[8/15/04] Capcom vs. SNK 2

[Mag]

Game: Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark Of The Millennium 2001 (Millionare Fighting 2001)

Genre: Fighting

Platform: Arcade, Dreamcast, Playstation 2, Xbox, GameCube.

Emulator: N/A

Release: 2001

 

Back in actions from the first taste of capcom and snk collision. This time with more characters, and the ever new groove system making this more exciting and challenging. Not only the game has enhanced, but everything from start to bottom is newly developed, the fighting system engine is different from the previous game. This new badass, has outrank one of the top popular fighting game in the world.

 

Just count em, 46 playable characters from the start, with 2 hidden extra characters while you process through the game. The high roster of fighters make this game last a while, not to mentioned making it more competetive. The thing interest you is that all 46 characters can be put in whichever team you desire to make thanks to the free for all ratio system.

Now this new groove system is a big change from the previous game, this enable different styles to play. This is very identical to the Street Fighter Alpha 3, when they have the Ism selection, except more styles to chose from. This groove system has based on Capcom and SNK style of playing. There are 6 availiable grooves to chose from. The two group, Capcom and SNK establish 3 grooves each. Every single grooves are different from apart. A main brief of each and single groove in the game are explain:

 

C-Groove: This groove is just identical to A-Ism of Street Fighter Alpha 3. 3 connected levels of power giving you the choices of pulling off a hyper move on 3 different strength from low, medium and high according to your button choice.

 

A-Groove: Now this groove is very interesting, this groove structured the same from Street Fighter Alpha 3's V-Ism. The main feature of this groove enable you to pull off custom combos in a temporary amount of time. Custom combo could also be done both on the air and ground after you press HP and HK at the same time. Now what's interesting about this groove is the hyper move cancel technique, the way it works is, since you can only pull off level 1 hyper move, and the max amount amount you can carry is 2, this enable you to cancel a hyper combo into a special move, normally its the other way around, but this is how the A-Groove works.

 

P-Groove: This groove is taken from the parry system of Street Fighter: 3rd Strike. The main feature of this system is of course, parry your oponent's move. Also you could only build one power bar and could use pull of a hyer move based on the 3 strength levels of your choice.

 

S-Groove: A groove taken from the King of Fighters series. This groove enable you to charge up to a max level 1 power guage. Other than that, after you are down to your last breathes of life, as your health bar is flashing, this enable you to pull off infinite amount of level 1 hyper move despite your desperation of dying.

 

N-Groove: This groove allows you to build by 3 max gauge. You can also pull off 3 level 1 hyper moves or you could use it to boost your offense and defense able you to use your moves twice as hard. While your boost is still going in temporary amount of time, you could pull off a level 3 hyper move if you have an extra gauge.

 

K-Groove: This groove was taken from the Samurai Showdown series. The groove is based on the rage style. Whenever you get hit or block from your oponent, your power gauge will increase. Once it max out, your character will be on intense mode, you are able to pull off a level 3 hyper move during a the period of your rage mode, which last a period of time.

 

Graphic is rich and detailed, all the character are rendered with smoothness. The effects of the game, such as whenever a character pull off a super or especially a hyper move, you could really see the intensity of a projectile and such, and animation is pure smooth and intense. Other than the characters, the fully 3D background gives the game a nicer scenery of the fight. The background constantly moves, some stage also changes in the condition, such as, after a first round of fight during the daylight, the second fight will be held during night time and such.

 

As for sound, hahaha now isn't this a suprise, the announcer from the exact same tone from the Street Fighter Alpha 3 is the one doing all various announcements. Although I can't say the voice is terrible, but there are just too many announcements, even when you browse through the configurations and options lol, well you get the point, he's everywhere. The voice-over has some minor changes, such as uplifting their tone (just some) and new voice-overs for some characters, also some could be annoying. Other than background music, its consider moderate. You actually hear music based on the scenery of the stage, so it pretty much fits.

 

This game pretty much polish from the first installment. For once, this is one of the best fighting game out there, I can't elaborate the fun times I have with this game, this game requires true fighting skills, from both the capcom and snk fighting styles. The game pretty much has it all for a normal capcom and snk game. Have it your way, try to find your favorite type of fighting style (groove), make it exciting and challenging with your oponent. Take this game to a whole new level of fighting, and make this game worth playing for the rest of your life. This game is surely a must-play and a must-own for both Capcom and SNK fans.

 

Visual: 9/10

Game[play: 10/10

Control: 9/10

Sound: 8/10

 

Overall Score: 9

 

Overall Grade: A

 

Overall, I give this game a

[Gryph]

Yes, this game is very good. I especially enjoy the EX grooves that you can customize after you beat the game.

[Weirdy]

2 hidden characters? wtf...there's like 6, no? Anyways, this game is really good IMO.

[OverlordMondo]

I'll think about getting it...but there's a lot of other things I'm getting first, so it might be a while.

[Gryph]

2 hidden characters? wtf...there's like 6, no? Anyways, this game is really good IMO.

6? I thought the only hidden characters were Shin Akuma and God Rugal?

[Agozer]

2 hidden characters? wtf...there's like 6, no? Anyways, this game is really good IMO.

6? I thought the only hidden characters were Shin Akuma and God Rugal?

Yeah, the PS2 version has only those 2, I think.

[Mr.X]

Did hey imagine "God Rugal" to be up to Shin Akuma ?

Why didn't they keep Omega Rugal ?

[Weirdy]

2 hidden characters? wtf...there's like 6, no? Anyways, this game is really good IMO.

6? I thought the only hidden characters were Shin Akuma and God Rugal?

Yeah, the PS2 version has only those 2, I think.

weren't Evil Ryu, Gouki, Vega, Rugal, Shin Gouki, and ulitimate Rugal all the hidden characters on all console versions?

 

note: I like using the names of the characters on the japanese versions, so I'm really talking about the u.s version

[Gryph]

As far as I can remember, only Shin Akuma and God Rugal were hidden on both the Dreamcast and XBOX version. And Agozer says it's the same way on PS2 so I'll assume it's the same way for the arcade and GC version as well.

[Skythe]

All CvS2 version only have Shin Akuma and God/Ultimate Rugal as the hidden characters.

[Agozer]

All CvS2 version only have Shin Akuma and God/Ultimate Rugal as the hidden characters.

Yes, true. Vega, Gouki/Akuma and Evil Ryu are selectable from the start.