Completion time: 1:41:40

If it weren’t for the fact that Marvel vs Capcom 2 exists, Capcom vs SNK 2 would easily be the single greatest versus fighting game ever made. It improved on nearly everything the first game laid out, and it gave more of everything.

The roster total is staggering for its time, with 48 or so available. You have plenty of representation from each kind of fighter, from fireball spammer to grappler, to those that require patience to both play as and play against. There’s literally a fighter for everyone. You can go about things 3v3 like the typical SNK brawler, or 1v1 like most traditional Capcom fighters. On top of that, there are six different fighting “grooves” you can select, from the parry happy P groove, to the combination of Mark of the Wolves and Samurai Showdown K groove. The amount of different ways each character can be played thanks to all of the grooves available, is staggering.

My only complaint, which really isn’t one, is God Rugal is beyond frustrating to fight. Capcom managed to make an SNK boss that’s nearly as vile to dispatch as an actual SNK boss. It gets frustrating, but man, it’s just a well-built, incredible fighting game. Capcom vs SNK 2 is a top five all-time fighting game. It’s fanservice overload, and there hasn’t been a fighting game that has come close to it since. Pick up the likely much cheaper PS2 or Xbox versions. This is an absolute must play for all fighting game fans, and the last of a dying breed of stellar fighting games.

Rating: 10