Capcom vs. SNK 2™: Mark of the Millennium 2001

Another year, another game in Capcom's long-running Vs. series. It seems like it was only yesterday that I was waiting in line to play Marvel Super Heroes at the local arcade. Marvel Super Heroes was a fun, unique fighting game that put Capcom back on the map as a top arcade game developer. Later came Marvel Vs. Capcom and more rehashes and variations than I can even remember. Let's not forget about the Street Fighter EX and Street Fighter Alpha series.

Times have changed though. Arcades aren't nearly as profitable as they used to be, so most of the new arcade games being made have less of a chance of coming to the States than ever before. One of the games that Americans were forced to miss out on was Capcom Vs. SNK, a fighting game that took most of the characters from the Street Fighter and Dark Stalkers series and threw them in the ring with a group of fighters from SNK's games. The latest installment of the series, Capcom Vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001, never made it to GameWorks or any other arcade in America. Capcom did bring over the PlayStation 2 version though. Was it worth the wait? If you're a die-hard Street Fighter fan, you don't even have to ask...

Capcom Vs. SNK 2 doesn't feature as many game modes as other fighting games, but with as many characters as this game has, I doubt that anyone will complain. Seven basic modes are available from the start of the game, including: Arcade, Versus, Training, Survival, Color Edit, Replay and Options. There are three modes within Arcade -- Ratio Match, 3 on 3 Match and Single Match. Ratio Match allows players to create a team of fighters by allocating their Ratio points. The Single and 3 on 3 matches are exactly what they sound like -- play on a team with three characters, or go it at alone. During 3 on 3 matches, there is only one real round, which temporarily stops every time a fighter is beaten. Single matches have up to three rounds, but you can increase or decrease the amount of rounds you want on the Options menu.

Versus, Training and Survival modes are pretty straight-forward. Replay mode is a little more unique, though nothing to get excited over. After each battle, you have four options to choose from: Continue (fight another match); Save (save the replay match data); Exit (return to the Game Mode menu); and Load (select the memory card you have data saved on, peruse your files and load some replay data).

Color Edit mode is rather pointless. It sounds cool, until you find out that the reason why it's called Color Edit mode: because all you can do is edit the colors of each fighter. Personally, I like the colors Capcom gave each fighter just fine. I don't have any desire to change the color of M. Bison or any other character; his standard red military suit is what he's been wearing from the beginning and I doubt that anyone wants to change that. It'd be like giving Sub-Zero a yellow suit in Mortal Kombat, or like making Heihachi wear something pink in Tekken.

Capcom Vs. SNK 2 gives gamers a true arcade game experience with over 40 different characters. Actually, they're not all different -- Ryu 1, Ryu 2 (yep, that's right, there are two Ryu's), Ken and Akuma's moves are very similar. Six "Groove" fighting styles have been implemented, which allow you to perform various super combos, dodge attacks, counter attack faster, recovery some health, etc. The Grooves don't change the play mechanics as much as I would have liked, but maybe that's a good thing. If something isn't broken, you shouldn't try to fix it. Other game developers could learn a lot from Capcom. I support those who try to innovate as much as possible, but what they don't realize is that the core audience, the gamers who support you the most, would rather have more of the same great gameplay that they already know and love. Look at Square. They released FFVIII in '99, FFIX in 2000 and possibly FFX before the end of this year. Do I hear any complaints? Companies like Sega and Namco took several years to develop the latest Virtua Fighter and Tekken games, and they don't play any different from the previous titles in the series. The same could be said about Capcom Vs. SNK 2 (for the most part, anyway), but the thing is, it didn't take three or four years to get here.

