Capcom vs. SNK 2

Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001, known in Japan as Capcom vs. SNK 2: Millionaire Fighting 2001 (カプコン バーサス エス・エヌ・ケイ 2 ミリオネア ファイティング 2001), is the sequel to the fighting game Capcom vs. SNK. It was originally released on NAOMI hardware in arcades. As in the original, players select a team of fighters from various Capcom and SNK games then fight other teams, winning each battle by defeating all the opponents from the other team.

Aspects of the first game were tweaked, including the Ratio system. In contrast to the fixed system of the original, players can now freely select characters and assign each of them a number from one to four (or "Ratio") determining their relative strength, adding up to a maximum team ratio of four. Teams can now consist of a maximum of three characters, as opposed to four in the first game. Additional characters were added, including more characters from Capcom and SNK titles outside of the Street Fighter and King of Fighters series, for a total of 48. The Groove system from Millennium Fight 2000 has been augmented to include four new systems of play based on various Capcom and SNK fighting games. In addition, the number of buttons has been increased from the Neo Geo standard of four to the six button system first seen in Capcom's Street Fighter.

The game was initially ported to the Sega Dreamcast, followed by a version for the PlayStation 2. The Nintendo GameCube and Xbox received an updated version titled Capcom vs. SNK 2 EO, with the "EO" referring to "Easy Operation", a game option intended for novices to the game. The PS2 version was later released on PlayStation Network in July 2013.

Gameplay
Capcom vs. SNK 2 combines characters and gameplay elements from various Capcom and SNK fighting games, mainly the Street Fighter and The King of Fighters series. Other elements, most noticeably different fighting styles, incorporated elements from other games as well, such as Street Fighter III, Garou: Mark of the Wolves, and the Samurai Showdown series.

In contrast to the original Capcom vs. SNK, characters no longer have a specific "Ratio." Instead the player can select up to three characters in a team and give an amount or ratio (up to four) to each as desired. Strength are altered accordingly based on the number of players. For example, a team of three fighters will be weaker and have less individual health than a one-man team. Rounds are fought one against one, with the winner being the first to defeat his opponent's team. In console versions of the game, players in Arcade Mode can also choose a 3-on-3 game or a 1-on-1 game with the Ratio System removed.

Unlike the first game, which was based on a King of Fighters-style two-strength, four-button system of punches and kicks, Capcom vs. SNK 2 is based on the three-strength, six-button system of punches and kicks native to the Street Fighter series, and the SNK characters have been tweaked to fit the six-button style. The overall system is derivative of Street Fighter Alpha. However, a number of different fighting styles called 'Grooves', which mimic other Capcom and SNK games, are included in the engine. These dictate both the character's Super Gauge system, and special techniques, such as dashes, running, and guard cancels, called "Subsystems." There are six in total, each designated with a letter, along with custom grooves that can be programmed in home versions of the game. Each player designates prior to the match which groove his or her team will use.

Capcom side
Characters are listed in alphabetical order, along with the corresponding game they debuted in


 * Akuma (Gouki in Japan) - Super Street Fighter II Turbo
 * Balrog (M.Bison in Japan) - Street Fighter II
 * Blanka - Street Fighter II
 * Cammy - Super Street Fighter II
 * Chun-Li - Street Fighter II
 * Dan Hibiki - Street Fighter Alpha
 * Dhalsim - Street Fighter II
 * Eagle - Street Fighter
 * Edmond Honda - Street Fighter II
 * Guile - Street Fighter II
 * Ken Masters - Street Fighter
 * Kyosuke Kagami - Rival Schools (Batsu Ichimonji and Hinata Wakaba also appear as summonable characters in one of Kyosuke's super combos)
 * M. Bison (Vega in Japan) - Street Fighter
 * Maki - Final Fight 2
 * Morrigan Aensland - Darkstalkers
 * Rolento Schugerg - Final Fight
 * Evil Ryu (console only) - Street Fighter Alpha 2
 * Ryu - Street Fighter
 * Sagat - Street Fighter
 * Sakura - Street Fighter Alpha 2
 * Vega (Balrog in Japan) - Street Fighter II
 * Yun - Street Fighter III (Yang also appears as a summonable character in some of Yun's special moves and super combos)
 * Zangief - Street Fighter II
 * Shin Akuma (Shin Gouki in Japan) - Street Fighter Alpha 2

