Dreamcast Capcom Fighting Collection

1-2 Players

Standard controller, Arcade Stick

VGA box

In honor of Revive DC's impressive 100^th releaserun, the group is at it once again, making an attempt to outdo themselves withan offering that can only be found within the ambitious efforts of RDC. 'CapcomVs. SNK Millennium Collection' chronicles Capcom's entire legacy of one of the industry'smost monumental crossovers. On this disc you'll find the likes of Capcom Vs.SNK Millennium Fight 2000, Capcom Vs. SNK PRO and Capcom Vs. SNK 2 MillionaireFighting 2001 as well as few little extras thrown in for your enjoyment. Consideringthat Comrade Snarky and I have already reviewed each of these gamesindividually thru their respective RDC release, I will attempt to shedadditional info to the games provided on this collection to the best of my ability.

Gameplay

The CVS series was an attempt to fill the void of theexhausted Street Fighter Alpha series which was making its rounds in the arcadeindustry prior to the release of the CVS franchise. CVS1 as a whole seems tohave a very clear cut, old school approach to gameplay. At its core, thefighting mechanics in this first installment are very barebones and limited inscope to what many became accustomed to in the Alpha series and the Marvel Vs.series. This intentional approach to fighting provided many with a return tobasics of fundamentals of the genre, giving it that real nostalgic feel hearkening to fighting games of the early 90's (gotta love that intentional slowdownas fireballs hit their foes!). CVS1 also appears to take cues from bothcompany rulebooks, opting for an SNK button layout and an emphasis on KOF teamstructure as oppose to Capcom's 1on1 or tag team battles, all the while addingsome rather interesting features for the tried and true genre. The seriestrademark 'Ratio' system was added to compliment team based battles with someadded strategy while providing balance. The 30 plus roster is divided into 4categories: Ratio 1, 2, 3, and 4. Higher the ratio the stronger the fighter.The kicker here is that a player has a maximum of only 4 Ratio points to builda team as they see fit. While very restrictive in allowing players the freedomof creating their own teams, it certainly calls for interesting decision makingand promotes having to learn new characters that perhaps you would never havebothered to if it were not for the constraints of the Ratio system. All thesefeatures mentioned are also directly applicable to its successor CVS PRO! Lessof a sequel and more of a minor upgrade, PRO is a very minor attempt to furthertweak and balance its predecessors shortcomings. Alas it fails to achieve itsgoals. The only worthwhile additions made to PRO were the inclusion of DanHibiki and Joe Higashi which by default are thrown into the Ratio 1 category.With the true sequel, CVS2 took a different approach to just about everyfeature introduced by the first game. The 4 button layout was thrown out infavor of the more traditional Capcom 6. The games Groove system was greatlyexpanded with 4 additional grooves which allow you to play in styles similar toother popular fighting titles offered by both companies. The controversialRatio system of old was replaced with a 'Free Ratio' system allowing players todistribute those 4 Ratio points into teams of 3, 2 or just one character. Allthese additions and changes (as well as an expanded roster) give CVS2 a more upto date approach of the mechanics of the game and provide much broaderpossibilities than what its prequel could ever offer.

Storyline

The supposed legend behind the creation of such a dreammatch was due to a popular Japanese video game magazine which was reviewing atthe time SNK's superlative KOF 98 release and Capcom's ambitious Street FighterZero 3. The publication sported on their front page 'King Of Fighters Vs.Street Fighter' in an attempt to pit each respective publisher's offeringagainst the other in the market. It appears that many readers misinterpretedthe magazine header for an actual game which created an uproar of positivereaction among fans everywhere. After witnessing the fan clamor, both Capcomand SNK made a deal which then led to the creation of a handful of titlespitting both companies' mascots against each other.