If Street Fighter is your favorite fighting game series, then Capcom Vs. SNK 2 is probably already on your Christmas wish list. If Street Fighter isn't your favorite fighter though, then this game may not be for you. Despite its flaws, Capcom Vs. SNK 2 is a fun game that offers more variety than most. The major problem here is that Capcom Vs. SNK 2 is essentially the same game we've been playing for the past ten years. That's only a problem depending on your tastes though. Capcom Vs. SNK 2 is like a large pot of soup. The soup makes a great dinner for the first few days, but by the end of the week, it isn't quite as appetizing as it was before. But if you're the type of gamer who likes to lick the pot clean time and time again, Capcom Vs. SNK 2 should satisfy your hunger.

Gameplay: 8
Capcom Vs. SNK 2 plays great. It has a lot of flaws, but the gameplay is good enough that it is still worth buying. It's a fighting game, and a shallow one at that. But it's fun and that's all that matters.

Graphics: 6
Polygons didn't work too well with Capcom's traditional characters and classic fighting style, which is one of the reasons why they chose to stick with sprites for first game in the Vs. series. The latest Vs. release, Capcom Vs. SNK 2, is no different. Polygons have been added to the backgrounds, adding more realism to a mostly unrealistic-looking game. Other than a few stages though, Capcom Vs. SNK 2 looks like a game from the early 90s. The animation is decent, but when compared to the characters in Tekken 1 or 2 (which are both several years old), Capcom Vs. SNK 2 seems choppier than ever. The PlayStation 2 is an incredibly powerful system, and I hope the next Vs. game takes advantage of it.

Sound: 6
Fighting game music is rarely known for being stellar. Most developers feel that gamers don't even pay attention to the background noises, let alone the music, so composing a decent soundtrack would be a waste. That couldn't be further from the truth. When I play a fighting game, I get just as involved with music as I do any other game. It doesn't take much time to beat the average fighting game, but some of the tournaments I had with my friends lasted until the sun came up. After playing the same game for several hours straight, you either become attached or detached to the music. Capcom Vs. SNK 2 is somewhere in between. Some of the music is good, but it's not the kind of soundtrack that I'd want to listen to outside of the game. However, it's not a soundtrack that I mind listening to either.

Difficulty: 6
Capcom Vs. SNK 2 is, strangely enough, not as difficult as Marvel Vs. Capcom. The default level difficulty is really easy, and for those of you who have never played a Street Fighter game before (if such a person exists), the difficulty can be dummied down even more. Mortal Kombat 4 received a lot of criticism because it could be beaten with kicks, punches and projectiles. Unlike Mortal Kombat 4, however, Capcom Vs. SNK 2's level difficulty can be increased beyond a reasonable amount, making it harder for fighting masters like myself to conquer it.

Concept: 5.9 
The idea behind Capcom Vs. SNK 2 is original. Capcom took its best fighters, threw in a bunch of characters from SNK's fighting games and the ultimate 2D fighting game. Obviously though, the sequel isn't as original. For the most part, it's just an extension of the last game. If you never owned the first game, then Capcom Vs. SNK 2 is an excellent buy. Otherwise, rent it first.

Multiplayer: 8.5
This is the kind of game that used to drive me nuts as a child. Weekdays dragged on. School was a nightmare. All I wanted was the weekend to come so that I could play Street Fighter II with my friends. Capcom Vs. SNK 2 doesn't excite me as much as SFII once did, but the two-player mode is by far the best mode in the game. It'll keep you coming back for more until the next Vs. game arrives.

Overall: 8.5
If there is one thing you'll never hear a Street Fighter fan say, it's "Man, I wish Capcom would make another fighting game." Because they know that whether they ask for it or not, another one is sure to come sooner or later. And now another one is here. For some reason though, playing Capcom Vs. SNK 2 just isn't as fun as playing Super Street Fighter II: Turbo Revival on the Game Boy Advance. Maybe it's because the experience was fresh and new on a portable system, but it feels all too familiar on the PS2. If my comments seem to be harsher than the score, it's because I am overwhelmed with disappointment from the game as whole. The gameplay is what counts the most though, and that is the best part of Capcom Vs. SNK 2.