REVIEW:  Capcom Vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000 is the epic crossover that old-school fighting game enthusiasts of the early 90's never thought was possible... until it happened. Iconic characters from legendary Capcom & SNK fighting games finally appeared together in traditional-style arcade 2D fighter. The first CVS featured 33 playable characters and two different "Grooves," AKA super meter styles, respectively called Capcom and SNK. The Groove system allows the player to select either a Street Fighter Alpha 3-style triple bar super meter, or an Art of Fighting / KOF-style "charge" super meter. After selecting a Groove, the player's chosen character(s) will use this style of meter.

 

 

CVS introduced the 4-slot Ratio System. Each character carries a ratio — a number that represents that character's strength (and how much damage the character can dish out). Players combine their characters in the following ways to form a team: ratio 2 + ratio 2 (2-character team), ratio-1 + ratio-3 (2-character team), or 1 + 1 + 2 (a 3-character team). Basically, a super move from a ratio-2 character connected on a ratio-1 character will damage them that much more. Ratio-2 characters also have higher defense against a ratio-1 character. Overall, the ratio system was a unique element to fighting games and somewhat compelling, but was also probably the biggest downside to the game — since it obviously left out the possibility for many "dream teams". Naturally, dedicated players and long-time Capcom & SNK fans wanted to be more creative with their teams (something the sequel remedied). The ratio system itself also wasn't completely accurate in terms of actual character balance.

Capcom Vs. SNK features a 4-button layout, not unlike a typical NEOGEO fighting game. That said, Capcom players will notice their characters are missing some of their "mid" attacks (especially crouching and airborne moves) — forcing them to relearn / simplify familiar strategies and combos. However, several "important" mids are retooled to directional inputs + a punch or kick button (Example: Ryu's crouching MK is performed by inputting down-back + HK). Over on the SNK side, many KOF characters are also missing some of their more modern moves and combos from recent titles. In short, characters in CVS1 feel simplified and unfinished (a problem that was remedied in CVS2).

 

On the bright side: The graphics, sound, and overall presentation of Capcom Vs. SNK definitely "comes together" as something special. This game looks, sounds, and feels pretty great. SNK characters were completely re-drawn "Capcom style," and to be honest, most of them look far cleaner and more impressive than they ever did in KOF! Several Capcom characters like Ryu, Ken, & Bison, were re-drawn from the ground up, while some older Street Fighter Alpha sprites were copy-pasted into the game, like Chun Li, Blanka & Sagat. Certain older sprites (like Morrigan's ancient sprite from Darkstalkers) look dated, but the SFA3 sprites still look solid and aged well. The star of the show are, once again, the SNK characters... who simply look awesome and animated beautifully. This is actually some of Capcom's best sprite-work outside of SFIII: 3rd Strike and the Marvel Vs. Capcom series.

The fact CVS1 uses sprites from older games does give the game a slightly dated look at certain points, but most of the Alpha sprites still look clean and mesh well against the 100% new sprites. The new sprite for "shoto" characters is also a welcomed addition, with Ryu, Ken, and Akuma looking cleaner than ever (and some would argue they needed a shower after all these years). Overall, the 2D character sprites (especially the brand new ones) really pop against the highly-detailed stages, packed with unique visual elements and animations that give the game tons of personality! The stage introductions and various details in the background are especially nice, overlooking some of the cheaply drawn 2D characters in certain backgrounds. The bangin' soundtrack and charming robotic voice & sound effects also add a distinctive flair. CVS1 definitely had style. In retrospect, many would argue CVS1 indeed had a better visual presentation over CVS2 in some ways.

 

 
In addition to the crispy new sprites, the stage BGMs, stage intros, and the backgrounds themselves are among the most memorable aspects of the first Capcom Vs. SNK installment. (Sadly, stage intros were something the sequel, CVS2, actually lacked.) The console versions of CVS1 include the original arcade soundtrack as well as an arranged version soundtrack containing exclusive nostalgic tracks inspired from SNK and Capcom history. In my opinion, the arranged soundtrack adds even more personality to the game, featuring classic / remixed tunes from the likes of Final Fight, Fatal Fury, and Street Fighter II. Like the awesome 2D sprites of Capcom Vs. SNK, the game's soundtrack is superb and definitely was "ahead of its time"!
 
FUN FACT:  Capcom Vs. SNK 1 and Pro has a toggle for "Run" and "Dash" in the options menu of the home version. When one is turned on, the other is toggled off. This changes the "forward, forward" directional input for every character in the game, enabling them to either run forward (and continue running forward by holding forward) or perform a quick dash.

