At last! 2D fighting on the GameCube! Capcom vs. SNK 2: EO combines many elements of Capcom and SNK's classic fighting games and packs them into a solid piece of quality gaming.
Here's the basic scoop on the gameplay; there are 48 characters available to put together on a team. There's "ratio" style teaming, 3-on-3 King of Fighters style, and classic single character 2-of-3 rounds. After that, a player can choose one of six "grooves" for their team, each of which has the feel of a good ol' Capcom or SNK fighter and has its own features and unique way of powering and activating super moves. You can even create your own grooves, once the feature is unlocked! Great fun can be had by tweaking out a custom feel for, say, a rushdown team, or for setting up diabolical little tricks to play with.
On the single-player side of things, better endings (and unlocking the extra uber-bosses) can be earned with "Groove Points" - a lovely score ranking based on smooth moves performed while climbing up the ladder. There's also a pretty darn tough survival mode. Also in the neighborhood of fun features, there's a mode that lets you create custom colors for your fighters, and another where you can playback recorded matches. There's the usual training mode -- this one has handy features like recording moves and having the computer perform them so you can practice parrying or countering them.
Capcom vs. SNK 2 still uses the good ol' low-res sprites, some of which date back to approximately the Bronze Age.
"Oh boo hoo hoo, why can't they use high-res sprites? Or at least redraw Morrigan, the pixilation queen? Capcom hates the fans!"
Now, seriously, most of the sprites are fine and well animated, especially the new ones. All of the SNK sprites and newer Capcom ones look fantastic. So what if a couple are as old and tired as, "all your base"? Er, wait, don't answer that.
Also included are spiffy 3D backgrounds where you might find the unsung hero of the game, Johnny Beer. Each arena has fabulous background effects -- you might spot other Capcom and SNK characters hanging out, or see huge changes in the area as the match progresses. Cars hitting sand dunes and flying overhead, or a ship plowing into an iceberg makes for some excellent background distraction.
The soundtrack is quite nifty and sure to please. Many of the songs are a variation of the same theme, each with orchestrated, techno, or even rap styles. As a bonus, there are some 'extra' tracks playable on the training arena or in the sound test. They are the same extra tracks that were in Capcom vs. SNK 1. Sadly, the original Capcom vs. SNK tracks weren't included.
As an aside, the characters have a lot to say, sometimes in tragically funny accents. The most spectacular of which is Guile's murmurs of "race barrel" and "eye-e pressed."
As for actually controlling the game, well, that is what sets the GameCube version apart. There's "AC-ism," where one can try, possibly in vain, to set up arcade style control. And then, there's "GC-ism." All of a character's super moves are bound to movements of the C-stick in various directions. Kicks and punches of all strengths are attached to the L and R buttons, and the strength of the move depends on how quickly L and R are pressed down. Rolls, dodges, and charge-ups are bound to the face buttons. This also has auto-block.
There are more implications to using GC-ism than one might initially suspect. Consider, for example:
- Miss a parry or just-defend? No biggie, auto-block is on!
- Characters like Guile and Vega don't need to "charge" their attacks - and Zangief can parry or walk up into a Final Atomic Buster with one tap of the stick
- Instant and repeatable special moves can give A-groove custom combos frightening new possibilities
- It's very hard to use just the right strength for a regular poke or hit
Can a person manage on a GameCube controller? Probably, if they could do Street Fighter II on a SNES controller back in the day. An arcade stick is likely the best option, though, and this game is the best reason to get one for the GameCube.
There's one more minor change to Capcom vs. SNK 2 EO that perhaps only experts would be interested in knowing. The "roll cancel" glitch has been removed. This could be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on what you're used to.
Overall, CVS2:EO is a very solid 2D fighter, and, well, heck, it's the only one on the GameCube, for now. It's a great buy if you haven't already snagged it for another system. 48 characters and 6 grooves should last a person quite a while.