CAPCOM vs SNK - PS2

I've always been a fan of the fighter genre since the days I spent my parent's cash to have some 13 year-old punk Hadoken and Shudoken my ass in Street Fighter 2. *gumbles something pithy about Ryu and Ken*. I've seen the ol-skool hand-drawn sprites make way to the newer 3D stuff, but you can keep your Virtua Fighter 4 and your Dead or Alive 3. I crave the 2D lovin' that only two folks can give me. Capcom and the now defunct SNK. When I heard that there was going to be a cross-over game by the two companies, I just about wet myself with utter joy.

Here's the skinny: Favorite characters from several clasic fighters come forth to beat each other senseless. The character selection will make your jaw hit the floor the first time you see it. There's like a bajillion characters, with several favorites. There's a few "essentials" missing -- like Galford from SNK's Samurai Shodown series and Felicia from Dark Stalkers -- but there's someone with a similar flavor and fighting style to make up for it. I was forced to sub Hibiki from Last Blade 2 for Ukyo from Samurai Shodown, for example.

The only big problems I have with the game is the difference in sprite quality and lack of Arenas. Some of the sprites look like they were made just for the release of this game, while others look extremely dated. It's really sad when the same old Morgan sprite they've used for years is put up against the absolutely beautiful and fresh-looking Chun Li. It's not that big of a problem to most people, but then again, I am a nit-picker for that kind of stuff. The lack of areas to fight in will most likely bother everyone though. There's less than ten, so fighting may get a little boring after a while. The backgrounds are rather nice though, and the music is what you'd expect from both companies. Take a play on the London stage and just soak in that sweet, sweet music while you curb stomp someone.

The game has several nice features in it, such as choosing to fight in a 3-on-3 battle ala King of Fighters, or 1-on-1 in the clasic manner. That's just a minor thing though -- wait'll you check out the nifty 'Groove' system they have in there. 'Grooves' are different sets of power-bars that your character fights with. Each fighter takes on a completely different style of play when you use different grooves. There are a few you might reconize like the rage meter from Samurai Shodown, or one like The Alpha Meter in Street Fighter Alpha. There's a few new ones too, such as the 'A Groove' which lets you become a pure speed demon or the 'P Groove' which enables you to become a defensive master. Yes, you can pull off some serious min/maxing with those meters. I gave Vice the A Groove and tore through people like crazy.

All in all, I'd give it a 7 out of 10. The game is fantastic and well worth the money, it just has a few flaws here and there which I cannot forgive. The selection is huge, the music is great, and finding the right combination of fighters with a paticular groove will keep you busy for that huge multiplayer tourney you'll know you'll want to have.

7 out of 10 - Lauren Praise

Check out Lauren Praise's Webcomic Ezailia: Treasure hunting, it's not just an adventure, it's a job!. Message Board

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