It has always
been a gamer's pipedream to find their favorite characters to be coded
for a rival console or game. One of those old pipe dreams was to take
the pugilists from Capcom and pit them against the many combatants from
rival 2D fighting company SNK. SNK is famous for Fatal Fury and Samurai
Shodown. A few years ago the dream was snaked from that proverbial pipe.
With the success of the first Capcom Vs. SNK it was only a matter of
time before a sequel would appear. Well, that was two years ago, and
after making stops on the PS2 and Segas Dreamcast, Capcom Vs. SNK 2 EO
it has graced the library of Gamecube titles. Unfortunately , the
biggest flaw you will come across has nothing to do with the game's
design, but with the controller's design.
The Street
Fighter series has endured countless variations. While you will not find
every character in this installment there is a very good chance your
favorite does make an appearance. Of course you will find Ryu and Ken as
they have become the quintessential characters for Street Fighter. On
the other side of the fence are characters you might not recognize, but
they are very solid characters in their own right. There are over forty
characters to choose from. Each character has strengths and weaknesses
to match your style of fighting.
Capcom Vs.
SNK 2 EO has the ability not only to match a character to your fighting
style, but how the character performs and plays, via the implementation
of the grove style. The different groves are: C, A, K, P, S, and N
grooves. The C-groove is super combo level gauge system. The character's
gauge will build up as players attack, and depending on the how high the
levels are, the more super combo's players will perform. A-groove is the
custom combo gauge system; it builds up as players attack. Players can
use a level 1 super combo by only having 50% of the gauge full. With
this system, players can perform custom combos they made with ease.
K-groove is the rage system. The gauge will fill up as players attack or
just defend the game. When it is maxed out, players can perform a MAX
super move. The P-groove mode is the super combo system; when the gauge
is full, players can perform a level 3 super move. S-groove is the
groove gauge system. Holding the HP and HK buttons will charge the
groove gage. When it is maxed out, players can use many different super
moves. Finally the N-groove is the advanced power gauge system. When the
gauge is full, players can use one super special move. Once it is all
the way powered up, they can perform a MAX super move
A new
addition to the series is the ability to perform the special moves with
a simple flick of the c-stick. While it helps a little, it still cannot
mask the odor of the crappy control setup. The new setup is called the
GC-ism. This is a control scheme best suited for players who do not know
how to play fighting games. It almost levels the playing field for a
cheap AI that can pull of any charge move without the need to hold back
for two seconds; now the stick does it all. Purist will hate this mode,
because it waters down the experience of playing the game.
Capcom Vs.
SNK 2 EO can be played in the following modes: Arcade, Survival,
Training, Verses. Arcade is where one to two players fight against CPU
players to advance in the game story. Survival mode is a one-player
mode, where players fight hordes of enemies, seeing how long they can
last. Training mode lets players become familiar with the game, practice
super moves, and creates their own combos. Verses mode is what the game
is all about. It is where you and a friend will fight it out to see who
the best is!
If youre
feeling nostalgic, use the Replay mode. This mode lets players watch
replies of previous fights. You will not only be able to gloat now, but
have the evidence to back it up. Dont like the colors of your
combatant? Feel free to turn them green using the Color Edit mode. This
will let players modify the sprites that comprise each different
character color, allowing them to fit your own preferences.
Considering
that technology has been improved since this game was in a stand up
arcade cabinet, it should be no surprise that it is a faithful
conversion in both graphics and sound. While it is true that Capcom Vs.
SNK 2 EO is a two dimensional fighting game there are still some
polygons to be found. They are found in the background comprising the
scenery. The fighters themselves are composed of sprites moving at very
acceptable speeds. Colors are bright and vivid that can be used to your
advantage by creating a very bright color scheme to distract your human
adversary. While it is a perfect conversion, it is a conversion of
outdated technology.
Capcom Vs.
SNK 2 EO does everything that is expected of it and gives one final bow
to characters from a dead company. With plenty of characters to choose
from and various ways to play, it should have a higher ranking. The
reason it doesnt though is due to the poor setup of the Gamecube
controller for fighting games--especially ones that rely on the use of
the tiny D pad. So, it cant be too surprising that there are really not
many GC games in this genre. If possible, play it on one of the many
consoles it is already on. If you have no other alternative, find a
controller that will lend itself more to a fighting game and enjoy this
game as it should be.