True love making isn't sex, it's playing CvS2.
Recommended by Dusty Vita on this list.
While Marvel vs. Capcom was an enchanting concoction of two disparate corners of pop culture that created a fighting game experience you couldn’t find anywhere else, Capcom vs. SNK 2 leans in the opposite direction and sets out to create the perfect mechanical marriage of the two without sacrificing any element that made them special to begin with. In fact, I’d argue that it does a more interesting job in combining the gameplay of the source material than any other crossover fighter I’ve played.
Like any good crossover, the roster is sure to satisfy basically every fan of the genre, but CVS2’s true claim to fame is it’s brilliant Groove System. By selecting one of six presets styled after Capcom and SNK respectively, the player is able to tweak the game’s feel to their liking by essentially adding and subtracting mechanics depending on the Groove. Do you like Third Strike and the exhilaration that parrying gave? Pick P-Groove! Do you yearn for MAX mode and the dizzying movement options that made King of Fighters so interesting? Try N-Groove! Are you someone like me who really enjoys the custom combo system of Street Fighter Alpha? A-Groove is the one for you. Each style also completely changes how your meter works, so in essence, you basically have 6 versions of every character in the roster that aren’t insignificantly different. With an insane number of options and even some amount of mechanical overlap between certain Grooves (for example, 3 of the 6 Grooves feature rolling as an option) There’s basically no chance the player can’t find something they’ll like.
Here’s the catch: for each team, you only get ONE Groove choice. This isn’t like MVC where each character gets their own assist that changes the composition of your team, you just get one. They could have easily opened the floodgates and let the player customize every single character to their liking, but this little restriction makes the act of building a team way more interesting to me. It’s a small yet significant way to nudge the player towards experimentation and makes the construction of each team feel meaningful. Without it, it’d be too easy to pick what feels comfortable and just assign each character a Groove that fits in with their original design.
Another small wrinkle in the team building process is the Ratio system, though this is something that works in the background compared to the immediate changes Grooves make. Before the start of the game you have the choice to customize the size of the team, with sizes ranging from 1 to 3 team members. In an effort to balance this, you’re also tasked with assigning the strength of each team member using 4 points, with each point making the character way stronger and tankier than before. As someone pretty new to the game, I can’t speak on the competitive viability of picking a small team size over a larger one, but like the Groove system, I suspect it just depends on the characters in question and the taste of the player.
The aesthetic of the game is probably the one element to the game that deserves the most “objective” scrutiny. It’s no secret that Capcom liked to reuse sprites from older arcade games for their insane crossover titles (not surprising given the size of these rosters) and while at it’s best some of the sprite styles blend together and help make the aesthetic cohesive, a lot of times it makes certain sides of the roster feel really out of place.
Outside of a few characters that clearly needed a graphical facelift, the whole vibe of the game is so cohesive that a few blemishes tend to fall by the wayside for me. Being a post-Y2K game, it’s no surprise that the whole package feels like an exercise of friendly competition more than a battle for glory. The televised tournament setting present throughout every aspect of the package ties the mood of the game together for me and calls back to the setup of The King of Fighters Tournaments present in that series very nicely.
While Capcom vs. SNK 2 is a game that admittedly doesn’t scratch all of the competitive itches I may be looking for in a fighting game, it feels so complete and confident in it’s execution that I can’t help but love everything that its going for. I think I’d go as far as to say that it's one of the best casual fighting games for this very reason. If it feels like this writeup feels more like a surface-level examination of the game’s features more than anything, it's because it nails everything a first timer would probably cling to upon trying the game, and that's why I find it so endearing.
It may not have the craziest combos of any crossover or the most consistent sprite work of the era, but it makes up for all of this by being one of the most accessible, inviting, and overall jovial packages in fighting games. It has something for everyone, and that might just be the trick to get more people into the genre I love so much. You don’t need to dumb down the mechanical breadth to appeal to a casual demographic, you just need to make a game that can make someone go “Wow, that game looks cool as hell, I should play that”.
While Marvel vs. Capcom was an enchanting concoction of two disparate corners of pop culture that created a fighting game experience you couldn’t find anywhere else, Capcom vs. SNK 2 leans in the opposite direction and sets out to create the perfect mechanical marriage of the two without sacrificing any element that made them special to begin with. In fact, I’d argue that it does a more interesting job in combining the gameplay of the source material than any other crossover fighter I’ve played.
