SNK vs Capcom: SVC Chaos

Putting SNK and Capcom characters into the same fighting game has been done before, but this is SNK’s first attempt at it and the results aren’t stellar. It isn’t so much that SVC Chaos is a bad game, but more the fact that the other 2D fighters on Xbox are so much better. Serious balance issues, poor presentation, and a sloppy feel all work against SVC Chaos.

That Little Extra Something ...

The great 2D fighting games all have a certain pace and feel that make them really stand out from the crowd. Games such as Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Capcom vs. SNK 2, and Guilty Gear X2: #Reload all play very smoothly and quickly and just feel right. It is hard to describe, but hardcore fighting fans know what I’m talking about. SVC Chaos simply lacks that little extra something that makes those other games work so well and the result is a game that just isn’t as fun or as satisfying to play. It also has to be noted that Capcom games and SNK games play and feel rather differently, so if you have played the King of Fighters series and couldn’t wrap your head around it because you are a lifelong Street Fighter fan, don’t expect SVC Chaos to be any different. Much like Capcom vs. SNK 2 put a Capcom spin on the SNK characters since Capcom developed it, SVC Chaos tweaks the Capcom crew to play a little bit more like SNK’s roster. That is great for SNK fans, but not so great for the Street Fighter die-hards.

Control

SVC Chaos uses the four-button control scheme of the King of Fighters series rather than Capcom’s six-button setup. You have strong and weak punches and kicks and different movements of the directional pad along with the attack buttons perform the various special moves for each character. As you fight you build up a super meter that allows you to launch even more spectacular special moves and techniques. All of this seems very standard, and it is, but it is in the execution of these typical fighting game mechanics that SVC Chaos falters.

Balance, or Lack Of

One area where SVC Chaos suffers is in the balance of the characters. All of the characters you would expect are here including Ryu, Ken, Akuma, Chun Li, Bison from Street Fighter along with Mai, Terry, and Andy from King of Fighters. There are 34 characters in SVC Chaos and the roster really does represent the best of the best in fighting game history, but they aren’t balanced. Some characters are just freakishly powerful while others are woefully weak. Also, most of the characters play very similarly to each other and there are no grappler-style fighters such as Zangief to break up the projectile-heavy special move fest.

Weak Sauce

A far more pressing issue in SVC Chaos is that the punches, kicks, and special moves lack any impact at all. It is hard to tell if you have landed a punch, missed completely, or your opponent blocked it because the game does little to distinguish these rather important aspects of combat. You expect to see or hear some kind of reaction to what you are doing onscreen, but it just doesn’t happen. When you do actually land an attack, even a powerful super move, it rarely looks or feels like you really accomplished anything. The energy bars at the top of the screen reflect this as well. I like to think I’m pretty good at fighting games – not tournament caliber, but good – and I struggled to actually KO an AI opponent within the time limit. The game simply is not very fun to play because in spite of all of your superior tactics (or button mashing) the resulting moves are neither satisfying nor effective.