Publisher: Developer: ESRB Rating: Console: Genre: Capcom Capcom Teen Dreamcast Fighting - Overall: 7.5 Graphics: 8 Sound: 7.0 Gameplay: 8.5 Durability: Unspecified

It’s a miracle this game exists to begin with, although it does have its flaws. With SNK dead and many of their game franchises almost dead, (they may still be resurrected by Agetec or Capcom) chances were very slim here that there would be a console version of the game. But it happened anyway, and what a game it is with many fighters from the SNK and Capcom worlds that are all recognizable to fighting fans.
The graphics are pretty good, but a little lacking. They’re not as insane as Marvel VS Capcom 2 or as hi-resolution as Guilty Gear X. Also, some characters almost have a pasted on look, like they were cut and pasted onto the screen. If they were less stiff and moved faster and more fluently, maybe this could have been avoided. It’s not bad but it fails to impress when compared to other 2D fighters on the market, even some of Capcom’s other games.

Sound is where the game falters a little compared to just about any other game on the Dreamcast. While the fighters sound okay (the game uses some Japanese voiceovers that can get annoying), there is little to no background music. The level will usually be over by the time there is any hint of music starting, because most of the computer opponents are really weak. Get used to silent stages with the only sound being the fighters themselves, because that’s what will happen a lot.

The gameplay is where the game excels the most. While some characters (Geese and Ryu especially) are a bit overbalanced compared to the other fighters, many are either well balanced or under balanced. This makes some of the fights go by in a flash and decreases replay value a little bit. It’s weird to beat the competition easily and then get beat in thirty seconds by Ryu or Geese, because some of the characters can gain back Groove Energy (which is used to use Super Moves) at insane rates. The game is also a little slow compared to Marvel VS Capcom 2, which has characters moving very fast. Even on the Turbo setting, the game is very slow compared to many of the other games in the genre. While the story in most fighting games don’t make sense, the one in Capcom VS SNK is just plain stupid. However, the method of getting secrets is innovative and cool. You have to earn points from winning fights and buy the secrets using the points. You get a certain number of points after winning the Arcade mode, and how many you get depends on how well you did n a fight. As you use more fighters, you can buy more secrets. There are over seventy-seven secrets in all, but unfortunately a lot of them are alternate costumes and colors for the characters. This will get tedious after awhile, and many people may not feel like playing CVS long enough to get all the secrets. There is even a link to the Neo Geo Pocket version of the game, although this may not be useful to many people because that game is now nearly impossible to find.

Capcom VS SNK is a great game with a few flaws that drag it down a little bit. While there are better fighters on the Dreamcast, it is still worth a purchase considering it is relatively cheap. Support what Capcom has done and hope that they will be a little more ambitious in the future. If you don’t mind that the gameplay is quite slow compared to more recent fighters, go for Capcom VS SNK. While casual gamers may get bored fast, hardcore fighting fans will love CVS. A worthy effort, but a little lacking considering it’s from Capcom.

Review by dragonryu