Well, well, well....this is the fighting game you've all been waiting for, Capcom vs. SNK 2. This game has so much I could write a book on it, but this is an Epinion. So, enough about that, let's talk about the game.


Characters
Ok, you'd better strap yourselves in because this game has 46, that's right, 46 characters! There are the same familiar faces from it's predecessor and also some new ones from previous Capcom and SNK games like Morrigan, Todo, Dan, Haohmaru, Eagle, Rolento, Chang and more. You can pick up to 3 characters. You can also choose which character fights first and which character you want to be the strongest out of them all (unless you only choose one character).

Sound
Personally, I don't really pay attention to the music when i'm playing. It's basically unnoticeable, yet without it, the game would be very dull. First, the sound effects are just like any fighting game. The only problem I have is the way some characters call out their moves. For example, Guile's voice is just different from what I normally hear, but it's not such a big deal. Nevertheless, this game does have some funky disco beats which keeps your heart bumping to tempo.

Graphics
The graphics are a little better than CvS (capcom vs. SNK). The characters are beautifully drawn, and they're more realistic, but there isn't much different. The backgrounds have improved though. There is more animation in this game than in CvS. The animation is similar to CvS, except there seems to be more flashes and lighting when a super is activated. One noticeable difference is that there is a lot more "shadow". When I say shadow, I don't mean a dark spot on the ground when you block the sun's rays. I mean that there's a duplicate of you that trails behind. Sometimes there are 2, 3, or more duplicates. The duplicates are translucent, and darker, yet they project the exact same movement you just performed but with an delay.
Overall, the graphics are very well drawn, very smooth and beautifully animated

Control
The biggest and most obvious change from CvS and CvS2 are the controls. In the first CvS, there were only 4 controls: light punch/kick, and hard punch/kick. Capcom has added back the medium punch/kick. As usual, the controls are perfect. If a button is pressed, an instant, accurate reaction can be observed, unless the control unit is broken. But please note, using the original PS2 controller won't be as fun because I find it difficult to play with. I highly recommend you buy an arcade joystick with 6 or more buttons. That way, it will be like having your own arcade at home. The controller that comes with PS2 is not made for this type of game, and the buttons will be awkward. With a joystick, it is easier to perform special moves like fireballs, but without getting your thumb tired. It's also easier to execute long chains of severely damaging combos.

Game-play
This one is the biggie, the reason why Capcom fighting games have been so successful. In this game, we are introduced with 6 grooves, that's correct, 6 grooves. Unlike the original CvS which only has 2 grooves: Capcom style, and SNK style. Here's a brief description of the grooves.

C-groove
C-groove is the most basic, which is the Capcom style. This groove lets you dash, air-block, counter-attack, roll, and a tactical recovery. The super meter is increased a little from every hit and there are three levels of supers. The most interesting thing about this groove is that you can cancel a level 2 super into a level 1 super, a special move or a taunt.

A-groove
This A-groove lets you do custom combos. The super meter is divided into two levels. One level is that the super meter could be used to pull off a super or counter attack. The second level when the meter is 100% full, Custom Combos can be executed. Custom combos are when there are the lighter shadows which do the exact same move you just performed, but this time, the shadows actually HIT! A-groove lets you do dashes, counter attacks, rolling and safe falling.

P-groove
The P-groove may be recognized by players from Street Fighter 3. This groove has one of the of the best abilities, parrying. Parrying is a special type of block. Usually, when a character blocks a special move, a little bit of the health bar decreases. When the character performs a parry on an attack it receives, the health bar does not decrease, thus this groove is for advanced players. An expert P-groove player is very difficult to defeat since every move in the game could be parried. This groove lets you do dashes, small jumps and tactical recovery. This groove is mainly for offensive players.

S-groove
The S-groove is the SNK style of fighting, where the super meter has be charged by holding down the Hard kick and hard punch buttons. When the meter filled up, you can execute level 1 supers. What's interesting about this groove is that when your health is low, you can execute unlimited level 1 supers. When you charge your meter while your life is low, the next level of super will be level 3. This groove enables you to run, do small jumps, counter-attacks, dodges and tactical recovery.

N-groove
The N-groove unlocks the most abilities which frees your mobility. You can run, do small jumps, counter movement, counter attacks, rolling and safe fall. An expert N-groove player can be difficult to defeat if they use these techniques effectively. The super meter is a little different from the previous ones. The meter can be charged as you attack. When the meter is filled, it is stored and you can do either a level 1 super, a counter attack, counter roll or power up for a limited time. When you power up, you do slightly more damage and your next super will be a level 3 super.

K-groove
This groove can be very deadly. This groove has the ability to do run, do small jumps and safe fall. The most beneficial aspect of this groove is the "rage gauge" for supers. Your super meter is just like any, and increases as you take damage, not inflict damage. Another tactic that increases your meter is the "just defend" tactic. When your meter is at maximum, your character will turn red. For a limited amount of time, you will do a lot more damage than you do normally. The supers executed in "rage mode" will be level 3 supers. The "just defend" tactic is like parring. The only difference is that you tap back when an attack hits you, instead of tapping forward. However, this must be done at perfect timing to be successful. If successful, your super meter and health will increase by a small mount. If this technique is mastered, than your super meter will max-out quickly and you will be in rage mode most of the time.

Choosing which groove to play with will decide how you play. Some characters are more suitable for some grooves, some not. Basically, it all depends on this style

Why this game is good?
This game is good because of it's gameplay. Sure, the music is fine, the graphics are excellent, the controls are perfect, but it's the gameplay that's the biggie. What I like about this game is the sense of individuality. You can probably argue that other games have a sense of individuality too, because you can choose different characters, different supers etc. But think about it for a second. There's 46 characters correct? And you can choose from 1 to 3 characters, that's about (for those mathematicians) 46 choose 3, plus 46 choose 2, plus 46 choose 1 ways, which is about 16261 different choices of characters. That's not all, there are 6 different grooves, so that's 16261 times 6, which is some large number. Than you can assign which character to fight first, and also which character you want to be the strongest on the team. So as you can see, there are many possible ways to fight. So even if your opponent's characters and your character's are the same, if you have different grooves, your fighting style will be totally different. Since there are so many possibilities, there's a high chance of finding the characters and groove that suit your gaming style. So it's not totally about winning or losing, it's how you play, and that's what makes this game fun!



Recommended: Yes