Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001

Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001, known as Millionaire Fighting 2001 (カプコン バーサス エス・エヌ・ケイ 2 ミリオネア ファイティング 2001) in Japan, is a sequel to the fighting game Capcom vs. SNK. This game was released on NAOMI hardware in the arcade. It was later released for the Dreamcast (Japan only) and PlayStation 2, with the GameCube and Xbox receiving an updated version titled Capcom vs. SNK 2 EO.

Gameplay
Capcom vs. SNK 2 combines characters and gameplay elements from various Capcom and SNK fighting games, mainly the Street Fighter and The King of Fighters series. Other elements, most noticeably different fighting styles, incorporated elements from other games as well, such as Street Fighter III, Garou: Mark of the Wolves, and the Samurai Shodown series.

In contrast to the original Capcom vs. SNK, characters no longer have a specific "Ratio." Instead the player can select up to three characters in a team and give an amount or ratio (up to four) to each as desired. In console versions of the game, players can also choose a 1-on-1 game or a 3-on-3 game in Arcade Mode with the Ratio System removed.

Unlike the first game, which was based on the King of Fighters-style two-strength, four button system of punches and kicks, Capcom vs. SNK 2 is based on the three strength, six-button system of punches and kicks, native to the Street Fighter series, and the SNK characters have been tweaked to fit the 6-button style. The overall system is derivative of Street Fighter Alpha. However, a number of different fighting styles called 'Grooves', which mimic other Capcom and SNK games, are included in the engine. These dictate both the character's Super Gauge system, and special techniques, such as dashes, running, and guard cancels, called "Subsystems." There are six in total, each designtated with a letter, along with custom grooves that can be programmed in home versions of the game. Each player designates prior to the match which groove his or her team will use.

Capcom

 * Akuma (Gouki in Japan) - Super Street Fighter II Turbo
 * Balrog (M.Bison in Japan) - Street Fighter II
 * Blanka - Street Fighter II
 * Cammy - Super Street Fighter II
 * Chun-Li - Street Fighter II
 * Dan - Street Fighter Alpha
 * Dhalsim - Street Fighter II
 * Eagle - Street Fighter
 * Edmond Honda - Street Fighter II
 * Guile - Street Fighter II
 * Ken - Street Fighter
 * Kyosuke - Rival Schools (Batsu Ichimonji and Hinata Wakaba also appear as summonable characters in one of his super combos)
 * M. Bison (Vega in Japan) - Street Fighter II
 * Maki - Final Fight 2
 * Morrigan Aensland - Darkstalkers
 * Rolento Schugerg - Final Fight
 * Evil Ryu (console only) - Street Fighter Alpha 2
 * Ryu - Street Fighter
 * Sagat - Street Fighter
 * Sakura - Street Fighter Alpha 2
 * Vega (Balrog in Japan) - Street Fighter II
 * Yun - Street Fighter III (Yang also appears as a summonable character in certain special moves and super combos)
 * Zangief - Street Fighter II
 * Shin Akuma (Shin Gouki in Japan) - Street Fighter Alpha 2

SNK

 * Athena Asamiya - Psycho Soldier
 * Benimaru Nikaido - The King of Fighters '94
 * Chang Koehan and Choi Bounge - The King of Fighters '94
 * Geese Howard - Fatal Fury
 * Haohmaru - Samurai Shodown
 * Iori Yagami - The King of Fighters '95
 * Orochi Iori (console only) - The King of Fighters '97
 * Joe Higashi - Fatal Fury
 * Kim Kaphwan - Fatal Fury 2
 * King - Art of Fighting
 * Kyo Kusanagi - The King of Fighters '94
 * Hibiki Takane - The Last Blade 2
 * Mai Shiranui - Fatal Fury 2
 * Nakoruru - Samurai Shodown
 * Raiden - Fatal Fury
 * Rock Howard - Garou: Mark of the Wolves
 * Rugal Bernstein - The King of Fighters '94
 * Ryo Sakazaki - Art of Fighting
 * Ryuhaku Todoh - Art of Fighting
 * Ryuji Yamazaki - Fatal Fury 3
 * Terry Bogard - Fatal Fury
 * Vice - The King of Fighters '96
 * Yuri Sakazaki - Art of Fighting
 * Ultimate Rugal (God Rugal in Japan) - Original

Character sprites and graphics
Because Capcom vs. SNK 2 features a roster composed of characters from numerous games and hardware eras, the appearances of several of Capcom's characters have been considered substandard in comparison to the newly drawn SNK characters. Instead of choosing to redraw its characters, Capcom took the approach of reusing old character sprites from previous games and inserting them in among the other characters. The result created a significant disparity, particularly in the case of characters like Morrigan, whose low-resolution sprite from the original Darkstalkers games appears washed out and lacking in detail when compared to Capcom's newly drawn characters, such as Maki, Eagle, Ryu, Ken, and M. Bison (even Chun-Li and Yun have new sprites, which are based on their CPS-3 sprites from the Street Fighter III series). This has led to criticism of Capcom's art department.

Reviews

 * Famitsu - 35 out of 40
 * Electronic Gaming Monthly - 8.16 out of 10
 * Game Informer - 7.75 out of 10
 * Official PlayStation Magazine - 4.5 out of 5