CAPCOM vs. SNK PRO

by Bobak!

Capcom & SNK Pro (Dreamcast): An Update Reviewed by Bobak!

[This review assumes you know at least a little about the original Capcom vs. SNK.  If you aren't familiar with the game yet, take a quick look at some of the other reviews on the review page before reading this one.] 

Pro is the definitive version of CvS: 

That said, there really isn't much reason for you to buy Pro if you already own the original.  With that said, there are still sizable groups of people who would appreciate Pro: true Capcom fans, true SNK-philes, Dan Hibiki and Joe Higashi fans, and people who would appreciate a fine tuned CvS.  Those that are just discovering the world of CvS and are interested in trying out the original before moving on to CvS2 will also benefit from this version.

Give Capcom credit:

After all, this is the same Capcom that used to make a living out of milking its customers on minor variations of the same game (Street Fighter II, anyone?).  If Capcom still worked the way it did back then, Pro would be the only version released this year (and then possibly CvS Turbo or Super CvS, heaven forbid, before CvS2).  No, Capcom made Pro for the sake of game itself -perfecting the original before moving on to the next chapter. 

They did it only for the Dreamcast, I might add.  They could have just shelved it (or moved it to PS2) when Sega sang the swan-song for the DC, but they kept in on track.  They could have ditched it in favor of focusing on the CvS2 release (only four months later), but they didn't.  Much like Sega's release of the CDX, Pro seems to be a matter of "look what we can do" among the programmers.

So, what's changed?

Well, it terms of large-scale changes, not much. 

-Dan Hibiki and Joe Higashi, the two characters that had cameos as the 'winners' of the CvS tournament are now playable.  While they are not very strong (both are Ratio One characters -but its not like Dan was all that powerful to begin with...), what they lack in power they make up for with charisma (you can't beat Dan's "Legendary Taunt"); and for experienced players and fans the extra choices are appreciated. 

-All the Secrets are unlocked.  Now, instead of playing the game for weeks to get extra colors, backgrounds, abilities and characters -they're all readily available.  Play as Akuma, Nakoruru or Morrigan if you never have, or try the stages you've yet to see.  This feature alone makes Pro a much better purchase over CvS.

-There have been numerous tiny gameplay tweaks here and there.  While its tough to separate them into each specific change (and there have been attempts made), the overall effect is a much smoother playing experience.  Anyone who is already familiar with CvS will notice the change almost immediately.

"I am the man, for I am DAN!"

Graphics - 7.5
No changes here.  Still the wild variations in sprite quality, but nothing too distracting.  This is the weakest part of a strong game.

Sound - 9.0

Thankfully, the excellent musical tracks found in CvS are untouched here.  I actually prefer the music in CvS more than the uninspired tracks in CvS2. The added Dan and Joe sound effects are their standard sounds from other games.  

Control - 10.0

Wow!  As I mentioned earlier, the already good control has been made even better.  If you can't get a move to work right, don't blame the game... blame the controller! (hee-hee)  

Replay - 8.5

Well, since there are no more Secrets to unlock (they even removed it from the menu), you aren't given as much incentive to keep playing.  Fortunately, Pro is good enough on its own to keep you coming back for more. 

Overal l- 9.0
I don't know why, but I come back to Pro more than CvS2.  I guess its because I really enjoy the control in Pro.  I still can't totally figure out how the Groove Point system works...but I'm not sure anyone at Capcom really can, either.

If you're still on the market for Capcom vs. SNK, forget the original and go for Pro.

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