Like any good crossover, the roster is sure to satisfy basically every fan of the genre, but CVS2’s true claim to fame is it’s brilliant Groove System. By selecting one of six presets styled after Capcom and SNK respectively, the player is able to tweak the game’s feel to their liking by essentially adding and subtracting mechanics depending on the Groove. Do you like Third Strike and the exhilaration that parrying gave? Pick P-Groove! Do you yearn for MAX mode and the dizzying movement options that made King of Fighters so interesting? Try N-Groove! Are you someone like me who really enjoys the custom combo system of Street Fighter Alpha? A-Groove is the one for you. Each style also completely changes how your meter works, so in essence, you basically have 6 versions of every character in the roster that aren’t insignificantly different. With an insane number of options and even some amount of mechanical overlap between certain Grooves (for example, 3 of the 6 Grooves feature rolling as an option) There’s basically no chance the player can’t find something they’ll like.
Here’s the catch: for each team, you only get ONE Groove choice. This isn’t like MVC where each character gets their own assist that changes the composition of your team, you just get one. They could have easily opened the floodgates and let the player customize every single character to their liking, but this little restriction makes the act of building a team way more interesting to me. It’s a small yet significant way to nudge the player towards experimentation and makes the construction of each team feel meaningful. Without it, it’d be too easy to pick what feels comfortable and just assign each character a Groove that fits in with their original design.
Another small wrinkle in the team building process is the Ratio system, though this is something that works in the background compared to the immediate changes Grooves make. Before the start of the game you have the choice to customize the size of the team, with sizes ranging from 1 to 3 team members. In an effort to balance this, you’re also tasked with assigning the strength of each team member using 4 points, with each point making the character way stronger and tankier than before. As someone pretty new to the game, I can’t speak on the competitive viability of picking a small team size over a larger one, but like the Groove system, I suspect it just depends on the characters in question and the taste of the player.
The aesthetic of the game is probably the one element to the game that deserves the most “objective” scrutiny. It’s no secret that Capcom liked to reuse sprites from older arcade games for their insane crossover titles (not surprising given the size of these rosters) and while at it’s best some of the sprite styles blend together and help make the aesthetic cohesive, a lot of times it makes certain sides of the roster feel really out of place.
Outside of a few characters that clearly needed a graphical facelift, the whole vibe of the game is so cohesive that a few blemishes tend to fall by the wayside for me. Being a post-Y2K game, it’s no surprise that the whole package feels like an exercise of friendly competition more than a battle for glory. The televised tournament setting present throughout every aspect of the package ties the mood of the game together for me and calls back to the setup of The King of Fighters Tournaments present in that series very nicely.
While Capcom vs. SNK 2 is a game that admittedly doesn’t scratch all of the competitive itches I may be looking for in a fighting game, it feels so complete and confident in it’s execution that I can’t help but love everything that its going for. I think I’d go as far as to say that it's one of the best casual fighting games for this very reason. If it feels like this writeup feels more like a surface-level examination of the game’s features more than anything, it's because it nails everything a first timer would probably cling to upon trying the game, and that's why I find it so endearing.
It may not have the craziest combos of any crossover or the most consistent sprite work of the era, but it makes up for all of this by being one of the most accessible, inviting, and overall jovial packages in fighting games. It has something for everyone, and that might just be the trick to get more people into the genre I love so much. You don’t need to dumb down the mechanical breadth to appeal to a casual demographic, you just need to make a game that can make someone go “Wow, that game looks cool as hell, I should play that”.
I'm not interested in dating or marriage but I'll change that if the announcer for this game narrates my wedding
Great! I knew that groove was in your heart! T-T-T-T-The millionaire fighting 2001 is about to begin! Hardcore fans have been eagerly anticipating this event, and now the waiting is finally over! Check your training wheels at the door, ladies and gentlemen, this is gonna be one incredible battle that won't easily be forgotten! The time has come when the new history is going to unfold. You can feel the intensity in the air as the hopes, dreams, and hearts of these warriors are about to be put to the ultimate test of skill! What they are after is the title of the WORLD'S STRONGEST!
N-N-N-N-Now, are you ready to get it on?
N-N-N-N-Now, are you ready to get it on?
"A Match Made in Heaven" if you will, Capcom took their next step in the collaboration with SNK and made a timeless classic. A massive roster of the best characters each had to offer with 6 different choices of "grooves" that can change how your super meter fills to the options you have for movement, there's never a dull moment. I don't think the gorgeous stages or the soundtrack would let you get bored anyway.
