SNK vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millenium originally release more than 20 years ago on Neo Geo Pocket Color. Despite limited controls, even at the time, the game surprised many people. In fact, there are still many games today (e.g.: Pocket Rumble) that have taken queues from the unexpected crossover. Crossovers were a big thing in the 90s, both in and out of fighting games. Today we have seen some high-quality crossovers, so does the re-release on the Nintendo Switch hold up?
The Match of the Millennium features characters from numerous franchises on each side of the roster, with SNK featuring players from King of Fighters and Samurai Showdown, while Capcom comes roaring in with Street Fighter and Darkstalkers. Each fighter has special and super moves available, and each can use three different styles: Average, Counter, and Rush. Average is your typical way to play, building your super to pummel your opponent when the meter is full; Counter is more defensive and focuses on avoiding attacks with reckless offensive strikes. Rush mode is all about trying to get as many attacks in a row in as you can very quickly, Not all characters play well with each style either, but the possibilities and play styles these open up are pretty impressive, even by today’s standards.
Everything is very well detailed in the game, and the characters are well represented despite the fewer pixels. Gameplay essentials are there and only two buttons (A and B) are really utilized, but options are not limited with modifiers like the playstyle, crouching, and jumping. There is a training mode, a versus mode, a (short) story mode, and a tournament mode (which features three different ways to play as well). Time Attack, Survival, and Olympics Mode (featuring a few minigames) are also available. Some of the special minigames unlock secret characters and hidden moves as well.
As with all Neo Geo Pocket Color games, The Match of the Millennium comes with the original manual to read through (for the geeks like me). And there seems to be more launch day content than some of the bigger games these days, and just like most other Neo Geo games, this is perfect for your quick little play sessions where you only have a few minutes to play. The port is pretty much an exact recreation of the original where I couldn’t notice any differences between the original and the port (I had the original on an emulator). You see the Neo Geo Pocket Color overlay, which you can customize, or just zoom in and lose together (it does make it a little hard to see the screen sometimes when you’re looking at the whole Neo Geo system on your Switch screen). It’s just a shame that we haven’t seen a “fit to screen” option so that we don’t have any remnants of the console. The only thing the game seems to be missed by today’s standard is an online mode. But then again, the game is more than 20 years old.
Ultimately, at a $7.99 price tag (at the time of this writing), this game is a must get for fans of the Capcom vs. series, or just retro fighting games in general. The amount of content you get for the price alone makes it worth it. So go on, have fun with the characters you know and love in a new/old way.
4 out of 5 stars
