SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighter's Clash review by Sashimi X

I was tempted to pick up Tsunagete Pon (or whatever it's called) for $20 and perhaps even KoF R-1 (just because I want to get the entire collection of NGPC games...), but after about 30 minutes to an hour in my local game shop, I made the decision to just go ahead and pick up S vs. C: CFC Capcom version. Come on, it would be sacrilegious if I were to abandon one of my favorite companies (well, two companies...).

First off, THE NGPC HAS SPOKEN!!! Yes, I'm yelling for a very good reason. Apparently, the NGPC *is* capable of producing voice; something I had never experienced with Metal Slug: First Mission, KoF R-2, or SNK vs. Capcom: Match of the Millenium. Anyway, you don't have a lot of voice (I've only come across 4 or so voice samples), but it's still a welcome addition to my NGPC gameplaying experience.

Graphics - Well, what else can you expect from the NGPC!? The graphics, while not being the most detailed and animated, get the job done. Where the graphics really shine are in the intro (man, you gotta love that spinning card [is that done as a 3D object or were the frames of animation pre-rendered?]) as well as the character portraits on the cards themselves; gorgeous color that makes the Pokemon blush. =D It's just a treat to look at all the cards because they've managed to capture all the spunk and attitude of the characters while remaining in the Super Deformed style. It should be noted that all the characters, cards, and art in the game have a continuous feel to them. During card battles, you're treated to attack marks (don't get too excited, damage is shown via hit marks, slashes, etc. [sort of like Final Fantasy Legend for the Gameboy]). Overall, it's not necessarily a graphic masterpiece that showcases the NGPC's graphic abilities, but it sure doesn't hurt its reputation either. =)

Sound - Well, as I mentioned before I began my "review," SNK has included some voice samples (so far I've come across four, apparent voice samples: "Card Fighters" [intro], "Ooooaaaahhh" [Resident Evil mansion], "Roar (please spare me the remarks...^_^;;;)" [Dust Dragon located in Lost World], and "???" [Joy Joy??? The place with the Choopy groupies...you'll know when you get there]). While it's not much, it's still a very important inclusion because it *does* show that the NGPC *is* capable of voice playback. Anyway, the other sounds during the game, most of which are probably background noises and the numerous attack sounds, serve their purpose and that's pretty much that. Nothing really fancy and more than likely familiar to NGPC owners everywhere. The music is pretty cool considering most of it is original (?) aside from sprinkles of Psychic Soldier and Chun Li's background music playing in the arcade.

Control - I don't think I need to go through this, especially with this game, since there are really no "twitch" (for the most part, I mean fighting games) moves you'll need to pull off during any game session with CFC. What's there is there and it works just damn fine. If you have problems, it's probably your NGPC that's broken. ;) Hehe

Gameplay - This is where the game really shines! If you're familiar with Magic: The Gathering (personal note: I'm not, but I've seen it played a few times...) or any card based game, you're more than likely to understand the objective: Collect a deck of cards to use, challenge opponents, use cards to defeat opponent's cards as well as damage the opponent themself (they have hitpoints too), win and you get more cards. Simple, right? Piece of cake, right? Well, you may want to get a cup of coffee because the first few go-arounds might cause your stress level to rise ten-fold! =D No, it's not that hard, but you *do* have to think; unlike most RPGs where fighting is pretty simple and easy. I have to be honest, when I first started my way to the Card Clash Championship, I was getting my ass whooped big time! However, after re-reading the manual, playing a few "trial" games against the computer, as well as studying the CPU's strategy, I have already begun my trip to the Card Clash Championship and I'm taking no prisoners!

Also, when you first jump into the game, if you're not too familiar with card games and you were confused by the instruction manual, don't panic. Just start the game and follow the in-game tutorial. It should get you on your way to losi...err...winning matches! =)

Overall - I love SNK and Capcom! I was eagerly anticipating this game (well, not to mention Match of the Millenium and the DC version of SNK vs. Capcom) and I am happy to report that it has not let me down. Sure, the game has a little steeper learning curve than most RPGs (I mean, I can usually jump into RPGs and begin whooping some monster butt in a relatively short time), but once you begin to learn the strategy involved and get the right mindset, you'll see that Card Fighter's Clash has more to offer than a few RPGs (in terms of the fighting and strategy...).

I would definitely recommend this game to any and all SNK / Capcom fans that also have a love, or at least interest, in card games. Those looking for an RPG type experience ala Pokemon might want to look elsewhere as this game seems rather "tourney" based (not a lot of exploring. I've reached the second map and I believe there is only one other one and when you compare them to RPGs, the CFC world is definitely smaller; a lot smaller!) instead of being based on traditional RPGs. Don't let that stop you though because once you beat an opponent, it does not necessarily mean you can easily whoop them again because the deck is shuffled and the cards you get each turn are random; though if you have a deck with 700+BP Character cards and the opponent only has 300-500BP Character cards, you may want to stop picking on Nori! =P Hehehehe