Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000
- November 24, 2000 14:47 PM PST
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Capcom vs. SNK went on location test in Shinjuku Japan on July 14th and Gamepro was there to check out this eagerly anticipated title. Click in for all the details.
Capcom vs. SNK is one of the most anticipated titles since the dawn of 2D fighting. Both companies have a long history of excellence that has stirred up more than a few arguments between hard-core fans as who's character would whoop on who's. At last players are going to get the chance to settle it once and for all!
Super Stars
The line-up in the test version had 22 of the most popular Capcom and SNK characters fully playable and fairly tuned for real-world combat. The SNK crowd pulled characters from their King of Fighters series and Fatal Fury series while the Capcom pack was selected solely from the Street Fighter Alpha series. Both companies have a greater pool of games they should pull from; currently the title is closer to King of Fighters versus Street Fighter Alpha 3 than Capcom vs. SNK. Here's the current cast, their history and Ratio:
Capcom:
Ryu (Street Fighter series, Versus series), Ratio: 2
Ken (Street Fighter series, Versus series), Ratio: 2
Chun Li (Street Fighter series, Versus series), Ratio: 2
Guile (Street Fighter series, Versus series), Ratio: 2
Zangief (Street Fighter series, Versus series), Ratio: 2
Dhalsim (Street Fighter series, Versus series), Ratio: 1
E. Honda (Street Fighter series), Ratio: 2
Blanka (Street Fighter series), Ratio: 1
Balrog (Street Fighter series), Ratio: 2
Vega (Street Fighter series), Ratio: 3
Sagat (Street Fighter series), Ratio: 3
M. Bison (Street Fighter series, Versus series), Ratio: 3
Sakura (Street Fighter series, Versus series), Ratio: 1
Cammy (Street Fighter series, Versus series), Ratio: 1
SNK:
Kyo (King of Fighters series), Ratio: 2
Iori (King of Fighters series), Ratio: 2
Terry Bogard (King of Fighters series, Fatal Fury series), Ratio: 2
Ryo Sasaki (King of Fighters series, Art of Fighting series), Ratio: 2
Mai (King of Fighters series, Fatal Fury series), Ratio: 2
Kim Kapwan (King of Fighters series, Fatal Fury series), Ratio: 2
Geese Howard (King of Fighters series, Fatal Fury series), Ratio: 3
Yamazaki (King of Fighters series, Fatal Fury series), Ratio: 3
Raiden (Fatal Fury series), Ratio: 2
Rugal (King of Fighters series), Ratio: 3
Vice (King of Fighters series), Ratio: 1
Benimaru (King of Fighters series), Ratio: 1
Yuri Sasaki (King of Fighters series, Art of Fighting series), Ratio: 2
King (King of Fighters series, Art of Fighting series), Ratio: 2
Game Play
Obviously the first question anyone would have is "What's this Ratio business?" Capcom vs. SNK is a team game much in the same vein as the King of Fighters series, the new Ratio system is a way of balancing the teams by giving the player four total points to work with from the start. Thus, a character with a Ratio of 3 could only then be partnered with a Ratio 1 character, two Ratio 2 characters could be together, one Ratio 2 character with two Ratio 1 characters could form a team, or a massive total of four Ratio 1 characters could be on one team. So it is possible to form teams with varying character numbers making two versus four a reality. So how does this madness work? Simple, the higher the Ratio the stronger the character, so a Ratio 3 character should be man enough to handle three Ratio 1 characters.
Aside from the new Ratio system there is the Capcom Groove and SNK Groove systems. From the beginning you have to choose which Groove your into, Capcom Groove works nearly identical to the A-ism in Street Fighter Alpha 3 minus the Alpha Counter system and the SNK Groove functions just like the base system found in King of Fighters 95. With the Capcom Groove you can stock up to three supers that will pass from a defeated character to the next character in your team, to command the various level of the supers you use weak attacks for level 1, fierce attacks for level 2 and press both for level 3. The SNK Groove lets you charge your super meter by holding the fierce buttons and when your character's life is low they can unleash MAX versions of their super arts.
Grooves and Ratios aside the character's base operation is very similar to King of Fighters series, all characters can dash, high jump and roll. All these elements are unseen in the Street Fighter universe. King of Fighters series also allows players to cancel basic attacks with overhead attacks and then cancel those into command attacks, since this is unheard of in Street Fighter series Capcom simply opted to make the game combo friendly by adding Chain Combos and 2-in-1s from just about all attacks. While this makes the game bliss to control and combo friendly it is sure to bring criticism from hard-core fans of both genres. Traditionally Capcom fans have shunned Chain Combos and any overly combo friendly systems and King of Fighters fans while surely question the balance of these tools in the hands of the Capcom characters that haven't had them.
Graphics
Capcom vs. SNK is clearly in contention for the best looking 2D fighting game of all time. The backgrounds are lush, well animated and blend with the characters far better than those in Marvel versus Capcom 2. The character animation is slightly below the level found in the Street Fighter 3 series but still leaps and bounds above the levels in the Street Fight Alpha series or King of Fighters series. The character art is superb and SNK fans will be ecstatic to see their favorite characters final cross into the next level, but overall the bulk of the Capcom characters have been pulled from Street Fighter Alpha 3 or the Versus series so their appearance still seems a tad dated. The effects of the game have also been brought to full Naomi glory with every fireball and hit spark bursting with clarity and color. From a shear graphical standpoint this game will leave none disappointed.
Sounds
Like the graphics, sound effects and music have also been touched up to match the potential of the Naomi hardware. Again, even diehard fans will have little to gripe about when it comes to audio Capcom vs. SNK.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Realistically Capcom vs. SNK is going to have some major obstacles to cross before it can become a huge success. The first really isn't the game itself but rather the fan base of the games in which it has spawned from. Capcom fans tend to be purists to a fault and this game not only compromises their beloved six-button system but also re-introduces several once shunned systems. Overall it is hard to see Capcom fans jumping on this boat when they have more Capcom pure titles like Street Fighter Alpha 3 or Street Fighter 3 3rd Strike to play. And SNK fans have King of Fighters 2000 to play long before the release Capcom vs. SNK. With new systems, new characters and more modern older characters to explore why would they pull themselves away to try Capcom vs. SNK? The game itself is wonderful and will serve as a great title for those new to 2D fighting or for open minded fans to cross from one company's titles to the other's. The important thing for King for Fighters fans to realize is that SNK have lost all the King of Fighters staff to Capcom and thus King of Fighters 2000 will most likely be the end of that era, Capcom vs. SNK can easily fill the void that will leave with future sequels.
