SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos Review
When it comes to crossover action games, Capcom and its partners have never had the best of times. We got Street Fighter X Tekken, but Tekken never gave us anything back. Also, Marvel and Tatsunoko aren’t game makers, so there was no return trip there either. As you might expect, we’re building up to saying that SNK and Capcom were in the same situation. However, that’s not true, though we totally get why you might think that.
The Capcom vs. SNK series is an oddity in the Capcom vs. universe as a whole. It actually began with SNK’s card game SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters Clash, which came out only on the NEO GEO Pocket Color (but was re-released for the Nintendo Switch a few years ago). Of course, when you hear “SNK vs. Capcom,” the first thing that comes to mind is a fighting game. A month later, SNK released SNK vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millennium, which is a real fighting game… for the NEO GEO Pocket Color. In other words, it’s fine for what it is, but it’s not really what you expect from a game called SNK vs. Capcom, is it?
Capcom vs SNK: Millennium Fight
Capcom released two great games in 2000 and 2001: Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000 and Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001. In these two arcade fighting games made by Capcom, fighters from both companies went up against each other. With the help of the Groove and Ratio methods, they were able to make both sides fit together like a single unit. People still think that Capcom vs. SNK 2 is one of the best fighting games ever made, right up there with Street Fighter 3: Third Strike and Garou: Mark of the Wolves.
But there was always the question of how an SNK-made Capcom vs. game would do. A few years later, SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos came out and showed us that not all crossovers are the same. Do not get us wrong, SVC Chaos is not a bad game at all, but it’s not even close to as good as the Capcom games.
SNK vs Capcom svc chaos roster
Speaking of Capcom characters, we come to one of SVC Chaos’ major flaws: the roster. While the Capcom vs SNK lineups were not particularly exciting, SVC Chaos may have the lamest main roster options available. With the exception of Street Fighter 3’s Hugo and Red Earth’s Tessa, the default roster of Capcom combatants is all from Street Fighter 2. Obviously, these characters are iconic for a reason, but given that this came three years after Marvel vs Capcom 2’s unique lineup, which included names from Resident Evil, Captain Commando, and many more, it’s a bit disappointing. Furthermore, if you prefer to play grappler characters, Hugo is your only option – but this game isn’t designed for grabs.
SVC Chaos does, at the very least, dazzle with its mysterious characters. While the base roster is uninteresting, SNK chose to get creative with the hidden fighters (which are easily accessible in this new port by holding L1 on the character pick). Not only do we get Zero from Mega Man Zero, Demitri from Darkstalkers, and the introduction of the stupidest Street Fighter character, Violent Ken. But genuinely weird selections, such as Ghosts ‘n Goblins’ Red Arremer (or Firebrand in Marvel vs Capcom 3) and Metal Slug’s Mars People, which is an alien jellyfish that communicates by shouting “beep boop”.
SVC Chaos’ Biggest Issue Reveal
However, these mysterious characters rapidly reveal SVC Chaos’s main problem: balance. Almost single one of these fighters is horribly unbalanced, with Zero, Violent Ken, and, in particular, Athena (who possesses ordinary techniques that you’d mistake for supers) capable of decimating you in seconds. Fighting Goenitz in arcade mode as Hugo is one of the most painful experiences possible, because to his near-instant projectile spam and insane levels of chip damage. It isn’t as unbalanced as Arc System Works’ Fist of the North Star, but it’s definitely on par with Capcom’s JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.
Fortunately, SVC Chaos outperforms its predecessors in another area: its stunning sprite work. While Capcom vs. games frequently reuse sprites (e.g., the Morrigan sprite), SNK has produced new art for the fighters, and it looks amazing. Special mentions must go to larger characters such as Samurai Shodown’s Earthquake, Hugo, and Demitri, who looks better than he has in any Capcom game.
In terms of the PS4 port, there isn’t much to discuss. It’s a version of the arcade game with no real bells and whistles attached other than the gallery mode (which includes character, promo, and stage art but lacks anything particularly fascinating, such as design documents). The training mode is rather basic; there are no save state rewind options like those seen in Capcom Fighting Collection or similar releases, and there is no ability to just set up 1v1 battles against the CPU; arcade is your only option, which means you can’t practice specific matchups.
Of course, the biggest selling feature of this PS4 edition is online play, which includes rollback netcode. And for the most part, it feels right. It’s not as good as the netcode in Guilty Gear Strive or Street Fighter 6, so dealing with high ping is still an issue, but it’s reliable when it works. However, there are few alternatives for looking for or establishing matches. When you enter the available lobbies, there is no connection indication, and you can’t look for a minimum connection or choose between wired and wireless connections. To make matters worse, it’s already uncommon to find more than 30 people online with no crossplay option.
System Requirements: Minimum
- OS: Windows 10.
- Processor: dual core with hyper-threading.
- Memory: 2 GB RAM.
- Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 / AMD RX 480 DirectX version: 9.0
- Network: Broadband Internet connection.
- Storage: 270 MB available space.
- Sound Card: DirectSound.
RECOMMENDED
- OS: Windows 10.
- Processor: Quad Core plus
- Memory: 2 GB RAM.
- Graphics: GeForce GTX 1070
- DirectX version: 9.0
- Network: Broadband Internet connection.
- Storage: 270 MB available space.
- Sound Card: DirectSound.
Conclusion
SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos is an oddity in the history of fighting games. While it had the mammoth challenge of following in the footsteps of one of the greatest fighters of all time, it’s difficult to deny that it’s a bit of a disappointment. It has several positive aspects, such as some unique character selections and a variety of amazing sprites, but it cannot compete with Capcom or SNK’s best. Meanwhile, the PS4 port is as acceptable as it can be. It won’t impress you with new content or features; it’s simply a good way to play SVC Chaos.
