I don’t know about you, but I often find it strange to be playing a retro hand-held game on a machine that cost a few hundred pounds. I think that it’s the aesthetic of the experience, engaging in a hand-held experience on a full-sized console. This is why it feels much more natural to play retro games on a Switch. True, the technology is radically different, but the experience of actually holding the game in your hands is more evocative of a bygone age.

Originally, the game was released for the Neo Geo Pocket Colour in 1999.

SNK Vs Capcom: The Match of the Millennium, has been released for the Switch. Originally, this game was released for the Neo Geo Pocket Colour, way back in 1999.  Like the original, this is a 2D fighting game, with additional mini-games for you to play.

The game is a crossover game, featuring fighters from both SNK and Capcom, as well as bosses and a few hidden characters, for you to pit against one another. SNK has a roster of nine core characters, two hidden characters, two bosses and five characters for the Olympic mode. Capcom, likewise has nine core characters, two hidden characters and two bosses as well as three Olympic mode characters. You’re not going to want for combinations when picking fights. Each of the characters also has a designated rival, a character which you will fight on the fourth stage of the game.

The game caters for both fans of both publishers, even to the point of having the correct character music playing. Also, you have the option to use either the Capcom style level meter, the SNK-style charge meter or a neutral meter, the advantage of which is that it enhances your attacks if the meter is full. What you decide to choose will be down to your play style, but it’s nice to see that they have catered for fans of both fighting franchises.

The game has four basic modes. Tourney is the arcade version of the game, replete with a sparse story. In this mode, you work your way through several rounds and beat the boss, succeed in this and you will unlock new characters.

Vs mode allows you to play against a friend.

Vs mode allows you to play against a friend and sparring is where you can work through your characters moves and skill, to upskill the player. Lastly, Olympic mode allows you to choose characters from either franchise to play mini-games.

On the full-sized Switch, you can use the touch screen to interact with the virtual display of the original handheld, replicating the actual button pushes you would have used. On the Lite, with the smaller screen, this works, but overall the playing area remains small. It’s a fun feature, but I can’t see many gamers using this often.

At its heart, this is a tournament fighting game. The graphics remain faithful to the original. I was initially concerned about the presentation as you are presented with a depiction of a handheld, on your handheld. This made the actual playing screen quite small. Not a problem on the original Switch as this is then expanded, but a possible issue with the Switch Lite. This has also been considered as on both you can expand the gameplay area to fill most of your screen.

Remembering, back in the day, playing a lot of fighting games one of the most noticeable features of these games was the lack of a back story and why should there be, the games are all about beating an opponent and not about anyone’s emotional trauma. That is not to say that the game lacks dialogue, but this is very much dependant on which character you’re playing.

The rewind feature allows you to turn back time.

Like similar games, this is a button basher, as your character faces off a rival with everyone having some form of kick and punch as well as their signature moves. Unlike the original, the game has also added some enhancements.

It is unlikely that any player will spend hours in front of this game and this is not because it’s a bad game, it’s just the nature of the beast. Most will want to pick it up for a bit, play a few rounds and then move on, only to pick it back up later. So, it's nice to see that it remembers exactly where you were when you came out of the game.

There is the rewind feature, which turns back time, even in boss fights. Not sure what to feel about this. On the one hand, it’s useful to get you out of tough situations, on the other do you learn to fight better, if rather than becoming more skillful, you can just keep rewinding, trying random stuff, until you win?

Given the price of the game, there is not a lot here to criticise.

So, what is the game like to play? If you’re a fan of fighting games, or even a fan of the original, with its various modes and a large roster of character there is a lot here to keep you busy for some time. The save feature means that it is the perfect pick up and drop experience. The game is made up of block sprites, appropriate for the age of the original game, which adds to the sense of nostalgia. Performance is good throughout.

Overall, given the price of the game, there is not a lot here to criticise.

8

Charles Packer