The announcer is GODLIKE
LIVE OR LET DIE
Also OST is great. "This is true love we're making"
LIVE OR LET DIE
Also OST is great. "This is true love we're making"
you actually shouldnt be allowed to make games that are this fucking good
if you play N Groove you a real one
This is true love makin' is forever engrained in my head to the point where I literally wish my next match is in London just so I can listen to this again every time
you're not getting a more complicated fighter and fanservice outside of MUGEN.
desculpa fãs de marvel vs capcom 2 mas pra mim esse jogo e meu favorito de crossover. simplismente não tem como disputar, Rooster MAGNIFICO, uma das melhores OST ja vista, Cenarios perfeitos e com muitas referencias, e gameplay com fodendo 5 estilos de luta alem de vc poder criar o seu. eu joguei TANTO, mas TANTO isso, eu passava todo dia meu horario de almoço vendo video de combo desse jogo e sempre eu ficava impressionado.
me desculpa mas esse jogo e um dos meus favoritos de todos os tempos mesmo sabendo q geral prefere MVC2.
10/10 Saudades do meu dreamcast.
me desculpa mas esse jogo e um dos meus favoritos de todos os tempos mesmo sabendo q geral prefere MVC2.
10/10 Saudades do meu dreamcast.
I'm deeply in love with Nishimura`s King art
quite possibly the closest we’ve gotten to perfection in Fighting game history.
THIS BATTLE IT'S ABOUT TO EXPLODE
FIGHT!
FIGHT!
king is so hot that i will forgive that chun isn't a charge character in this game
Capcom fans: "Oooooohh the artsyle oooooohhhh the balance of snk characters ooooohhh audio compression..."
Snk fans: "Vete a la verga, r4 Haohmaru"
Snk fans: "Vete a la verga, r4 Haohmaru"
Ken throwing Terry's hat puts a huge smile on my face. Such soul in this game
Been thinking about this game lately, and I haven't done an informal bullet-point review in a minute so lemme ramble for a bit will you? :3
-By this point, the myth of "honest footsies" ever existing in isolation has been debunked wholesale across the genre, but CvS2, particularly at the mid-level (which I would (generously) say I occupy), is far and away the most tempered, neutral-focused 2D game I can think of (aside from SamSho IG but that's cheating!!). You can point towards roll cancels and A-groove combos all you want but the vast majority of what I do here are the things that people who earnestly believe "combos are the worst part of fighting games" dream of. Couple this with the notably low damage output and the longer-than-life-itself timer per round and this game might honestly be so straight-laced that the weak-willed in the audience will be frantically checking their pockets for keys to jingle, lol.
(why this game was played in like FT5s back in the day will forever elude me, who the FUCK made that decision)
-Between the timing windows and lack of input buffer, the gulf that separates easily predictable combo situations like jump-ins and the tougher stuff like maximizing damage via normal links (1-2F links Everywhere) is So Wide that in play with any kind of stakes, you're much more likely to submit and rely on the fundamentalzz, keeping your relationship with the game in a semi-permanent "pretty good but still learning" stasis. Reminds me a lot of SFIV and newer FG fans' relationship to that game, but unlike that game there are far fewer archetypes here whose express purposes are to skip that part of the game and break it down into 50/50s or wakeup gambles. Which is good! I think!
-it's one of those things that's almost too obvious to speak to, but the fact that this game has 6 interchangeable game systems that communicate between each other and is somehow not fucked beyond repair in practice is an outrageous badge for an FG to be able to wear. There are clear lines between each one's applicability, but aside from mmmmaybe P-groove I wouldn't dissuade anyone from following their hearts if asked (and it's not even that P is bad necessarily, just much harder to excel with given that parrying, which is already hard, is correctly assumed by Capcom to be powerful enough to quarantine in its own groove).
-That said, groove choice is a substantial decision in this game with consequences, which is once again something that sounds too obvious to state but for whatever reason people are surprised that this game's meta is as messy as it is despite there being like 300 choices to make, nevermind team comp bringing this number up by several factors. I wouldn't say this game's team comp is quite as iconic and impressive as MvC, but between the groove and ratios you have a lot to chew on and IMO!! it's more enjoyable on its surface how you approach it here considering in Marvel it defines basically every choice you make going forward. FAR less strategically rewarding admittedly but being a Marvel player is a disease I have yet to contract in my lifetime so forgive me for the preference.
