Neo Geo Pocket Color - SNK Vs Capcom: Match of the Millennium

Format
Neo Geo Pocket Color
Publisher
SNK
Developer
SNK
Country of origin
Japan
Release date
2001
Genre
1 on 1 Fighter

SNK Vs Capcom: Match of the Millennium

By Bradders
24th May 04

By: SNK

Players: 1 - 2

Supports: Link Cable

Backup: Yes

Oh god no. Another fighting game? Please no! No more, why must you torture me so?

Actually, I'm joking. Fighting games are generally my favourite kind. From the early days of the Sinclair Spectrum and Way of the Exploding Fist to the Super Nintendo and Street Fighter II and finally the PlayStation and Tekken. I like fighting games. A lot. You can usually tell a hardcore fighting game fan because their favourite game will be something by SNK. For sometime this has been troubling as SNK's games are beautifully crafted pieces of genius (if you ignore World Heroes) but only really become accessible and therefore enjoyable if you pumped exactly 10 hundred pounds into them. SNK's games have generally been ignored by the gaming masses, something Capcom have managed to avoid. Whereas SNK games are usually subtle affairs, Capcom games have degenerated (some would say, not necessarily me) into almost farcical affairs full of eye candy that the masses flock too time and time again (I refer to the "VS" series).

News that SNK and Capcom had finally joined forces to bring us a versus game was received with both joy and fear. Joy that finally the two greatest line ups of fighting characters ever could finally meet, fear that Capcom were handling the conversion to the arcade and Dreamcast. But wait?more joy?. SNK are to make a NGPC version! WOOHOO! Whether or not Capcom failed, by making it like the dreadful Marvel Vs Capcom, or succeeded, by making it like the awesome (and my personal favourite) Street Fighter Alpha 3, NGP owners were guaranteed a superb game. Palms across the world began to sweat with anticipation and thumbs began twitching at the thought of playing this awesome game. Now the game is here what's it like?

Where to begin? There is just so much. And I don't just mean a decent set of characters. I mean that there is a whole wealth of gaming to be found in that little cartridge. This game is value for money, make no mistake. It comes to pass that M.Bison and Geese Howard have joined forces. Quite why is a mystery, but when TEN HUNDRED POUNDS is offered as a reward for winning the tournament they are holding, none of the worlds greatest fighters can resist.

Well, with the story out of the way we can get to the real meat and potatoes, the game! Like I said earlier, this game is value for money! Not only are there the standard beat-em-up options, but both the Capcom and SNK style of team battles are found within, allowing you to take teams of two or three characters into battle. These manifest themselves as "Tag Mode" and "Team Mode". "Tag Mode" will be familiar to any Capcom fan, at any moment in the fight you are able to switch fighter while in the "Team Mode" three fighters are selected for battle and take turns to battle the other team. Add these modes to the single fighter mode and already there are lots of things to do and master. Sounds quite a lot? Well that ain't all folks. Also found in the main menu is something called "Olympic mode".

Olympic mode is a series of madcap events based around some of the best loved SNK and Capcom characters. At the start you choose which team you wish to represent, SNK or Capcom, and then you meet your trainer who will guide you through the Olympics. 2 of the events are just different takes on the standard fighting theme, but each team has 2 unique events. The SNK team has Blade Arts, a slash-em-up skill game starring Jubei, and Target 9, a shoot em up starring Marco from Metal Slug. Choose Capcom and your events are Ghost Trick, a platform game starring Arthur the Knight from Ghouls and Ghosts, and Cat Walk, a dancing game starring Felicia of Darkstalkers. Each of these games are extremely playable and it's possible to spend hours on each one trying to perfect your technique and beat your scores. Passing or failing these events earns you "VS" points with which you can buy super moves for all of the characters in game.

The graphics in SNK Vs Capcom are literally second to none on the NGPC. The characters, the backgrounds, the animation are all utterly, utterly brilliant. And that?s not just the fighting section either. All of the Olympic events are graphical masterpieces too. It's absolutely incredible but all of the fighters' moves and animations have been retained from their arcade counterparts. Ken sports his new thrusting roundhouse kick from Street Fighter Alpha 3 and Ryu has his new three hit Super Dragon Punch from the same game. SNK characters are a variation between new and old styles, Ryo, for instance, has his super fast punch combo move present only in the second Ryo in R-2. It's an amazing achievement. Some characters even come with new moves. Genius, but more of that later.

The sound is spot on. All the characters have their own theme tunes, which are instantly recognisable, and fans will really get off on hearing these classic pieces of gaming history. It's really worth plugging in some headphones to get the most out of the cool tunes in stereo.

But how does it play, how does it play, how does it play? AMAZINGLY. If you are a fighting game fan, get this game. If you have ALL the Neo Geo Pocket fighting games, GET THIS GAME. While being quite similar to KOF R-2 it has so, so, so much more to offer. There are a ton of characters, 8 secret characters, 4 unique and amazing mini games, secret moves and mad Easter eggs. Just gaining all the secrets is half the fun of the game. The controls are spot on, performing moves is just as easy as it ever was, making tags, taunts and charging super-bars is all available easily and is extremely responsive. It has some really cool characters; BB Hood from Darkstalkers is one of the maddest and funniest videogame characters ever. What is also great is that certain characters sport new moves so they become fresh again, which is cool.

I just can't get over what SNK have achieved with this game. It's certainly the Gran Turismo of fighting games. It?s the best fighting game I have played on any system since the very first Street Fighter II on the Super Nintendo. It has everything any fan of SNK or Capcom could want and it's all on a tiny cartridge ready for you to take anywhere you want. And if you get fed up with fighting, try dancing with Felicia or busting some alien ass in Target 9. This game will keep you going far longer than any other game released so far. Errr?GET IT, IT IS BRILLIANT! (Sorry this review was so long)

5/5

-- Bradders 24th May 04

Neo Geo Pocket Color SNK Vs Capcom: Match of the Millennium Images