capcom crossover. The 2D backdrops are nice, and displayed in lush high res, but you can't help but question the choice. The characters suffer from the same problem as those in MvC2 - they are very blocky. On a standard TV set this doesn't present much of a problem, but if you use the VGA cable (like me) it's a bit of an eyesore. The fighters look hopelessly out of place when put against the high-res stages. However, resolution issues aside, the majority of the characters are impressively drawn and animated. I say "majority" because many of the Capcom fighters have simply been ported over from Alpha/Zero 3, without any animation improvements. Blanka, Cammy and Sakura suffer the most, with jerky, choppy animation. However, the SNK fighters have been totally redrawn in a Capcom style, and look fantastic. Kyo and Iori have never looked better, in fact. On the whole, the graphics are pleasant enough, but they don't really break any new ground. With the impressive looking Guilty Gear X on the horizon, you can't help be feel cheated by the visuals here.
The roster of fighters also throws up problems. On the Capcom side we have every fighter from the original Street Fighter 2 plus Cammy, Gouki/Akuma and Sakura. On the SNK side we have the usual suspects - Kyo, Iori, Terry Bogard, Mai, Ryo, Kim, and Geese, amongst others. Then we have the rather odd inclusion of Raiden (from Fatal Fury) and Vice (from KOF). I know that Capcom wanted to get a wide range of fighters and a wide choice of styles, but why include these two relative nobodies? Where is Andy Bogard? Where is Billy Kane? Joe Higashi? Heidern? Leona? I expect that many of these "missing" characters will be included in the second Capcom Vs SNK title (already in development - those guys at Capcom sure don't waste any time), but you can't help but feel that extra effort should have been made in this area, especially when you consider the amount of fighters contained within MvC2.
If you feel that the line up is weak, just wait until you start using the fighters. Many of the characters have been weakened to the extent that they're next to useless. Terry has lost his power dunk (although you can unlock an "extra" version of Terry, as well as all the other fighters, but this just adds one move and takes away another, so it's pretty pointless), Cammy has been altered, Sakura has been watered down, Kim is no longer the killing machine he once was...many people will be annoyed when they discover that their favorite character has lost their killer moves. Some have had specials added, such as Ken who now has an overhead kick like Sean from SF III, but these additions are few and far between and don't really make up for the crime of making many of the fighters so weak.
Replay value is offered in the form of a "Secrets Mode" where points earned in the game can be spent on extra character colors, new stages and secret fighters. As I mentioned before, each character has an "EX" version which has to be unlocked to become useable. The secret fighters include Evil Ryu, Blood Riot Iori, Gouki/Akuma and Morrigan of Darkstalkers/Vampire fame. Anyone who owned the Japanese version of MvC2 will be aware that getting the extra characters was nigh on impossible - you needed access to both the Capcom Japan webserver and a Japanese MvC2 arcade machine. Thankfully, CvS doesn't use this method, but it's still extremely hard to get all the points you need using the game alone. I read somewhere that if you were to earn all the points needed to unlock every secret just playing the game, it would take over 100 hours. Those of you who have a NeoGeo Pocket, SNK Vs Capcom: MOTM and a NeoGeo/DC link cable are in luck - you can transfer the "versus" points gained in the handheld version over to the DC version. This method works a lot quicker, as it's possible to earn around 9999 points in under an hour on the NGP version whereas you only earn about 400 points each time you complete the DC version.
Before I wrap this review up, I must mention the music featured in CvS. It really is stunning, and reaffirms my confidence in Capcom's musicians. After the dire tracks in MvC2 I braced myself for the worst, but Capcom seem to have taken a startling turn of form with this and Street Fighter III 3rd Strike. The style is similar to that found in SFZ3, a sort of techno/rock/beat fusion with a rap song thrown in there for good measure. It's important that fighting games have a good soundtrack and in the case of CvS, it really does get you pumped.
In conclusion, this isn't quite the game we expected. Considering it pools together the fighting game heritage of these two great companies, it's a very simple beast at heart. Those of you brought up on Capcom's brand of one-on-one action will feel more at home than those SNK-diehards among us. In terms of depth CvS is a huge step backwards, but it's a reminder that fighters don't need multiple counters and "gimmicks" to be playable. However, It won't convert those of you who detest 2D fighting games. This is still a niche genre, and although CvS is easier to get to grips with than most titles of this type, it seems unlikely that anyone unfamiliar to the work of Capcom and SNK will get worked up about Ryu Vs Terry Bogard or Iori Vs Sagat. There's no escaping the fact that a lot of the appeal of CvS rests on the match up of the two companies.
The bottom line is that CvS will be enjoyed and berated in equal measures, but if you're a fan of either company you owe it to yourself to play this game - it's an important milestone in the history of 2D fighters. Hopefully the criticisms I've levelled here will be remedied with the impending sequel.
3 and 1/2 out of 5