-CvS2 gets shit for the mismatched sprites and, yes, Morrigan's VSav look doesn't make a lick of sense here, but I think the SNK sprites that Capcom cooked up for this game and the one before it are underrated as hell. Everyone on that side of the roster looks fantastic, and the low-contrast coloring that Capcom's fighting games are known for fit SNK characters far better than the reverse seen in SvC Chaos (though I do like the look of that game in a perverse kinda way). The only aesthetic drawback this game has beyond the sprites is that the spontaneous and stylish stages from CvS1 have few equals here. But everything else clears, we love the yellow diamonds here at FM Towns Party.
-I find it hard to pin down a "favorite" fighting game, as the circumstances for liking them are so out of my hands. Like yeah, I love Tekken 3-5 dearly and always have, but unless Namco suddenly becomes very cool and implements (good) netcode into those games, I can't imagine I'm playing folks with any regularity soon. 3S is sort of a mirror reflection of that: while there are plenty things unique to 3S that grind against me as a long-form game to play, it's also trivially easy to play with people in comparison, and even in more casual settings it seems like many are enamored enough to at least take it for a spin. Outside of my newest fling SF6, which has been a miracle worker of sorts in these regards, CvS2 might be the game that threads all those needles the best.
-By this point, the myth of "honest footsies" ever existing in isolation has been debunked wholesale across the genre, but CvS2, particularly at the mid-level (which I would (generously) say I occupy), is far and away the most tempered, neutral-focused 2D game I can think of (aside from SamSho IG but that's cheating!!). You can point towards roll cancels and A-groove combos all you want but the vast majority of what I do here are the things that people who earnestly believe "combos are the worst part of fighting games" dream of. Couple this with the notably low damage output and the longer-than-life-itself timer per round and this game might honestly be so straight-laced that the weak-willed in the audience will be frantically checking their pockets for keys to jingle, lol.
(why this game was played in like FT5s back in the day will forever elude me, who the FUCK made that decision)
-Between the timing windows and lack of input buffer, the gulf that separates easily predictable combo situations like jump-ins and the tougher stuff like maximizing damage via normal links (1-2F links Everywhere) is So Wide that in play with any kind of stakes, you're much more likely to submit and rely on the fundamentalzz, keeping your relationship with the game in a semi-permanent "pretty good but still learning" stasis. Reminds me a lot of SFIV and newer FG fans' relationship to that game, but unlike that game there are far fewer archetypes here whose express purposes are to skip that part of the game and break it down into 50/50s or wakeup gambles. Which is good! I think!
-it's one of those things that's almost too obvious to speak to, but the fact that this game has 6 interchangeable game systems that communicate between each other and is somehow not fucked beyond repair in practice is an outrageous badge for an FG to be able to wear. There are clear lines between each one's applicability, but aside from mmmmaybe P-groove I wouldn't dissuade anyone from following their hearts if asked (and it's not even that P is bad necessarily, just much harder to excel with given that parrying, which is already hard, is correctly assumed by Capcom to be powerful enough to quarantine in its own groove).
-That said, groove choice is a substantial decision in this game with consequences, which is once again something that sounds too obvious to state but for whatever reason people are surprised that this game's meta is as messy as it is despite there being like 300 choices to make, nevermind team comp bringing this number up by several factors. I wouldn't say this game's team comp is quite as iconic and impressive as MvC, but between the groove and ratios you have a lot to chew on and IMO!! it's more enjoyable on its surface how you approach it here considering in Marvel it defines basically every choice you make going forward. FAR less strategically rewarding admittedly but being a Marvel player is a disease I have yet to contract in my lifetime so forgive me for the preference.
-CvS2 gets shit for the mismatched sprites and, yes, Morrigan's VSav look doesn't make a lick of sense here, but I think the SNK sprites that Capcom cooked up for this game and the one before it are underrated as hell. Everyone on that side of the roster looks fantastic, and the low-contrast coloring that Capcom's fighting games are known for fit SNK characters far better than the reverse seen in SvC Chaos (though I do like the look of that game in a perverse kinda way). The only aesthetic drawback this game has beyond the sprites is that the spontaneous and stylish stages from CvS1 have few equals here. But everything else clears, we love the yellow diamonds here at FM Towns Party.
-I find it hard to pin down a "favorite" fighting game, as the circumstances for liking them are so out of my hands. Like yeah, I love Tekken 3-5 dearly and always have, but unless Namco suddenly becomes very cool and implements (good) netcode into those games, I can't imagine I'm playing folks with any regularity soon. 3S is sort of a mirror reflection of that: while there are plenty things unique to 3S that grind against me as a long-form game to play, it's also trivially easy to play with people in comparison, and even in more casual settings it seems like many are enamored enough to at least take it for a spin. Outside of my newest fling SF6, which has been a miracle worker of sorts in these regards, CvS2 might be the game that threads all those needles the best.
