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If you are 2D fighting fan, no doubt you've spent some time with both the bad boys (and girls) of Capcom's Street Fighter and SNK's King of Fighters. Who would have ever thought this crossover game possible 10 years ago? Who would have thought it possible we'd still be playing with Geese Howard or Ryu ten years later, for that matter? That's a testament to the quality game programming that both Capcom and SNK have provided over the years. If you have ever found yourself wanting to pit the KOF's against the SF's now is your chance. This game is going to settle a lot of old arguments.
First off, this game was developed by Capcom and as I'm sure you could imagine, they had a daunting task before them. How do they take these two teams and make them compatible with each other? For the uninitiated, it would seem to be a simple matter of cut and paste. Take this character from KOF, paste him in, grab that character from SF, pasted her in etc. Well, that's not the case. Considering both games have different control schemes, different super combos, varying balances etc. the thought of bringing these two universes together, had to be handled with the utmost care and forethought.
In all there are 33 characters to choose from (28 to start). Oddly enough, Capcom went for a 4-button control scheme (which would feel at home for Marvel vs. Capcom players, but not SF purists). The missing attacks can easily be replicated, using diagonal presses, while SNK fans will be right at home. But how did they solve the Supercombo issue between the two factions? Good question. Here's the answer. At the beginning of each match, you can choose between Capcom Groove and SNK Groove. Capcom Groove works much like the 3 leveled super combos that fill up as you fight. SNK Groove allows you to build up your supercombos manually by holding down the attack buttons and charging them. SNK Groove also, features the desperation mode, which is excellent for those who know how to utilize it. Desperation Mode kicks in when your player is at the end of his life bar and allows for infinite supercombos to be tossed at your unwitting opponent. As great as that sounds, there are drawbacks to both Grooves and will require some heavy-duty experimentation on your part, as there are trade offs. If you don't like the thought of being vulnerable to attacks while charging your supermeter, don't choose SNK Groove. However if you can rise to the challenge of being down and almost out, but won't choke pulling off infinite SuperCombos, then SNK Groove might not be a bad choice. It should also be noted that some SNK character's Supermoves aren't available until Desperation Mode kicks in.
As in earlier offerings of SNK's series (and somewhat reminiscent of the Marvel vs. Capcom series) you are allowed to form teams. Each fighter is assigned a ranking based on his overall power balance, with the lower level fighters receiving a ranking of 1, while others may clock in at 2-4. You are able to fill your team up with combinations of fighters, but you are limited to a maximum of 4 Blocks (with a fighter ranking of 2, taking up two blocks etc.). Of course, your first train of thought would be to break out the heavy artillery and put in a stong-like-bull fighter, but you might be missing the boat. Going with a couple of weak-kneed girly fighters might make all of the difference, depending on Desperation Mode (if playing SNK Groove) or how powerful their Super-Combos perform. The best part about this whole play method, is that it first seems heavily off balance in respect to power distribution, but later on you can unlock the ability to modify each characters ranking. This makes up for it and allows a lot of leeway.
Graphically the game is a mixed bag, but for the most part it's in the higher end of the quality spectrum. As per SNK's presentation, each stage begins with a little animated sequence that ultimately ends up in the current battle area. That was nice to see, especially involving Capcom fighters. The backgrounds are all 2D, but colorful and well animated. Certain fighters on the other hand, seem to be almost missing frames of animation here or there, but considering how over the top SNK has become recently with their KOF series, it was probably done out of necessity.
Whether you are a Capcom compadre or an SNK supporter, you will find much to love in this ultimate 2D show down. To the gaming world, this is like pitting Mike Tyson against The Rock; a match-up you thought you'd never see, but now that it's happening, it just makes so much sense. This is a really solid game, and if you aren't overwhelmed by the options, gameplay mechanics or the change in controls, you'll be entertained for a long time to come. Highly recommended!
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