Not the title bout…
I can remember when SNK and Capcom were doing crossovers. Nothing sounded more exciting than these two fighting game giants collaborating on games. The idea of Mai versus Chun Li or Ryu up against Iori sounded like a dream come true. Each company took a stab at these games and we seemed to get opposite sides of the spectrum. Capcom Vs. SNK and its sequels are still revered to this day. On the other hand, most people have completely forgotten about SNK Vs. Capcom, and for good reason. SVC Chaos was originally only released on the original Xbox, which is already niche, but it was also not really that good.
Don’t get me wrong, it was competent enough that when revisiting it, I was like “this is fine” but that might be the worst part. Just fine is not ideal in a time when fighting games were at their peak. While the game never resonated with me, I am always happy to see these older games get a second chance on newer consoles. What is even weirder, and perhaps telling of how things are heading right now, this remaster is exclusively not on the console it was originally only available for. That is right, this game skips Xbox entirely, which in this climate of fighting games, makes sense as sad as it is that a certain audience will miss it entirely.
The animations are stellar
MSRP: $19.99
Platforms: PlayStation (reviewed), Switch, PC
Price I’d Pay: $9.99
Let’s start off with what is good. This game packs a ton of characters, over 30 including the greatest hits from both sides. From the SNK side we have the likes of Kyo, Mai, Mr. Karate, and Shiki. There are characters from all the classic franchises such as King of Fighters, Art of Fighting, and even Samurai Shodown. On the Capcom side, we have the likes of M. Bison, Guile, Hugo, and Tessa. While a little more limited, most of the Capcom characters come from Street Fighter with some exceptions from Final Fight and Red Earth among some others and a few surprises in the hidden characters. The roster is really impressive.
One of the coolest things about these crossovers is that depending on who developed it, each game had an entirely unique look. SVC Chaos was done by SNK of course, so seeing the Capcom characters with the absurd amounts of animation and more lanky look gave new life to these characters. The game still holds up and the resolution boost really showcases the animations. This game still looks good. The arenas are equally impressive with the ridiculous animation that SNK is known for. This game looks amazing and continues to prove why 2D ages so gracefully.
The general mechanics of the game are fine. That is the best word I can use to describe this. SNK was in a weird place during this time. Capcom was killing it and SNK was struggling with their identity. As far as these crossover games go, this is the least interesting one by far, which is why I was shocked to see it coming back. The gauge stuff is not interesting, the bosses are cheap, and the AI is just frustrating and not fun. The lack of modes is also a problem and I found myself losing interest quickly.
The character lineup is outstanding
With this remaster though you can play online, much like the original, and it works really well. Sadly the online community for this game is paltry at best. The matches I was able to get into were great, but they were few and far between. So if you decide to pick this up, just expect to play locally or alone, and with the lack of modes, that won’t last all that long.
SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos is a product of its time, and not even a great product of THAT time. It was by far the least interesting of the crossover games and not much has changed since 2003. The roster is impressive as is the artwork, but everything else just feels lackluster at best. Not sure why this was put out, even more baffling it skipped the console it only existed on back when it came out. It is a nice piece of history that is not as impressive revisiting today.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