This is my favorite fighting game in terms of "complete package" and the best too; it has the most epic arcade mode I've ever seen in any fighting game, and depending on your score during the fights, you get Shin Akuma / God Rugal, or Akuma base / Rugal base as the final boss in the arcade, as I said it all depends on the player's performance, if you have a high score you can fight against Geese or Bison; it has probably the best set of backgrounds + soundtrack, I really love the style of the sprites of the 2D characters with the 3D backgrounds, it's very well done, it has many game modes for a FG until today, I really enjoyed playing online on the Dreamcast , has my favorite cast of characters in any fighting game, no other has Terry Bogard, Rock Howard, Sakura, Shin Akuma, Orochi Iori, Chun-Li and Ken all in one game, with 6 Different grooves to choose from, being customizable, and the Ratio system that is awesome, if you train enough, your characters are very good, even the lowest tier, it is obvious that there are dominant characters in this game, but the case here is, with the right choice of Grooves for your character and the right Ratio for each one of them (if you're playing in that mode), in addition to the necessary dedication, you get good, very good, and you feel gratified with that because it was with your own training, intelligence and dedication that you got good at this game, whether playing with 1, 2 or 3 characters on your team, they are all totally viable, and the Grooves and Ratio system only reinforce that. Another reason for this game to be 10/10 is the Color Edit mode, I kept changing the colors of the characters a lot, one of the first memories I have in any FG, is to make the Balrog look like Dudley just by changing the colors. About other aspects of the game, this game has the most hype training OST ever, the training scenario is awesome too, the online mode is good as already said, the Survival mode was really cool, and the Replay mode was very rare to get see in FGs of the time, it was good that they implemented this tool, the feeling of running of the characters too, is something that I never felt to be managed so well in another FG before, the "feeling" of everything about this one is just very good game, down to the collision particles of the moves, supers and specials, even the announcer is spectacular, the announcer, that's what I can say, THERE IS NO MORE FUCKIN' AND ICONIC ANNOUNCER IN ANY OTHER FG IN THE UNIVERSE, take that hot take there. This is one of those very few fighting games that you actually get to play in different ways for each character you choose. This game is very nostalgic for me, it was the only FG I played with my brother and my sisters too, good memories. This game has a place in my memories, it was, is, and always will be my favorite fighting game.
Where's CvS3
Truly one of the last great fighting games to release on this system. From the announcer to the opening intro movie, everything about this game oozes style and confidence. Love the character selection and awesome backgrounds with the Rally stage being my favorite. Each sprite has so much life and character that it really draws you in the game. If you have the chance please don't hesitate to play it if you get the chance!
fun gameplay + amazing roster + great arcade mode + so many grooves holy shit + i asked + ratio + your mother
forever in the capcom vs snk 3 waiting room
Best crossover to grace the genre
what else can even be said about this game. it's the perfect sandbox for a fighting game fan. you could play this game every day for a year and still end up encountering a matchup you've never seen. it's unpredictable, insane, and terrific in every way.
Very enjoyable fighting game that still has an active, albeit small, community. Provides a little bit of everything for fans of Street Fighter and SNK games due to the character variety and "grooves" (different styles of play based on various games). Also the game has a bangin' soundtrack.
the other half star is dedicated to our good friend shingo yabuki who broke his leg before this game came out so he couldn't make it unfortunately
OMG guys it's the game JPEGMafia sampled !1!1!1!
I love this fighting game. The amount of variety in styles and characters adds so much strategy of how to approach a match. I also really like seeing all the SNK characters in Capcom's style, both visually and with 6 buttons.
One of the better Capcom soundtracks with a great announcer. The roster while great, really just looked like Street Fighter VS SNK. Yes there is Morrigan and Kyosuke but majority of the Capcom roster is basically Street Fighter. The fighting mechanics are great with the different grooves. Overall a great package for a fighting game.
Enjoyment: 6.5/8
Replayability: 0.5/1
Graphics: 0.5/0.5
Sound: 0.5/0.5
Total: 8/10
Enjoyment: 6.5/8
Replayability: 0.5/1
Graphics: 0.5/0.5
Sound: 0.5/0.5
Total: 8/10