SNK vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millennium

SNK vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millennium review by substance J

If there has ever been a game that would sell on its name alone, SNK vs. Capcom: Match of the Millennium is it. A few years ago, the concept would've been relegated to the rumor-filled pages of EGM, but now it is finally a 32 megabit reality on Neo Geo Pocket Color.

Graphics: A+
Each new NGPC fighting game has offered some sort of graphical improvement, such as smoother character animations, more colorful backgrounds, and so forth. Match of the Millennium continues this trend by making a bigger leap in graphic quality than ever before. The advantages of a 32 megabit cart are made obvious in this situation - Animation frames have been bumped up a notch, character art is more colorful, and the backgrounds are simply mind blowing. Not only are they more vivid than ever before, but also feature elements I never expected in an NGPC fighter - Animation and Parallax scrolling. Each stage has at least one animated element, like trees rustling in the wind of a thunderstorm (complete with lightning) in the Shadowloo stage, or the flashing neon lights of Osaka. Some stages also contain as many as 2 layers of Parallax, which looks fantastic and adds a whole new dimension to Match of the Millennium's visuals. The USA stage is one of the most impressive examples, since it uses a layer of foreground posts and a layer of mountains in the background to create a realistic sense of speed, as the train you are fighting on moves down the track.

The actual character sprites have been improved upon as well, as I mentioned above. They still lack full color shading, but animate even more smoothly than in past NGPC games (or even Playstation and Saturn games, for that matter). I'm also very happy to say that the Capcom characters made the transition to NGPC in fine form, retaining subtle trademark animations and other details. They fit perfectly with the native SNK characters, which surprised me. Their presentation certainly beats out Capcom's Super Deformation efforts, such as Gem Fighters.

Sound: B+
Match of the Millennium's sound quality is virtually the same as in past NGPC fighting games like King of Fighters R-2 and Fatal Fury, though I'm much happier with the choices that were made this time around. Not only is my all-time favorite SNK song - the Psycho Soldier theme - back in, but also all of the returning tunes have been remixed to keep them fresh. On the Capcom side of things, much like their characters, all the associated themes have been translated perfectly. Hearing Guile's song playing on my NGPC is just too cool.

Gameplay: A
Imagine taking the now standard NGPC fighting formula, packing it full of new characters, tons of options, and a generous helping of mini games. This is essentially what SNK did with the development of Match of the Millennium - they took all the best elements from past NGPC fighting games, and just kept adding to them. The core gameplay remains similar to KOF R-2, though many tweaks were made to accommodate the various characters and play styles incorporated into the game. Character balance is about as good as one could hope for. Although I don't like how some characters have been modified, (almost) everything evens out during play, so I'm happy. And rest assured, Dan sucks, just as he's supposed to. Control has also been modified, though after countless hours of play, I'm still unsure if it was for better or worse...it feels much stiffer than in past NGPC fighting games, though with practice I've been able to gain more control over my Dragon Punches lately.

The abundance of gameplay options in Match of the Millennium is very impressive...I can't even think of another fighting game (handheld or console) that offers so many features. The usual SNK-style Singles and Team modes are back, along with a fantastic new Tag mode, ala X-Men vs. Streetfighter, etc. Tag mode is presented exactly as it should be, with real time tag-ins (funny to think the little NGPC is more powerful than a Playstation) that can be made at any time to restore health and get a fresh fighter into the mix. Sadly, double attacks (where both characters attack using DMs simultaneously) are not included. Though even without them, Tag mode is a blast.

In addition to Arcade mode and its many features, there is Olympic Mode. In Olympic Mode, you compete in a series of mini games. These include common fighting game clichés like Time Attack, Fist Blast (one hit kills), or Survival Mode (which is great fun), as well as such oddities as Target 9 (where you must shoot down flying saucers from Metal Slug X), Cat Walk (a Dance Dance Revolution clone staring Felicia), Ghost Trick (Sir Arthur is back!!), and others. You are rewarded with a medal ranking for your top scores, and also with Versus Points. Once you've saved up enough Versus Points, it's time to head over to Master Mode, where you can actually purchase a new move for the character of your choice. Versus Points can also be obtained by linking Match of the Millennium with Card Fighters Clash, KOF99 DMNE and the forthcoming SNK vs. Capcom game for Dreamcast. I've tried linking my Match of the Millennium cart with Card Clash, though all I received for my 91% completion was a measly 300 Versus Points.

Overall: A
SNK vs. Capcom: Match of the Millennium, while not necessarily the definitive NGPC fighter, is a game that simply must be played by any self respecting videogame enthusiast...assuming they haven't snatched it up instantly to begin with. Match of the Millennium has its share of flaws, just as any other game. But with all the exciting additions and extras, they are greatly overshadowed. It is a groundbreaking title, in many different ways - confirming the power of the Neo Geo Pocket Color yet again, and its innovative features are a sign of what's to come in future generations of software. Oh yeah...it's really fun to play, too.