 

Page Updated: November 18th, 2024 Developer(s): Capcom Production Studio 1 Publisher(s): Capcom Designer(s): Hideaki Itsuno   Director Toyohisa Tanabe    Pixel Art Supervisor Artwork by: Kinu Nishimura, Shinkiro (The main CVS1 illustration was created in a collaboration with: Harumaru, Akiman, Bengus, Shinsuke Komaki, Ikeno, Sensei, Kinu & Shinkiro) Platform(s): Arcade, Dreamcast, PlayStation (as CVS: Pro) Release Date(s): 2000                    /   Arcade Nov. 2000         Dreamcast Characters:  Ryu, Ken Masters, Chun-Li, Guile, Dhalsim, Blanka, Zangief, Sakura Kasugano, Cammy, Balrog, E. Honda, M. Bison, Sagat, Vega, Morrigan Aensland, Akuma, Kyo Kusanagi, Benimaru Nikaido, Terry Bogard, Ryo Sakazaki, Iori Yagami, King, Yuri Sakazaki, Mai Shiranui, Raiden, Kim Kaphwan, Yamazaki, Vice, Geese Howard, Rugal Bernstein, Evil Ryu, Nakoruru, Orochi Iori Featured Video: Related Games: Capcom Vs. SNK: Pro, Capcom Vs. SNK 2, SNK Vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millennium, SNK Vs. Capcom Chaos, Rival Schools: United by Fate, Project Justice, Card Fighters Clash, Card Fighters Clash 2, Card Fighters Clash DS , Street Fighter Alpha 3, Darkstalkers 3, NeoGeo Battle Coliseum, Marvel Vs. Capcom, Marvel Vs. Capcom 2, Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom    Gameplay Engine  7.0 / 10 Story / Theme  8.0 / 10 Overall Graphics  8.5 / 10 Animation  7.5 / 10 Music / Sound Effects  9.5 / 10 Innovation  8.5 / 10 Art Direction  9.0 / 10 Customization  7.0 / 10 Options / Extras  7.0 / 10 Intro / Presentation  7.0 / 10 Replayability / Fun  6.5 / 10 "Ouch" Factor  7.5 / 10 Characters  9.0 / 10 BOTTOM LINE  8.0 / 10  Review based on Dreamcast version        Final Words: The first Capcom Vs. SNK made a huge impact upon its arrival... uniting and reuniting 2D arcade fighting game players, no matter which "side" they were on back in the 90's. FUN FACT: CVS1 was one of the first new fighting games I covered when this website first went online in the year 1999-2000, so I feel a special connection with this game as TFG's Webmaster. Furthermore, one of the first major fighting game tournaments I went to featured CVS1 and MVC2.  While CVS1 offers an especially cool and memorable visual presentation, bangin' soundtrack, neat stage intros & backgrounds, and is a clean-looking 2D fighter with bold pixels and sprites with charismatic animations... the gameplay was, ironically, the game's weakest point. Specifically, the 4-button control scheme, lack of combos, and heavily minimized movesets held the game back (when compared to some of the top modern fighting games of the era). This made for a very streamlined gameplay experience, not all that different from SNK Vs. Capcom: Match of the Millennium (the first crossover). However, that game was a 1999 handheld fighting game, so some gratis was at play for it's "simplistic" gameplay. Even so, CVS1 plays like a very straight-forward 2D fighter rewarding the most basic of fundamentals (almost similar to Samurai Shodown in that way). That's right, even Nakoruru is in this game! As history would play out, the hyped up, first-ever "arcade" installment of the epic crossover definitely needed improvement in the gameplay department... which in the long run became bland in competitive play due to the game's shortcomings. The 4-button control scheme made Capcom characters feel especially incomplete, for one. CVS1's gameplay and combo system was definitely stiff when compared to other 2D fighters of the era. Furthermore... CVS1's Ratio System, while innovative, actually hinders the overall fun, enjoyment, and replayability of the game. I actually attended a few CVS1 / MVC2 tournaments back in the year 2000 (bustling with 200+ players). One was at a place called Rocky's Replay in Orlando, FL. In short, it was far more common to see the same "Ratio 1" characters teams played repeatedly at said tournament. That means it was (unfortunately) rare to see Ratio 2 and 3 characters in tournament play (rather exciting characters that people wanted to see, mind you). In the long term, the Ratio System made CVS1's "competitive" roster seem even smaller than it was... right along with the excitement of the game. That about sums up the competitive lifespan of CVS1. A minor update to the first Capcom VS SNK titled CVS: Pro was released a short while after CVS1's original release, adding Joe Higashi & Dan Hibiki to the roster and fixing a few gameplay quirks. (It was a strangely minor upgrade, but at least proved to fans that Capcom was dedicated to this project and had more up their sleeve). Thankfully, the epic sequel (and smash hit), Capcom Vs. SNK 2, immensely improved upon the core gameplay experience and added groundbreaking gameplay customization options, making CVS2 more enjoyable to play long term. However, it's important to remember the first Capcom Vs. SNK as an important stepping stone to make CVS2 even possible, not to mention having a "cool" and stylish presentation that won't soon be forgotten! ~TFG Webmaster | @Fighters_Gen        Click Here for all Posters / Box Artwork / Etc!   Click Here for all Animated Stages!                                                                                      Click Here for all Character Artwork! Click Here for all Screenshots! FOLLOW    ON:                             TFG NEWS CHARACTERS GAMES