SNK side

 * Athena Asamiya - Psycho Soldier
 * Benimaru Nikaido - The King of Fighters '94
 * Chang Koehan and Choi Bounge - The King of Fighters '94
 * Geese Howard - Fatal Fury
 * Haohmaru - Samurai Shodown
 * Iori Yagami - The King of Fighters '95
 * Orochi Iori (console only) - The King of Fighters '97
 * Joe Higashi - Fatal Fury
 * Kim Kaphwan - Fatal Fury 2
 * King - Art of Fighting
 * Kyo Kusanagi - The King of Fighters '94
 * Hibiki Takane - The Last Blade 2
 * Mai Shiranui - Fatal Fury 2
 * Nakoruru - Samurai Shodown
 * Raiden - Fatal Fury
 * Rock Howard - Garou: Mark of the Wolves
 * Rugal Bernstein - The King of Fighters '94
 * Ryo Sakazaki - Art of Fighting
 * Ryuhaku Todoh - Art of Fighting
 * Ryuji Yamazaki - Fatal Fury 3
 * Terry Bogard - Fatal Fury
 * Vice - The King of Fighters '96
 * Yuri Sakazaki - Art of Fighting 2
 * Ultimate Rugal (God Rugal in Japan) - (Ultimate Rugal is an original character made only for this game.)

Development and release
Because Capcom vs. SNK 2 features a roster composed of characters from numerous games and hardware eras, the appearances of several of Capcom's characters have been considered substandard in comparison to the newly drawn SNK characters. Instead of choosing to redraw its characters, Capcom took the approach of reusing old character sprites from previous games and inserting them in among the other characters. The result created a significant disparity, particularly in the case of characters like Morrigan Aensland, whose sprite from the Darkstalkers games appears lacking in detail when compared to Capcom's newly drawn characters, such as Maki, Eagle, Ryu, Ken, and M. Bison. This has led to criticism of Capcom's art department. Just like the first game, the Dreamcast release of Capcom Vs. SNK 2 also links up to the Neo Geo Pocket Color and SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters Clash using the Neo Geo Pocket Color link cable. Doing so will enable the player to unlock all the secrets on the Dreamcast game.

Capcom vs. SNK 2 EO
Capcom vs. SNK 2 EO is the same game but with minor changes in gameplay and the inclusion of an EO ("Easy Operation") system that allows the player to perform specific attacks by simply moving the right analog stick in a certain direction. Like all other home versions of the game, CvS2: EO also contains four bonus characters: Evil Ryu, Orochi Iori, Shin Akuma (Shin Gouki in Japan), and Ultimate Rugal (God Rugal in Japan), powered-up versions of four regular characters. Shin Akuma and Ultimate Rugal are the boss fighters, and display tactics typical of bosses from SNK Playmore's fighting games. However, the damage taken by Shin Akuma and Ultimate Rugal is increased to balance their above-average speed and special attacks.

Before selecting a team, the game offers a selection of "Grooves", which change the way the game is played, as well as "AC-ism" or "GC-ism" Grooves; GC-ism simplifies the control scheme, originally designed for the GameCube gamepad. In the Xbox version it is called EO-ism. Capcom vs. SNK 2 EO also removed the Roll Cancel glitch that was in the original versions. In addition, the Xbox version of CvS2: EO also included online play for up to two players on Xbox Live as well as progressive-scan (480p) support, which was noticeably absent in the PlayStation 2 version.

Reviews
The PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions of Capcom vs. SNK 2 received "favorable" reviews, while the GameCube version received "average" reviews, according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. While the game is virtually identical across all four consoles, the GameCube version received lower review scores due to the native control scheme of the GameCube controller, not designed for traditional fighting games. AllGame gave the PS2 version a score of three stars out of five, saying, "Those who haven't played a fighting game in a long time might also be impressed, but the weak visuals will be a major turnoff for the average gamer." In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of 35 out of 40 for the Dreamcast and PS2 versions, and 31 out of 40 for the GameCube version.

In 2010, Marissa Meli of UGO.com listed Capcom vs. SNK 2 among the top 25 fighting games of all time. In 2011, Peter Rubin of Complex ranked it as the 11th best fighting game of all time. In 2012, Lucas Sullivan of GamesRadar included it among the little-known classic fighting games that deserve HD remakes, adding that "every fighting game fan needs to play CvS2 at least once". Rich Knight and Gus Turner of Complex ranked it as the fourth best 2D fighting game of all time in 2013.