Capcom vs. SNK 2: EO (GameCube) Review

This game takes form of an arcade-style 2D slugfest. Overall, there are 46 fighters to choose from (!), with 2 available to unlock. This brings it to a highly respectable second place in number of characters in a beat em up (the winner goes to Capcom vs Marvel 2, with a staggering 55 fighters). Its doubtful that you would ever get tired of this game because of the sheer number of combatants, especially in Vs mode against your friends.

No beat em up would be right if there wasn't a twist. Super Smash Bros Melee has the platforms, Tekken has the odd characters, Soul Calibur has the weapons and Dead or Alive has the women in bikinis...ahem. Anyway, back to the point. Capcom vs SNK 2 has 'grooves'. These take form in bars at the bottom of the screen. They all fill up in different ways (attacking, defending, jumping etc) and all have their own special effects (improved defence/ offence, longer combos, heightened speed etc). This is a fantastic addition to the formula. Although a bit overwhelming at first, when you get to know what each groove does (there's 6 in all) your battle tactics will be very complicated. You'll have to decide what character to use, and which groove to use that suits both yours, and your fighter's, strengths and weaknesses.

The button configuration is the low point of the game, but it isn't Capcom's fault at all, its actually the controller * shock*. Yes that's right. The seemingly perfect controller comes rather unstuck when trying to cope with the 6 button- configuration. All the buttons are used. B is light punch, A is medium punch and L is heavy punch. Y is light kick, X is medium kick and R is heavy kick. Z is used for taunting. Using the two shoulder buttons is annoying and the D-pad can be a bit difficult for pulling off special moves. This is different to the old school arcade feel that this game has around it, and I think that if you want to appreciate this game in its full glory (and have money to spare) then an arcade stick wouldn't go amiss. However this game is still good with a regular controller, but just feels a tad awkward.

So what does the EO in the title stand for? Easy Operation. This has been added to help and make a more enjoyable battle, with special moves becoming easier to pull off. When you select a fighter you'll get the choice between 'GC-ism' or 'AC-ism'. 'AC-ism' is the regular style, where you have to pull moves off in certain ways to get combos and special moves. 'GC-ism' takes that annoyance away. The B,X,Y and A now become unused. The L and R buttons now become medium attacks and you'll get a special move depending on which way you tilt you C stick. You can change between the two, and play with whichever 'ism' you feel comfortable with.

So how does it look? Very arcadey. I warn you. Do not buy this game if you're expecting lush, Soul Calibur 2-like graphics. It's very colourful and the sprites are drawn and animated very well, but it's not exactly a testimony to the GameCube's power. They look a bit pixellated a bit blocky. The still look great, but I'm just annoyed that they weren't updated a bit from the PS2 version. Think of a 2-D arcade game and that's it.