Back in 1999, the twin fighting game giants—Capcom and SNK—called a truce and partnered on a series of crossover video games that would see characters from Darkstalkers, King of Fighters, Samurai Shodown, King of Fighters, and other series engage in fisitcuffs. If you were there in the arcade days, you enjoyed the cool Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000, the classic Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001, and the extremely messy SNK vs. Capcom: Chaos. However, the first game born from that crossover agreement—1999’s SNK vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millennium—wasn’t an arcade title; it appeared on the Neo Geo Pocket Color, a portable gaming system that wasn’t long for this world. As a result, not many people played Match of the Millennium—at least, not legally.
That all changed a few months ago when Match of the Millennium rose from the grave and found a home on the Nintendo Switch, courtesy of SNK, Capcom, and the porting experts at Code Mystics. It took a little while to make the jump, but SNK vs. Capcom recently rumbled onto PC, letting fighting game heads enjoy the chibi spin on the companies’ popular characters. Just like the NGPC original, this $7.99 PC game oozes charm from its cartoon-like visuals, but those comical sprites belie the game’s combat richness.
When Worlds Collide
Match of the Millennium isn’t just an excellent “portable” fighting game, it’s an excellent fighting game, period. It features a default, 18-character roster that pulls from the companies’ most popular fighting game series. On the SNK side are Athena, Haohmaru, Iori, Kyo, Leona, Mai, Nakoruru, Ryo, and Terry Bogard. On the Capcom side are Chun-Li, Dan, Felicia, Guile, Ken, Morrigan, Ryu, Sakura, and Zangief. Another eight fighters are unlocked as you beat the game’s Tournament modes, and they’re worth the effort.
SNK vs. Capcom offers many cool Tournament modes. There’s Single (where you battle through a series of matches with one character), Tag (2 vs. 2 matches, with in-match character swapping), and Team (a King of Fighters-like 3 vs. 3, non-tag mode). As you battle through Tournament mode, you enjoy a nice match variety: some are 1 vs 1 battles, some are 2 vs. 1, while others are 3 vs. 1. It keeps things lively.
In that mix, you’ll face off against a rival from the opposing company; battles bosses that are incredibly vexing on higher difficulties; and enjoy cool, pre-match character interactions that add comical flair to the happenings.
EX Modes
That would be more than enough variety for what was a handheld fighting game (and still will, if you play on the upcoming Steam Deck), but Match of the Millennium offers additional goodies. It also features the Sparring, Survival, and Time Attack modes that are fighting game standards. Olympics is the most intriguing mode, as it lets you indulge in several non-fighting game minigames.
For example, you can blast Metal Slug’s Mars People in a first-person shooting mode or guide Ghost ‘N Goblins’ Arthur across pits to snatch up treasure. The Versus points that you earn here unlock extra super moves for the default and secret characters. These contests have the depth of early mobile phone games, but they’re a nice diversion from the standard fighting game action.
This Match of the Millennium isn’t a perfect port of the original game. For example, modes that were designed to link SNK vs. Capcom data with other titles (Card Fighters Clash and King of Fighters 99: Dream Match 1999) are removed. That’s a good thing! Though I typically support perfect ports for games preservation reasons, the missing modes relied on other games and hardware to function.
The Art of Fighting
If Match of the Millennium’s Sparring mode didn’t tip you off that this chibi fighter is a legit fighting game, here’s even more evidence. Despite its super-deformed look, SNK vs. Capcom utilizes a robust battle engine that replicates the arcade Neo Geo’s four-button attack scheme (Light Punch, Heavy Punch, Light Kick, Heavy Kick). In a novel move that skirted the Neo Geo Pocket Color’s two-button control scheme, Match of the Millennium’s characters uncork attacks based on how long you press a button. Tap the punch button? You toss a jab. Hold the punch button? You swing a haymaker.
As someone who still owns and plays a Neo Geo Pocket Color handheld, I’m accustomed to this thoughtful input scheme. However, I play the vast majority of my PC fighting games with a fight stick. Initially, I found it a bit tricky to work the pressure-sensitive inputs into my fight flow using my Evo-branded Qanba Drone, but I quickly acclimated to the control scheme. In fact, I now prefer to play Match of the Millennium with stick. The clicky buttons offer more sensitivity than a gamepad‘s mushy buttons. Still, I wish the game would let me remap the light and heavy attacks to separate buttons.
Capcom vs. SNK and Capcom vs. SNK 2 are known for groove systems that let you pick a fighting style that replicates the combat scheme of a popular Capcom or SNK game. Fun fact: The wee SNK vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millennium did it first. The fighting game includes three combat styles: Average, Counter, and Rush.
Average replicates Capcom-style games. It lets your characters dash and build super meter by attacking or blocking. Counter represents the Kings of Fighters, complete with sidesteps and the ability to manually charge your meter. Rush features elements of the Capcom and SNK styles, as it features Darkstalkers-like chain combos and a King of Fighters-style run. All fighting styles let you break throws, guard cancel, guard crush, guard cancel attack, taunt, and air block. In short, Match of the Millennium gives you plenty of fighting freedom.
Despite the game’s cutesy appearance, SNK vs. Capcom is a fighting game for people who love fighting games. Character combos smoothly flow, and the various grooves facilitate creativity and experimentation. It’s a joy to see combos that work in the larger games work here.
Can Your PC Run SNK vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millennium?
Yes. If your PC powers on, it will likely run this handheld game from the tail-end of the last century. According to the game’s Steam page, your computer needs at least a 2GHz Intel Core i5 CPU, an integrated graphics card, 850MB of RAM, 850MB of storage, and the Windows 7 operating system. My desktop PC—a gaming rig that features a 3.2GHz Intel Core i5 CPU, an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti GPU, 16GB of RAM, and the Windows 10 OS—loaded and ran Match of the Millennium without a hitch. You can expect 60 frames per second gameplay on most computers.
Naturally, there aren’t many graphics options available for a 20-year-old game, but you can apply a screen filter that replicates the Neo Geo Pocket Color’s somewhat murky LCD. In addition, there are numerous borders that replicate the Neo Geo Pocket Color to give the small, square playfield a contemporary, widescreen presentation (and make you appreciate the game’s original hardware that SNK produced in multiple colors and designs).
As a Steam game, SNK vs. Capcom has many of the features that come from being on Valve’s platform, including Steam Achievements and full controller support. The game lacks true online play (lobbies, spectator modes, and so on), but you can battle a single person in your Steam Friend List using the dope Steam Remote Play Together feature.
In a nice touch, Match of the Millennium saves your game state if you exit, and it lets you resume where you left off without skipping a beat. In addition, the game’s rewind feature lets you turn back the clock by a few seconds. It comes in handy when you’re splattered by a high-damage super attack and want a second chance at evading it.
Punching Above Its Weight
Capcom vs. SNK 2 is widely considered the best game in the crossover series, but it’s unavailable for purchase on any platform. If you want to relive Ryu facing off against Ryo, SNK vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millennium scratches that itch. However, it’s not a mere placeholder for a Capcom vs. SNK 2 rerelease. Match of the Millennium is a genuinely entertaining and rich fighting game that combines challenge and strategy with a hefty helping of lighthearted humor. It’s been gone a long time. Celebrate its return.For more Steam game reviews and previews, check out PCMag’s Steam Curator page. And for in-depth video game talk, visit PCMag’s Pop-Off YouTube channel.
