Just like Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Street Fighter Anniversary Collection, and Guilty Gear X2 #Reload before it, the best console version of Capcom vs. SNK 2 is found on the Xbox. It is a shame we don’t have more original exclusive 2D fighters for Xbox, but the great lineup of older titles we can experience is pretty darn impressive. Capcom vs. SNK 2 is among the best 2D fighters ever and is yet another great title fighting fans need to have in their collection.
Huge Cast of Characters
Capcom vs. SNK 2 EO pits the formidable characters of Capcom’s games against the equally impressive roster of SNK. There are over 40 characters in the game taken from the various Street Fighter series, Darkstalkers, King of Fighters, Samurai Showdown, Fatal Fury, and more. The game uses the Capcom style of controls (six button rather than SNK’s four) and overall feels more like Street Fighter than King of Fighters. This is a good thing for Capcom fans that have always wanted to use SNK’s great cast of characters but couldn’t quite get their heads around the King of Fighters style of play. The cast is large and varied and contains all of the fan favorites (Ryu, Ken, Chun Li, Akuma, Bison, etc. from Street Fighter along with Joe, Mai, and Terry from King of Fighters) but there are some notable omissions from both rosters that hurt the games overall appeal. There are still a lot of really great characters, but it could have been better.
Gameplay
Where Capcom vs. SNK 2 EO stands out is the gameplay. Before I go into too much detail, that little “EO” at the end of the title stands for “Easy Operation”. In EO mode all of the special moves are mapped to the right control stick so all you have to do is wag the stick around to perform a lot of flashy moves. This mode is for losers and noobies who shouldn’t bother with games like this. Thankfully, there is also a standard control mode. It uses the six button layout that Capcom favors and it controls brilliantly whether with a standard controller or a stick (which I recommend). You can play in single matches and 3 vs 3 team matches (no tagging, though).
What sets CvsS2 apart is that it uses different “Grooves” that you choose when you pick your characters. There are six grooves to choose from and they are meant to resemble the styles from previous Capcom and SNK games. They affect how your super meter builds up, whether or not you can parry ala Street Fighter III, your movement, and your recovery speed among other things. You can find the right groove that fits the way you play which makes the game even more enjoyable.
Overall Feel
The overall feel of CvsS2 is very much like a Street Fighter game. The pace is pretty much perfect – not too slow but not insanely fast and over the top like Marvel vs. Capcom 2 – so it works well for the different characters and styles that are available. One really nice aspect of the game is that the way the super combo system works creates a lot of drama. Supers are the key to victory and building up the meter and then unleashing them at just the right time adds a lot of strategy to the experience. It is a thinking man’s fighter and there is something really appealing about that.
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