Graphics

All CVS games where developed under the SEGA Naomi hardwaretech which led to an assured port on the Dreamcast platform in an effortlessarcade to home translation. CVS1 and PRO sport amazing pre rendered backgrounds with some amazing lighting and dynamic effects. All backgrounds arecomplimented with real cool intro sequences that are reminiscent of SNK's priorefforts in their past games. The game also sports some real cool monitor andarrow motifs that really elevate the crossover dream match it envelopsthroughout the presentation! CVS2 feels slightly less ostentatious in this regard over its prequel but by no means a slouch in any respect. CVS2has a more tournament gathering presentation going for it alongside a newsbroadcast theme. All backgrounds are redone and put the NAOMI hardware to gooduse by creating battlegrounds with 3D polygons. While they look nice enough,they appear to visually hurt the character sprites more than the formerbackgrounds that used a different graphical technique in their creation. Whileon the topic, the 2D characters sprites are a real mix of good and bad. Theentire SNK cast has been beautifully redone from the ground up while the same cannotbe said for a majority of the Capcom roster. For the best graphical results Iwould suggest an S-video connection to retro CRT TV or the purchase of a VGAadapter if you plan to play on at modern TV set or monitor! These games may notlooks as gorgeous as say Guilty Gear X, but they still manage to look goodenough thanks to some cool looking effects and 640x480 res backgrounds!

Sound

CVS series rocks out it this area and hits all the rightnotes for those that can appreciate the musical genres that are represented inthis series! I implore fans of video game music to listen in on some of thetracks for these games via the options menu. You are sure to find some realcatchy and downright awesome tunes! Audio effects also impress. Characterspeech and dialogue is spot on and everything sounds great thanks in part tothe hardware's modest audio capabilities.

Conclusion

The final part which deserves some mention are the extrasthat are packed into this collection. Much like RDC's previous compilation,this one also offers some kick ass knowledge for all you young grasshoppers ofthe genre. All titles contain acceptable 'How to Play' tutorials and 'CommandLists' although the latter can be also accessed through each respective gamevia pause screen. Last but not least this dream collection also contains themuch useful (and thankfully translated) 'Capcom Taisen Fan disc' which was given out in Japan for those whopreordered CVS2 for the Dreamcast. In this disc you'll find some real coolcharacter artwork galleries, VMU save files of some really sweet high calibermatches among Asia's best 'during CVS2s early days' and most importantly, unlockablesave content files for nearly every Capcom JPN release on the Dreamcast withexception of Capcom/Psykyo collaborations, Resident Evil titles and a few otherofferings that appeared on the platform before this fan disc was originally conceived. Regardlessof the fact that these are save files for JPN Capcom releases, a few of themare cross compatible with their respective US versions! Here a convenient listof those games:

Power Stone 2

SF3 Third Strike

Marvel Vs Capcom

Jojo's Bizarre Adventure (use FMS version save and neveroverwrite!)

In honor of Revive DC's impressive 100^th releaserun, the group is at it once again, making an attempt to outdo themselves withan offering that can only be found within the ambitious efforts of RDC. 'CapcomVs. SNK Millennium Collection' chronicles Capcom's entire legacy of one of the industry'smost monumental crossovers. On this disc you'll find the likes of Capcom Vs.SNK Millennium Fight 2000, Capcom Vs. SNK PRO and Capcom Vs. SNK 2 MillionaireFighting 2001 as well as few little extras thrown in for your enjoyment. Consideringthat Comrade Snarky and I have already reviewed each of these gamesindividually thru their respective RDC release, I will attempt to shedadditional info to the games provided on this collection to the best of my ability.

Gameplay

The CVS series was an attempt to fill the void of theexhausted Street Fighter Alpha series which was making its rounds in the arcadeindustry prior to the release of the CVS franchise. CVS1 as a whole seems tohave a very clear cut, old school approach to gameplay. At its core, thefighting mechanics in this first installment are very barebones and limited inscope to what many became accustomed to in the Alpha series and the Marvel Vs.series. This intentional approach to fighting provided many with a return tobasics of fundamentals of the genre, giving it that real nostalgic feel hearkening to fighting games of the early 90's (gotta love that intentional slowdownas fireballs hit their foes!). CVS1 also appears to take cues from bothcompany rulebooks, opting for an SNK button layout and an emphasis on KOF teamstructure as oppose to Capcom's 1on1 or tag team battles, all the while addingsome rather interesting features for the tried and true genre. The seriestrademark 'Ratio' system was added to compliment team based battles with someadded strategy while providing balance. The 30 plus roster is divided into 4categories: Ratio 1, 2, 3, and 4. Higher the ratio the stronger the fighter.The kicker here is that a player has a maximum of only 4 Ratio points to builda team as they see fit. While very restrictive in allowing players the freedomof creating their own teams, it certainly calls for interesting decision makingand promotes having to learn new characters that perhaps you would never havebothered to if it were not for the constraints of the Ratio system. All thesefeatures mentioned are also directly applicable to its successor CVS PRO! Lessof a sequel and more of a minor upgrade, PRO is a very minor attempt to furthertweak and balance its predecessors shortcomings. Alas it fails to achieve itsgoals. The only worthwhile additions made to PRO were the inclusion of DanHibiki and Joe Higashi which by default are thrown into the Ratio 1 category.With the true sequel, CVS2 took a different approach to just about everyfeature introduced by the first game. The 4 button layout was thrown out infavor of the more traditional Capcom 6. The games Groove system was greatlyexpanded with 4 additional grooves which allow you to play in styles similar toother popular fighting titles offered by both companies. The controversialRatio system of old was replaced with a 'Free Ratio' system allowing players todistribute those 4 Ratio points into teams of 3, 2 or just one character. Allthese additions and changes (as well as an expanded roster) give CVS2 a more upto date approach of the mechanics of the game and provide much broaderpossibilities than what its prequel could ever offer.

