THE HUB

OMG!!!

FEATURED MEMBER

DoctorIrish

DoctorIrish

The Doctor is in.

QUICK POLL

Grand Theft Auto IV: does it live up to the hype?

ASK THE PROS

THE GAMEPROS

FREE NEWSLETTERS

Sign up now to receive weekly or daily updates on your favorite games, stories, and more!



PS2 | Fighting | Capcom Fighting Evolution

Boxart for Capcom Fighting Evolution
Capcom Fighting Evolution 24 screen shots
  • GRAPHICS: 3.5
  • SOUND: 4.0
  • CONTROL: 4.0
  • FUN FACTOR 3.5
  • AVG USER SCORE 4.1
  • AVG CRITIC SCORE 2.7

Review: Capcom Fighting Evolution

Review by MAJORMIKE | 11/24/2004 | 11:21:04 AM PST

"Grrr...you still have time...Grrr...to admit your foolishness and apologize...Grrr..."

What strange turn of events has prompted yet another combination of characters from various 2D fighting realms? Surely not the surge of 3D fighters such as Dead or Alive and Mortal Kombat!

Once a powerhouse in the 2D fighting-game arena, Capcom's latest amalgam of pastel-shaded brawlers quickly relegates itself to more-of-the same status. It seemed like a novel idea: tap the fighting rosters of Darkstalkers, Street Fighter II, Street Fighter Alpha, Street Fighter III, and Red Earth (whew!) into one giant brawl-game, and it can't miss, right?

Unfortunately, Evolution falls short and fails to live up to its name.

Five Franchises

Evolution is a novel attempt to re-kindle the "uniqueness" of the Marvel/Street Fighter crossovers, but without any real gimmick. You can choose two different fighters before each match and change the lineup after each round. One of the few twists is to secretly select your fighter for the next round.

The fighter lineup is a diverse one, and it makes for mostly even matches, yet for some peculiar reason, it was deemed fit to include Red Earth, an odd, obscure title that barely surfaced in the arcades. These characters are the oddballs of the bunch and don't mesh with the others.

And the Winner Is...?

The gameplay is pure Street Fighter, with the usual half- and quarter-circle motions and charge moves, plus the controls respond splendidly most of the time (thumb-taxing Super Arts techniques aside). The optional analog-compatible stick is a decent option, as it makes complicated moves like Zangief's Screw Piledriver much easier to execute. The visuals are loaded with the trademark Capcom 2D splendor, and the fighting stages are loaded with subtle details like other Capcom characters lurking in the background.

In the end, however, Evolution is too routine to stand out from the crowd--especially for Capcom fighting vets. After a few rounds, you should be more than satisfied.