Storyline

The supposed legend behind the creation of such a dreammatch was due to a popular Japanese video game magazine which was reviewing atthe time SNK's superlative KOF 98 release and Capcom's ambitious Street FighterZero 3. The publication sported on their front page 'King Of Fighters Vs.Street Fighter' in an attempt to pit each respective publisher's offeringagainst the other in the market. It appears that many readers misinterpretedthe magazine header for an actual game which created an uproar of positivereaction among fans everywhere. After witnessing the fan clamor, both Capcomand SNK made a deal which then led to the creation of a handful of titlespitting both companies' mascots against each other.

Graphics

All CVS games where developed under the SEGA Naomi hardwaretech which led to an assured port on the Dreamcast platform in an effortlessarcade to home translation. CVS1 and PRO sport amazing pre rendered backgrounds with some amazing lighting and dynamic effects. All backgrounds arecomplimented with real cool intro sequences that are reminiscent of SNK's priorefforts in their past games. The game also sports some real cool monitor andarrow motifs that really elevate the crossover dream match it envelopsthroughout the presentation! CVS2 feels slightly less ostentatious in this regard over its prequel but by no means a slouch in any respect. CVS2has a more tournament gathering presentation going for it alongside a newsbroadcast theme. All backgrounds are redone and put the NAOMI hardware to gooduse by creating battlegrounds with 3D polygons. While they look nice enough,they appear to visually hurt the character sprites more than the formerbackgrounds that used a different graphical technique in their creation. Whileon the topic, the 2D characters sprites are a real mix of good and bad. Theentire SNK cast has been beautifully redone from the ground up while the same cannotbe said for a majority of the Capcom roster. For the best graphical results Iwould suggest an S-video connection to retro CRT TV or the purchase of a VGAadapter if you plan to play on at modern TV set or monitor! These games may notlooks as gorgeous as say Guilty Gear X, but they still manage to look goodenough thanks to some cool looking effects and 640x480 res backgrounds!

Sound

CVS series rocks out it this area and hits all the rightnotes for those that can appreciate the musical genres that are represented inthis series! I implore fans of video game music to listen in on some of thetracks for these games via the options menu. You are sure to find some realcatchy and downright awesome tunes! Audio effects also impress. Characterspeech and dialogue is spot on and everything sounds great thanks in part tothe hardware's modest audio capabilities.

Conclusion

The final part which deserves some mention are the extrasthat are packed into this collection. Much like RDC's previous compilation,this one also offers some kick ass knowledge for all you young grasshoppers ofthe genre. All titles contain acceptable 'How to Play' tutorials and 'CommandLists' although the latter can be also accessed through each respective gamevia pause screen. Last but not least this dream collection also contains themuch useful (and thankfully translated) 'Capcom Taisen Fan disc' which was given out in Japan for those whopreordered CVS2 for the Dreamcast. In this disc you'll find some real coolcharacter artwork galleries, VMU save files of some really sweet high calibermatches among Asia's best 'during CVS2s early days' and most importantly, unlockablesave content files for nearly every Capcom JPN release on the Dreamcast withexception of Capcom/Psykyo collaborations, Resident Evil titles and a few otherofferings that appeared on the platform before this fan disc was originally conceived. Regardlessof the fact that these are save files for JPN Capcom releases, a few of themare cross compatible with their respective US versions! Here a convenient listof those games:

Power Stone 2

SF3 Third Strike

Marvel Vs Capcom

Jojo's Bizarre Adventure (use FMS version save and neveroverwrite!)